Novica Review & Giveaway

Asianmommy.com received a free gift certificate from Novica to purchase an item for review.  Novica is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites. They work with National Geographic to showcase the works of thousands of artisans in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, making their beautiful creations available to the US and to the world market.  Novica sells home decor, apparel, paintings, and sterling silver jewelry, including earrings and necklaces.

Asianmommy.com chose to receive some sterling silver cuff bracelets, named "Ribbon Twist" by Aoy in Thailand.  They came nicely packaged in a box.  With them, came an artisan story card and a postcard from Thailand with a thank you message.  I really love the beauty and the simple design of this silver bracelet. 

After placing the order, I received 3 emails--one to confirm the order, one to notify me of the shipment and its estimated arrival date, and another to give me the FedEx tracking number.  I received the jewelry 10 days after placing the order.  Not bad, considering that I placed the order just before the Fourth of July weekend and that it was coming all the way from Thailand. 

What I liked:  I appreciated the variety of unique items available on the Novica website and the fact that they are providing talented artisans from around the world access to the world market.  Fair trade and compensation for the artists is a plus.  The jewelry is of nice quality, is lovely, and is reasonably priced.  Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and with the customer service provided by Novica.

What could be improved:  Nothing, except perhaps they could expand the program to include more artisans from other parts of the world.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Novica! 
This giveaway is only open to US residents.  One entry per person.  Contest ends at midnight CST on July 23, 2010.  A random winner will be selected.  Please be sure to enter an email address (to be kept confidential) so I can contact the winner.  The winner has 3 days to claim their prize. 

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Congratulations to Guest 6, the winner of our contest!!