Tribal Aesthetic.

Why not adorn the body? I was walking through the Peabody Harvard Museum of Ethnology the other day, in their Oceanic collection. It contains a huge array of traditional adornments from cultures of that region, collected many years ago. I witnessed all these items neatly displayed in glass cases, with cards explaining their significance, and thought 'wow, they just want to be worn again!' But, as cultures become more and more extinct, so many of these wonderful objects will never again see life outside museum shelves. While many of the items I was looking at were indeed priceless antiques, the cultures that made and used them have not died out all together. By continuing to appreciate traditional ethnographic adornment practices, and to study the intense ritual and rite often involved, we ensure that one day we will not have only what we've cloistered away in museums, but also a living resource. I believe one of the best ways we can ensure the survival of these cultures and their traditions is to begin to appreciate them ourselves, as fellow human beings.

I started Nomad Heart out of a desire to make some of these pieces accessible to the average person, and hopefully by doing so also to return some significance to the act of personal adornment. So much beautiful ethnic jewelry is either kept locked in cases or only available for very high prices. When I started collecting I too faced those barriers, but eventually I said to myself "I can do this, and better!" I search high and low to find bargains on high quality ethnic pieces, and pass those bargains on to my customers. But, when you buy a piece of jewelry from Nomad Heart, you're really buying a piece of history. I try to research and pinpoint the origins of each piece in my collection as accurately as possible, because I believe that these aren't just pretty pieces of jewelry, they are documents of the cultures from which they come to us.

As a business, Nomad Heart is currently a one man show- I, Nick Cartier, personally collect, research, and package up these lovely things when you order them, as well as maintain the website and answer your emails and phone calls. This is all very new, and Nomad Heart was only officially launched in March 2006. I'm constantly putting effort into growing this business and picking up more and more beautiful items to carry.

So, have a look around and see what you find. Running Nomad Heart is a treasure hunt for me, and I hope you enjoy browsing our offerings just as much as I enjoy finding them for you!

~Nick Cartier, owner