A ray of hope? Found in jewellery.

Have you heard of crystal healing? It is a form of alternative healing by balancing your aura with a quartz crystal or your birthstone. That is how my friend, Mee Yuen, creates her jewellery; with thoughts of replenishing, revitalizing and realigning the energy of the wearer by studying the individual chakras.

You think that is horcus porcus? Imagine that you are seeking a solution to matters that are beyond your control... The thought of being able to "take an action" could well be your source of consolation and the desired ray of hope that you have been yearning for.

How else can jewellery provides someone a ray of hope? Try incorporating Kazuri beads that are fired from clay and hand painted in bright colours of greens and greys, browns and ochres, reds, yellows and blues. Kazuri in Swahili means "small and beautiful". These are beads handmade by women from villages around Nairobi in Kenya. The women are mainly single mothers widowed or abandoned by their men and desperately in need of a livelihood by creating and selling these beads.

Making jewellery can also become a meaningful and exciting experience, especially if you are able to create your own glass beads. The Cunningham Foundation have sponsored trips for beadmaking instructors to Ethiopia to teach women and students how to make their own glass beads. They are then taught to use them to create limited edition, beautiful bracelets to support Project Mercy.

Request from HOPE Bracelet Project for beading supplies has inspired lampwork beadist, Kim Miles, to post a challenge. Bead makers can pledge to make 100 small bracelet beads for the HOPE Bracelet Project, and send them in before May 1st, 2008. More details about it can be read at The Kim Miles Challenge - 2008.

Now imagine that you are someone who have been overcomed by a health condition that you are aware of but you are not conscious enough to provide coherent information about the medical attention you need. Wearing a piece of Medical ID jewellery could well be the ray of hope you have for survival.