Munay Rumi

Munay Rumi - San Juan de Luriancho, Lima
Evangelina Pizarro, Sonia Anahue, Silvia Vargas

Munay Rumi is a small artisan group of women jewelry makers based in the outskirts of Lima, Peru. They are dedicated to maintaining the highest standards and have shown great commitment to upholding the Fair Trade principles.

After many monotonous years in a jewelry factory, working 80 hour weeks for only $115 a month, Eva decided that she deserved better. She convinced the other members of the group, who were also working in the factory, to break off and form their own business. Their first attempt failed and most of them ended up back in factory jobs. But shortly thereafter, Eva heard about a Fair Trade project in Peru and went to see if she could be involved. Eva and her colleagues formed Munay Rumi and after a year of improving their designs and the samples they’d originally shown, they produced their first jewelry items for export.

They have been working together now since 2006. Because of their factory jobs, they had a good technical foundation but lacked in the area of design. Much of what they produced was commission work or similar to the mass-produced jewelry seen in the local markets. Partners for Just Trade recognized Munay Rumi’s commitment and potential, so PJT sought out jewelry designer Peggy Eng to go to Peru to work with the group. Peggy spent six weeks over two separate trips working with the group to facilitate their development in design, build a cohesive group of designs into a collection, and understand the importance of developing a signature style.

While Munay Rumi saw their sales increase 48 times from 2006 to 2010, the orders were still not steady enough for sales to sustain each member; until mid-2010, each member held a secondary job to support themselves and their families. Their accomplishments and work are quite impressive considering that their workshop space is small and minimally equipped. They maximize the use of what tools they do have and find creative solutions for the ones they don’t. Unlike in the U.S., in Peru they cannot order materials and supplies for doorstep delivery; they must travel by bus into the city to purchase goods, which sometimes turns into a long ordeal depending on the traffic. Additionally, they do not have ready-made precious metal. In order to have silver sheet and wire to work with, Munay Rumi must first take pure silver “grains”, melt and alloy it, pour an ingot, and then roll it out into sheet or draw it down into wire.

Munay Rumi’s jewelry is sterling silver and incorporates various stones from Peru including black onyx, lapis lazuli, and Peruvian turquoise.

Read about Munay Rumi member Evangelina Pizarro >>
 
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