The Gold Issue: Artisans Who Shape Light

As the world tilts toward its darkest days, we reach for gold; the color of fire, sun, and all things bright. Gold has always been the hue of celebration and blessing, a reminder of what endures when the light grows scarce.

This issue celebrates the artisans who work in gold tones, weaving radiance into pieces meant to light your holiday season. Their craft carries warmth across continents—from the intricate metalwork of Colombia to the shimmering silk textiles of Kyrgyzstan and the luxurious ikat of Uzbekistan.

Here are the hands behind the shimmer.
Here is the beauty they bring into the world.

KYRGYZSTAN | Seven Sisters’ Silk-Felt Radiance

Textiles that glow with the warmth of human hands

In the capital city of Bishkek, master felter Zhanyl Sharshenbieva and her sisters blend silk and wool into textiles that feel almost ethereal. Their work is a fusion of nomadic tradition and modern design: silk that catches the light, felted wool that brings warmth, and patterns that echo the softness of the landscape around her.

Zhanyl’s craft is intimate and intensely hands-on. Wool fibers are laid out by hand, misted with water, pressed, coaxed, and rolled until they merge with silk into a single shimmering cloth. Every scarf and caftan carries her unmistakable signature; gentle radiance, living texture, a softness that feels like a kind of quiet gold.

Pieces to wear when you want warmth and light in equal measure.

COLOMBIA | Jewelry Inspired by Golden Flora

Gold-plated cast from nature’s own poetry

In Colombia, gold carries memory and meaning. At ALMA, each flower and leaf is hand-picked at its most beautiful moment, chosen for the singular shape it will bring to the piece. Rather than using molds, artisans work directly with the botanical itself—carefully hand-painting it with 24k gold using a fine brush, or gently dipping it so the metal bonds to the organic form, preserving the natural matter within.

The result is jewelry quite literally grown over nature: delicate, sculptural pieces that cradle a true fragment of the living world, suspended in luminous gold.

Designed as radiant accents for holiday gatherings, these golden botanicals bring a touch of brightness to winter’s quiet.

UZBEKISTAN | Silk Ikat and the Art of Opulence

Bold color, vibrant pattern, and craftsmanship worthy of celebration

Uzbekistan’s silk ikat tradition is one of the most dazzling textile arts in the world. Threads are dyed before they are woven, creating patterns that appear almost like watercolor, saturated, expressive, full of movement. The women behind these textiles have inherited generations of expertise, transforming silk into garments made for joy, color, and ceremony.

This bomber jacket from Bibi Hanum is a modern take on an ancient craft: bold green, golden undertones, and statement-making vibrancy perfect for holiday festivities.

It’s the kind of piece that does more than complete an outfit, it tells a story.

Gold is not simply a color.
It is warmth in the coldest season.
It is memory held in metal, silk, and thread.
It is the soft glow we gather around when the days grow short and the nights stretch long.

This holiday season, we honor the women who create that light with their hands. They shape beauty slowly and intentionally, transforming humble materials into pieces meant to brighten homes, adorn celebrations, and remind us of the artistry that binds us across continents.

Here’s to a season filled with radiance, meaning, and the luminous work of women around the world.

In holiday warmth, 

The Ibu Team