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SoHo Pop-Up Selling Jewelry Made of Bomb Scraps From Laos

By Danielle Tcholakian | December 9, 2016 4:36pm | Updated on December 12, 2016 8:44am
 Article 22 helps clear undetonated bombs that the U.S. dropped in Laos during the Vietnam War, and then pays Laotian artisans to turn the bomb scraps into jewelry and home goods.
Article 22 helps clear undetonated bombs that the U.S. dropped in Laos during the Vietnam War, and then pays Laotian artisans to turn the bomb scraps into jewelry and home goods.
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Article 22

SOHO — A new pop-up shop in SoHo is selling jewelry and home goods made from the scraps of bombs that the U.S. dropped on Laos during the Vietnam War.

The U.S. dropped more than 250 million bombs on the southeast Asian nation, about a third of which never exploded, leaving the country littered with an estimated 80 million active bombs to this day.

For each piece sold, the company behind the pop-up shop at 196 Spring St., Article 22, donates enough money to the Mines Advisory Group to clear three square meters or more of the leftover unexploded ordinance.

"Love is the bomb" necklace, $160. All photos credit: Article 22.

Article 22 co-founder Elizabeth Suda got the idea for the company when she saw how Laotians used bomb scraps to make aluminum soup spoons.

Suda thought they could use that same longstanding craftsmanship to make jewelry, which she could then sell around the world, raising awareness of the dangerous situation that remains in Laos.

The SoHo store is stocked with bracelets, necklaces, spoons, coasters and holiday ornaments, ranging in price from $28 for the ornaments to hundreds of dollars for some of the jewelry.

The company continues to pay homage to its inspiration — the aluminum soup spoons that gave Suda the idea from the start — with holiday ornaments in the shape of spoons ($28), a set of wrap bracelets that read "Little Spoon" and "Big Spoon" ($140, above) and a set of spoons engraved with the words "This is not a spoon" ($45, below).

All of Article 22's goods are made by local artisans in Laos, many of whom are women. The company prides itself on paying the artisans at least five times the average Laotian market rate, as well as donating an additional 10 percent of the profit to the crafters' village to support development of infrastructure.

Some of the pieces were designed by artist Beatrix Ost, including a necklace that reads "In your body is a good place to be" ($185, above) and a set of four coasters that read "Let's Talk about You" ($135, below).

Less pricey pieces of jewelry are also available, such as the "dropped and made" bangle ($55, below).

Article 22, 196 Spring St., open now through Jan. 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.