We asked Jamaican entrepreneur, Kristie Stephenson, the owner of the popular line of jewels, Story and Myth, to share her suggestions for unique made-in-Jamaican gift ideas that can accommodate delivery options for folks across the Caribbean diaspora.
If you’re going to put in your order, we encourage you to do so soon. In the meantime, here’s a list of made-in-Jamaica products that make great gifts.
Touch By VLS
Touch by VLS is a contemporary ceramics studio headed by Victoria Silvera. For the holiday season, they’re offering two unique collections – the Starseed Collection and the Urchin Collection.
The Starseed Collection taps into what the studio calls “primitive futurism.” Ceramics are stretched into lattices – beautiful and mesmerizing meshes – to form everything from diffusers to lighting fixtures. The Abstractions Teapot is especially striking; rustic, yet perfectly smooth, the clay teapot is streaked with a modern color scheme of pink, black, and gray.
The Urchin Collection follows a similar form, but trades lattices for spines. It’s their ode to the sea and the creatures that live deep within. This collection has its own pottery set and its own lighting fixture set. There are also adorable spiked or cutwork decorative urchins to accent any setting.
Puzzles By SG
Puzzles by SG is an innovative startup from the mind of Shauna-Gaye Hart. The concept is simple, yet ingenious. Shauna-Gaye, an avid puzzler herself, noticed a dearth of local puzzles in the market. She has partnered with local photographers across the island to capture unapologetically Jamaican images to convert into puzzles for all levels.
Solving puzzles is believed to promote brain health and improve memory. It’s also an excellent activity for team building and for getting the entire family to do an activity together. Or, solving puzzles can be a quiet retreat away from the chaos of this holiday season.
DAE Collection
DAE is a socially conscious, sustainably made, ethical sandals company that releases limited-run footwear showcasing the work of Jamaican artisans.
Established in 2019 by Debra Antoinette Edwards (DAE) – their stylish sandals leave a small carbon footprint and portions of the sales are donated to charitable projects such as Eve for Life – a charity outreach in Jamaica that supports women and children living with HIV.
The Girl and the Magpie
Veronique Lindard has spent her entire life perfecting her craft. The Congolese transplant, who now resides in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, Jamaica, combines traditional and contemporary crafting techniques, with organic and reusable materials, to create one-of-a-kind timeless pieces for personal wear and to showcase at exhibitions.
Lingard’s creations are done to order – customers directly interface with Lindard. Customers give feedback on the design at every step, until a finished product is shipped directly from her to you.
Visit the Girl and the Magpie here.
LiveSimple
LiveSimple is the skincare arm of the fantastic LiveECCO environmental initiative. The organization has a simple mission to create natural skincare products that are safe for you and the planet. To achieve this, they avoid harmful chemicals in all of their products and only use recyclable and reusable containers and packaging.
Orders can be made through Whatsapp or their Amazon affiliate store.
Story & Myth
Of course, we couldn’t leave out Story & Myth.
Story & Myth is island-inspired handmade protection jewelry – mainly wrist beads and mala necklaces – that are made from a combination of indigenous Job’s Tears seeds, semi-precious gemstones and charms.
The seeds used in Story & Myth’s creations are harvested by local farmers, and the jewelry is assembled by a small community of artisans, some of whom have a physical disability. Each piece is made with thought and intent and is meant to bless, guide and protect the wearer.
