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Pieces of Peace

"I became involved in fair trade from my parents," Crystal Waters, founder and owner of Shanti Boutique says. The Boutique is a Fair Trade company dedicated to bringing shanti - the ancient Sanskrit word meaning peace - through yoga, chakra, and sacred symbol jewelry.

After traveling throughout the developing world as a child and growing up around her father's natural food market, Crystal was well acquainted with the impact of consumer choices on people and the environment. When she decided to open an import business, she knew that it had to operate in a fair way.

With the inspiration and help of other fair trade businesses, she began to source products, visit the workshops, and meet people making the products to know how they work and what the conditions are. Crystal chose materials and products that combined high quality with sustainability.

Combining years of experience in their own yoga studio store and a team of talented designers, Shanti Boutique offers handcrafted jewelry from India, Thailand, and Vietnam for sale in yoga studios, lifestyle/mindstyle stores, new age stores, spiritual centers, spas, and fair trade businesses. Even their packaging stays true to their vision of shanti: all of their jewelry bags are made from 100% silk by a Vietnamese producer named Dung Nguyen who supports her extended family with her sales. Bamboo, a versatile renewable resource, is used to make all of their displays.

They proudly donate a portion of their profits to the Tibetan Children's Education Foundation, a non-profit organization, dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture in exile with a focus on children. Crystal has served on the board of TCEF since 2000 and sponsors both a Tibetan child and elder. "This is a chance every kid deserves," Crystal remarks, "[and] it makes me happy that I can help someone else in a way that will really change [their] future."

Through her work with Shanti Boutique, Crystal hopes to work towards a better world through continuing to work non-profit foundations, practicing fair trade, and building a 'one-world attitude." "Coming from a country where we have so much opportunity, if given the chance we should try to spread this around," she says.