ebay has a wonderful selection of jewellery from around the world and the items in this category mostly come from South East Asia.  In this section you may well see bracelets and other items of hand crafted jewellery from Thailand.  These are made by people from the hill tribes and sold to the western world to bring them some much needed income.  The largest of the hill tribes is the Karen who live in the more remote mountainous areas due west of Chiang Mai. They are subsistence farmers who live at peace with nature and the forests, nevertheless they are skilled people.  They practice crop rotation, using elephants to clear the land and the people from the Karen hill tribes in Thailand are famous for being the best elephant trainers or mahouts in Thailand and even in the whole of South East Asia.  They live in bamboo houses raised on stilts and underneath these houses they keep livestock  such as pigs, chickens and buffaloes.   The Karen hilltribe people are gentle, peaceful, and cooperative.  Like all the Hill tribes in Thailand they have the highest respect for their elders and their ancestors.