For The Love of Beads BlogThe adventures of Suzanne, Nibbler, and friends in the world of beads and jewelry making crafts

Have you ever seen one of those artisans who sell their beautiful jewelry on the streets? These guys are in the streets of almost every large city in the world and yet you can´t help wondering why they prefer to be selling such nice things outside rather than in a store.

Well, today we are going to present to you an interview with one of those enigmatic guys. He lives in Mexico City, but you can find him almost anywhere. He´s that kind of artisan who likes to travel around the country selling his stuff at the main public squares or in the Zocalos. I met him one particular weekend when he came to my hometown. His name is Pedro Lopez and he sells semiprecious gemstones hand coiled in silver wire. He likes to use amethyst rectangles, black agate coins, coral beads, lapis lazuli beads, turquoise beads, jade beads, among other stones. Sometimes he mounts the stone in a silver frame with a loop at the top for stringing. He sometimes uses chamois leather or silver wire when he adds more little stones.  His prices range from a few pesos to hundreds and despite the simplicity of his designs they are made with good taste. He seems to balance perfectly the color, size and quantity of stones.

So, we approached to ask him a few questions about his work.

FTLOB: I see you have an strong preference to work with stones. Why do you like to work with this material?

PL: Well, precious and semi-stones have always been used in different cultures as healing tools. I have studied about the healing properties semi-precious stones have and I think the use of them bring enormous benefits for both physical and mental health. I thought that a good way to carry them, on a daily basis, it was to put them in a piece of jewelry, like a necklace or a bracelet.

FTLOB: What kind of stones do you recommend the most?

PL: I can only talk about semi-precious stones. Precious stones are way too expensive and semi-precious are just more affordable. Amethyst, for example, which is one of my favorites, is associated with inner peace, relieves stress and protects against blood diseases. It´s also very useful against diabetes.

Jade is also another one of my favorites. It´s associated with wisdom and serenity. Very valuable for the ancient Aztecs and Mayans. Some say that the Moctezuma´s treasure Spaniards were looking for, it wasn´t made of gold but jade.

Lapis Lazuli is one that my clients ask for very often. It´s a very powerful stone. It has a lot of energy and if you use it as a necklace, it works as a connector between your heart and mind.

Turquoise a very energetic stone, on the other hand, connects your physical, emotional and intellectual levels. And so on and so forth about a lot of stones. All of them have something to give you.

One more thing I can tell you is that it´s said that you don’t choose the stone. The stone actually chooses you.

FTLOB: How come you prefer to sell your things on the streets and not from a store?

PL: I like to interact with my clients personally and I don´t want to be worried about the rent, the electrical bill or stuff like that. Although there are some obvious inconveniences of being on the sidewalk, like bad weather or having to set up your booth every day.

FTLOB: When did you realize you wanted to do this type of work?

PL: Actually, I am a Certified Public Accountant. I worked for several firms for many years but never felt very happy. Besides that the money was not that hot. What happened was one day I saw this young Italian guy who was traveling the globe just selling very simple but striking bracelets made with coconut beads. I thought if this guy is able to travel the world this way I wanna do that. Then I realized that I was working under much stress and working a lot of hours a day in a job I didn´t really like and that I was not enjoying my life. So, I decided to give it a shot and here I am, very happy with my current life style.

FTLOB:Did you take any special courses to learn to do this?

PL: As I said before, I learned about the stones’ metaphysical properties first. And one thing lead to another. Then I learned the basics about working with silver. As you see, my technique is very simple.

FTLOB. What do you think about selling and buying things on the Internet?

PL: I think technology is an amazing thing and is changing the way we live. And of the way we shop. Shopping is changing in a blink of an eye. I might well to start learning how to use the Internet. But for the moment I prefer to sell and travel at the same time.

Right now, my goal is to travel all over the country. I have been in some amazing places like Tulum and Palenque.

FTLOB: Thank you very much for your time and good luck.

PL: You´re welcome.

Here in FTLOB we want to invite you to check out the amazing assortment of semi-precious stones we have and hope you can find and create your own designs.  And who knows? You might be able to start your own business and travel just like our good friend Pedro Lopez.

Please let us hear your valuable opinions on this or any another topic.