Norwa Jewelry was founded by Paranin Kummata, an aspiring entrepreneur and businesswoman. Equipped with the knowledge from her family business, Paranin launched her first jewelry brand, Aphrodite Gallery, in 2012.

​However, Paranin felt something was missing. She spent her childhood in the North with the Karen people and knew how hard it was. She thought the idea over and knew simply donating couldn’t solve the problems. The plight of the Karen people, especially the Karen women, was a systemic issue. Paranin thus merged her passion for jewelry and personal goal of helping others and launched Norwa Jewelry in 2015 in an effort to aid these people.

Since then, Norwa has partnered with more than eight Karen communities and women groups, allowing them a creative, profitable, and safe alternative to their current jobs. We’ve been able to expand to other communities too and, similar with the Karen partnership, make use of their inherent crafts ability. 

Thinking about it now, Paranin can’t believe she didn’t start sooner.

“Doing my own business never fails to be challenging for me. However, it still lacks purposes. I have always wanted to do something that has great impact. I told myself I have to make that happen.”  Paranin

At Norwa, we are committed to sustainable change within communities. Here are some things you help preserve by wearing a piece from Norwa Jewelry:

Artisanship of hill tribes

The groups we work with, such as the Karen communities in Thailand, have a rich culture center around artistic expression. Sadly, many of the youths in these communities are forced into other lines of work. Norwa will help these communities preserve their artistic expression.
 
Women

Women are especially vulnerable in developing areas entrenched in tradition. Some are forced into arranged-marriage or prostitution, if not worse. By providing an alternative source of income, we help ensure these women can lead their own lives the way they choose.

Livelihoods

It’s easy to blame the patriarchs and human-traffickers who profit off of these minorities. However, we must recognize it is the lack of foundation approaches and basic necessities that lead to these illicit practices. We’ve thus partnered with organizations that address these issues as their expertise will lead to sustainable changes for these communities. For a more detailed account of these partnerships, read about the Norwa Fund. 

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Together, we can make a difference and ensure that community members move to a better future for themselves, while upholding their cultural integrity.