Reading palms has been a common practice since Babylonian times. As a lifelong lover of artisanal goods, I’ve developed my own kind of palmistry: a unique ability to read someone through the details of their handiwork. I can recite the histories of their chosen techniques, trace the cultural influences that contributed to their personal style, and even predict what they might create next, all from glancing at their handcrafted goods.

This “sixth sense,” if you will, has led me to every corner of the globe, and allowed me to time-travel alongside my artisans. It connects me to the first known potters in The Czech Republic in 29,000 BC as much as it does to my friends Weronika and Jacek in their buzzing stoneware workshop in Poland. Carole, our milliner, creates her hats on tried and true 100 year old equipment. After all, if it’s not broken, why fix it? Similarly, our Italian artisans keep the centuries-old tradition of lampworking alive each time they light their small gas torches. In their muscle memory, I can read history’s long and winding tales.

In our cold culture of missed connections, I implore you to read between the lines of someone else’s handiwork to understand what goes on in their heart, their head, and their life itself. Through this practice, the way in which I view the past, present, and future of our collective human consciousness has been wholly altered.

Terri S. Alpert
Founder & CEO
T.Alpert@unoallavolta.com