NOVICA, in association with National Geographic, offers thousands of limited edition and one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry, and home decor treasures handmade by master artists and artisans throughout the world. Animals from the Amazon rainforest appear on an engraved mate gourd. Wild boars and tapirs, monkeys and sloths join a spotted otorongo, the magnificent jungle cat called uturunku by ancient man in Peru. Tito Medina captures the vignettes in extraordinary detail. A filigree flower of sterling silver crowns the beautiful piece. Because natural gourds are used, size, shape and motifs can vary slightly, making each piece a unique work of folk art. .925 rating silver Artisan Info: Tito Medina was born on June 16, 1968. He hand-carves and adorns dried gourds, or mate, with techniques he inherited from his family. He has been dedicated to this art since 1988, and through his work he aims to convey the traditions of his region as well as for decorative gourds to achieve renown. Medina has participated in several art fairs, and together with his family has received several awards. "There are daily struggles and I fight to provide for my family as well as to preserve the art of decorative gourds," confides Medina. "I would like to invite Novica clients to admire mates, for they are 100% natural and the work is completely manual. "This creation is a symbol of our Andean heritage and of our love for nature. Please treasure it and it will bring you years of joy!"
