Collection: The Stellaboo Story
ABOUT US
The Stellaboo story starts with a trip to Nepal in October 2018 by my husband Tim and the two adult children. Landing into Kathmandu they made their way from there to around the Annapurna circuit over a two week trek and then back to Kathmandu before flying out. Walking in some of the most spectacular scenery in the world made for an unforgettable experience.
While in Kathmandu and walking through the Thamel district he noticed a small jewellery shop and wandered in to have a look and was bedazzled by what was on offer.
A second generation manufacturing jeweller the owner Azam has been in the jewellery business his entire life and with a small number of craftsmen produces handmade pieces in both gold and silver using the large variety of the precious and non-precious gems and stones he sources.
After a quick call back to Australia Tim bought a large oval emerald that he carried the length of the Annapurna range and then brought back to Melbourne set into a ring.
When I saw the finished piece I thought not only how beautiful it was but how we might bring some of the jewellery being made in Nepal into our world and with many calls and meetings with Azam and a number of quick trips back to Nepal the plan was put into motion to partner with him to share some of what he makes with the world at large.
As a practical measure we thought Stellaboo improves the lives of disadvantaged people there through direct employment of Azam and his family team while having flow on effect to the general community in which they live and makes a business for us at the same time.
Initially presenting the small collections to groups of interested buyers who both liked and bought the first jewellery made we wanted to expand the offering and make it accessible to the world.
The business was not ready for covid and with Azam and his family leaving Kathmandu for his own safety through the long and harsh lockdowns there we had no way of producing or freighting new stock so the business effectively went into hibernation and we are now relaunching it with new pieces and a strong online presence where it can reach many more people.
Stellaboo is a business which helps the country it is sourcing from and has directly supported development and aid organisations in Nepal and continues to do so.
It actively supports the Australian Himalayan Foundation through ongoing donations and has contributed pieces of jewellery to charity auctions for fundraising. I would refer you to www.australianhimalayanfoundation.org.au so you can see better the difference they make in the communities they work in.
Nepal is comparative to Australia a very poor country and is highly dependent on tourism. The industry there was ravaged by covid and has struggled since reopening to attract the same numbers of tourists as before the pandemic. I would urge you to consider visiting this beautiful country and meeting its friendly people.
Jilly x
