Gorgeous Stone and Brass clutches brought back from Nepal, Thanks Ava!

Late Spring 2018 was spent buzzing around reconnecting with vendors and individuals that I had met at High Point Market earlier that March. I knew Ava from years prior when I lived in Shanghai, we ran in the same circles, went to the same parties, expat kind of things. We regularly kept in touch via Wechat (微信), so imagine my shock when I bumped into her at one of the High Point showrooms! She had mentioned that she was visiting Nepal soon and asked if she should be on the look-out for anything in particular. I told her to surprise me since I assumed it would be similar to what I came across in Tibet. A few weeks go by and I receive a photo from Ava, it’s double hard clutches - something I had not seen in Tibet for sure!

When asked about the materials, she said they were brass with Himalayan turquoise and coral stone inlays. I remember reading about Marco Polo coming across turquoise outside of present-day Sichuan, so that seems like the right region for these to be local. It could have also ended up there via silk road routes from Afghanistan or Northern India. The coral on the other hand, was probably brought in from the middle east, the brass was local. She said she found them in Kathmandu. Fantastic! Now how do I get the money to you?!

Note to self, it’s really important to think about how money moves around the globe to understand the logistics of how to get this done. I at the time, had forgotten how difficult it was. I was in the US, she was in Nepal traveling to Shanghai, we both have banks based in Shanghai, but the one attached to my Wechat was underfunded and I was unable to transfer money in. If I wanted to send her cash, I would now have to use good ‘ole Western Union, pay a fee, and wait for processing. Or, track someone down who could lend me the money. Luckily for me, that’s where Rick steps in.

Rick’s from the US so it’s a little easier for me to get him money when he returns home. I get ahold of him, and thank goodness he’s got the kuai to help out. (thank you times a million again, Rick!) Here’s the part that I really enjoyed about banking in China; you can go to any of your bank’s atms, type in the million digit account number of the receiver, select amount and send! Just like that, I had the funds in my account to pay Ava. Total global transactional time took about 16 hours from start to finish. Not too awful considering I skipped all fees, was able to make an even exchange, and did it all in under 24 hours. It’s strange how in today’s digital age, it is still difficult to send money between countries without getting all caught up in the fees of bureaucracy.

The clutches arrived at my home a month later, it took so long because I had Ava China Post them via sea freight. China Post sea freight is economically legit for sending packages out of China by the way. I adored the vivid colours and how it fit easily into the cup of my hand. Whenever I go out, I tend to overpack my bag or purse, so the size of this clutch made me consider what I was packing. It comfortably fits all my cards, ID, AirPods, keys, cash, chapstick, and cell phone (with the lid open.)
These are totally my accessory for this summer!