“Marhaban, kayfa haluk? Lazward?” (مرحبا، كيف حالك؟ لازورد)Asks a merchant who has traveled for weeks to see the dark blue waters of Constantinople. Amid a row of stalls with horses and a mix of faces, this man is looking for the stone for the painters, jewelry makers, and soldiers back home. After many tries, he finds an Afghan that’s willing to sell to him. Covered in the dust of the Korkaram highway, he stores a bag full of the stones in with his belongings and starts the trek back to Italy. This is what you might have heard and seen in a typical exchange on a stop along the Silk Road, if you were transported back in time to one of its peaks, in 800 AD.
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The Road, stretching from modern day eastern China all the way through Turkey or Italy, was the first true instance of globalization. Traders gave people thousands of miles away the chance to buy precious commodities like Chinese silk, Persian saffron, Uzbek silver, Turkish dates, Egyptian glass, Indian sandalwood. They would traverse barren desserts, lawless caravan routes and weeks of isolation to make it to one of the hubs in modern-day Iran, Jordan, and Thailand. Alongside the exchange of goods was an exchange of beliefs and craftsmanship for ~1500+ years, bringing Buddhism to Afghanistan and lapis lazuli (or lazward) to Michelangelo so he could paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

The craftsmanship developed during the road survives to this day. Luckily, we don’t have to brave lawless caravan routes to give you a chance at the splendors of the Silk Road. Every product in every collection reflects the heritage and people of the road, is made by hand and never mass produced.

Each product listed is the result of an extensive curation process. But, we still want to hear from you. If there are regions, products, or items you want to see more of, send us a note.