Joyeria Semilla

Colombia

Joyeria Semilla, Spanish for "seed jewelry" is a workshop founded in the mid-1990s in Villa de Leyva, Columbia, high in the Andean Mountains. It provide jobs, food, and shelter to Colombian youth; many of whom struggled to survive the sex trade, alcoholism, and begging in an area lacking education and employment. Trained in jewelry-making, artisans create unique pieces from locally-harvested seeds and bamboo; offering the youth a sustainable income, dignity, and renewed hope for a better future.