CARVINGS

The artisans of Lan Na love to carve. It is a centuries old tradition, perhaps millennia-old and demonstrated nowhere better than in the many thousands of temples throughout the region.

The materials that Thais use for carving are as varied as in any other country - wood, wax, stone, vegetables, fruit, soap, semi and precious stones, bone, ivory - you name it, it has been carved at some point in time in Lan Na.

Where Thailand differs from most countries is that, here, there are entire villages dedicated to a particular skill or craft - an industry method first pioneered in the early Medieval period, which in modern times has given birth to the "One Tambon One Product" movement (a tambon is a village or district in Thai).

From where we live and work, within a twenty mile radius, there are so many different carving enterprises that it would be physically impossible, and financially ruinous, for us to try to stock everything in our online store. Therefore the ranges we present here are from craftspeople who meet the criteria we state on our Fair Trade page.

If you can't find what you need in our Carvings categories, please use the Contact Us page to seek help in obtaining exactly what you you're looking for. If you've seen what you want on the internet, but not in our store, and it's made in Thailand - send us a link and we'll try to obtain it for you.