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Gerry Hofstede

"I was born in Holland August 25, 1961. From the time I began in this world of art in 2003, I've described my work as artistic jewelry. My goal is to be innovative and original with a touch of fashion, mixing different techniques and materials. My emphasis is on silver combined with natural textiles and ecological leather.

"I am motivated by a profound desire to create something new and lovely that makes shoppers feel happy. I get so much satisfaction doing it and I'm amazed when my design is complemented by the hands of Andean communities that do wonderful work. I feel happy that others can be involved in my designs and have work because of me.

"I try to transmit happiness about life, beauty, and the inspiration for a better world with more equality and respect for nature.

"In reality, I am an anthropologist by profession; in English you'd call me a development sociologist. For almost 20 years I've worked in the field of promoting the microbusiness, especially those of women entrepreneurs in different parts of the world. I've lived in South and East Africa and, since 1998, in Peru.

"I've always been fascinated by handicrafts, handmade objects and everything involved with design. Although I've always done craftwork, I 'discovered' my own inclination for art in 2002. I was in Peru, surrounded by the wonderful weavings and silverwork, and I took a course in silver jewelry at the Instituto Peruano de Joyería in Lima. I then took classes with a jewelry designer and, concurrently, with a painter - both renowned Peruvian artists. I knew right away that I could never stop creating jewelry and, since them, I am impassioned about what I do. I am simply enchanted when I come up with a new design and I like to make things that are unusual. I experiment by combining techniques and materials with a focus on ecology and natural processes.

"As important materials for my work I utilize different textiles – weavings, crochet and embroidery – mostly of sheep wool, cotton and crude cotton. These are elaborated for me by artisans from Ayacucho. I incorporate these into my designs, transforming them to arrive at a unique and original creation. My objective is to develop commercial relationships with groups of women artisans based on fair business principles. At the same time, this fits into my philosophy of promoting artisan skills, the generation of local economies, as well as ecological production processes.

"Having promoted cottage industry and microbusinesses for many years in my professional life, to do so now through my jewelry is a great challenge. The competition is fierce and there is tremendous market pressure to keep prices low, as well as problems in communicating with the artisans, to mention a few difficulties. I am determined to do this because I love what I do, and offer something beautiful with my own style that reflects my vision of life.

"Personally, I love it when jewelry is cheerful, a bit playful at times, that it gives life, makes one feel good and influences people's moods in a positive way. I hope Novica shoppers value these elements and appreciate that these pieces are truly unique. They are crafted by hand and represent novel concepts with origins in a blend of tradition, ancient techniques and modern design. And I think it's wonderful that through the Internet, shoppers can meet us and access our handicrafts. It feels like we really are living in a 'global village.'"