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. A cool green jungle emerges on a set of coasters by Nantana Sompamitre. She crafts the sextet from mango wood, with an elegant pagoda-shaped storage box. She carves the wood into the desired shape and coats it with lacquer. Once dried it is polished, and another coat is applied up to twenty times before as many six coats of pure lacquer are applied. The final layer is polished to a shine with powdered fired clay. Artisan Info: "My name is Nantana Sompamitre and you can call me 'Nan.' I was born on May 1, 1950 in a calm and peaceful village in northern Thailand. My family is large, I have eight brothers and sisters. We are a family of artisans. Instead of going to the fields, my father and mother made the umbrella's topknot. My father is a craftsman and was always teaching us. My brothers and sisters helped our parents in one way or another in the running of their business. I am the one who was able to make the shape of the knot. I started helping my parents when I was 13 years old but quit when I was 17. At that time I had just graduated from high school and I wanted to do something more to help my parents. Fortunately, my cousin had a food shop and I became a vendor. Under good conditions this is generally a good line of work, and eventually I met my husband. He is the

Available from Amazon Price: $37.95 Updated on 12-23-2008.