Lily Jacobs moved to Santa Cruz, a small remote rustic village of a few thousand people on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala 12 years ago. Santa Cruz is populated by a colorful Mayan people who still wear costumes to signify which village they are from. They wear brightly colored scarves in their hair and all their clothes are woven by hand. Guatemala is famous for its weaving traditions but now this tradition is expanding to include weaving beads, which fit into the Mayan Culture as the Mayans feel that we are all connected by a huge woven web.
Lily Jacobs volunteered as a loan officer to help women receive a loan through Friendship Bridge based in Colorado. As her first job in Guatemala she became involved with this Micro/Credit program which offers small loans to women so they can start their own business. The rate of failure is so infinitesimal on these loans. One day Lily was approached by a group of women that felt they needed more products for their small stores around the lake. Lily, who was the director of Carole LaRoche Gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, NM, knew a things about marketing. She decided to steer these talented industrious women into a new field. She suggested they learn to weave beads and make jewelry.
Beaded jewelry was becoming very popular and women could become involved at different skill levels. She founded a bead class and enlisted the help of a girl who spoke Mayan as many women did not speak Spanish. She worked with them for a few years and together out of this small seed came the fruit, Lilybead.
Lilybead is an organization which makes cleverly designed beaded jewelry on the shores of the most beautiful lake in the world. Each year more and more women become involved in creating these colorful beaded bracelets by combining semi precious stones and Japanese seed beads. At present Lily works with over 50 women who now possess a valuable skill that helps support their families, and as their education process continues, it is hoped that many more women will become involved in this craft. Lilybead is committed to strictly adhering to "fair trade principles, respecting cultural differences, creating a cooperative working atmosphere and paying an appropriate wage." When designing and creating an item, the time, effort and skill level of the women is taken into consideration, as well as the cost of materials. No piece of jewelry will be put into production, though it may sell well, if it means exploiting the women.
This is a labor of love for Lily and a great avenue of support for many families around Lake Atitlan without destroying their weaving tradition.
Click to View the Beautiful Beadwork
