MOVING DATE CHANGE!

 Due to a personal family medical emergency, the new blog will not be functional on March 1, 2021.  Please check in for updates on the MOVE Date!  Thank you for your understanding!

Anita

We are moving our Jewelry Chat to our new Website launching March 1, 2021!

AFTER MARCH 1, 2021  Please go to our new website www.anitaroks.com and sign-up as a VIP Club Member to get access to our news, coupons, updates and our blog

You will see the Jewelry Chat tab in the top menu.  Click it and go to the blog posts.  You can read any post and comment there.

We have included some blog posts from our past site that have been the most popular and we will be adding new blog posts going forward.

You can also learn more about Anita ROKS, our charitable contributions, and you can purchase new products!  We hope you like our new Website and we welcome your comments!
 

WHAT'S HOT IN JEWELRY RIGHT NOW!

Everything Zodiac!

Birthstone jewelry is incredibly popular when looking for unique ways to express one’s birth month. But did you know there are unique zodiac gemstones too?

Each zodiac sign is paired with a complementary gemstone to help reveal its wearers’ hidden powers.   

These zodiac sign gemstones may be the same or different than the birthstones by the month that you may be more accustomed to seeing.

Why not try something new and invest in jewelry that is unique to your zodiac sign?

Zodiac gemstones will help you align your body and mind and bring you peace and harmony, while showing off you own personal sense of style!

Aries - Bloodstone

Taurus - Sapphire 

Gemini - Agate 

Cancer - Emerald 

Leo - Onyx 

 Virgo - Carnelian

Libra - Chrysolite 

Scorpio - Beryl 

Sagittarius - Topaz 

Capricorn - Ruby

Aquarius - Garnet 

Pisces - Amethyst 

 You will find our handmade Zodiac Birthstones in a Bottle, as well as standard by the month Birthstones in a Bottle in our Etsy Store.  We also produce simple etched Zodiac sign charms and pendants for custom order.  All our stones are guaranteed to be authentic, natural and ethically sourced.  Recycled metals are used in all our pieces.  

What Does July Fourth Mean to You?

lt seems like only yesterday we were observing Memorial Day, a time to remember our fallen heroes and thank all those who serve our wonderful country to keep us safe.

July 4th is only a little over a week away!  We celebrate American Independence Day on the Fourth of July every year.  We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America.

For many Americans that means spending time with family, firing up the grill and lighting up the sky with fireworks. For others it means reflecting on our Nation’s history, remembering time served in our military, or thinking of loved ones who are currently serving.

Independence Day means many things to people.  Like so many holidays the real meaning has become blurred.  Unfortunately in these tumultuous times, many do not have the freedom to speak what they feel or to be treated equally and fairly, to be shown respect and to expect that others will act responsibly.  Liberty and Justice for All does not necessarily exist.

It’s time to reclaim our Values, stand up and fight for them!

This year, why not reflect on what Independence Day really means to you besides fireworks, grilling, beaching and shopping the sales!

Happy Fourth!

Happy 2019! Happy Awakening!

I'm so happy it's 2019!  Are you?  

Which leads to my discussion topic:

Awakening - an act or moment of becoming suddenly aware of something.

Many people described an awakening experience as the most significant moment of their lives, reporting a major change in their perspective on life, and in their values. In  2017 The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology study of 90 awakening experiences, the most significant after-effect was a greater sense of trust, confidence, and optimism.

After the ups and downs of 2017 and 2018, in business,  politically, emotionally and spiritually,  I have definitely experienced an "awakening" and I welcome this after-effect!

Maybe you are asking yourself why I selected this topic for my current blog. At the end of 2018,  it suddenly became crystal clear to me that I have not been accountable for giving my business my utmost dedication and respect, largely because of a lack of trust in the process, a lack of confidence in myself and increased pessimism about my success.  I recently attended a Jewelry Brand Makeover Bootcamp by Flourish and Thrive Academy and Tracy Matthews, the co-founder,  shared a lot of information about building your brand that customers love, gaining consistent sales and serious buzz.  This made me realize that I had not made as much effort to do those things as I should have done and it was time to have Clarity about myself and my intention and create more demand for my designs, while maintaining free time for myself.  

As a result of this "awakening" I've decided to share with my followers my journey to understanding my reason for running a jewelry design business and what I wanted to create long term.

My journey began in 1997, when I took my first jewelry making lesson and I knew instantly that I wanted to make jewelry, forever.  That led to more professional jewelry study, participation in craft shows, owning a jewelry gallery and bead shop, and eventually, selling my jewelry online.  During that time I got caught up in the chaos, not having a really clear plan.   I made a lot of mistakes, over-purchased materials and inventory I never used, took advice from the wrong people and worked way too much for too little.  I also tried to sell to everyone.  My business grew, but I was burned out, unhappy and not making as much jewelry that I liked to make, spending too much time watching the bottom line and not enough time enjoying my life.  So, I closed my store and began making jewelry in my home studio, selling in local shops and online, thinking that was the answer to my unhappiness.  

In 2018, I recognized that my vision had been lost along the way.  It was not enough to have revenue goals, I needed to focus on my core values and the platform of my brand.  I needed to stop selling to everyone and focus on the clients that are the cornerstone of my brand.  That was the beginning of the "awakening" process.

Attending the workshop helped me to clarify my branding and intentions:  I began to rethink my business and everything changed.   I now know who I am, what I do and why I do it.

My brand:

"I design treasured and inspiring statement jewelry for stylish women and men who prefer artisan made jewelry over mass manufactured pieces. Inspired by meaningful moments and wonders of our natural world, my work celebrates nature and embraces the personality of my clients. My works are made of lasting and beautiful materials, precious metals mixed with gemstones to create a raw and refined harmony. Nature influences who I am, how I see the world and how I run my business, including the use of recycled metals and responsible suppliers. I believe that jewelry is much more than simple adornment, it is essential for our connection to the natural beauty around us which is part of our humanity."

I am now more optimistic, have more confidence in myself and trust that my business will continue to thrive and flourish, allowing me to make a good living and still have time for myself and my family.  I have also established a goal to donate 5% of my net profit to environmental organizations in an effort to do my part to improve the world we live in.  For information about these endeavors you can read my Charitable Giving page in my Etsy store.

If you are a jewelry maker or entrepreneur who needs clarity about your branding or you feel overwhelmed, have hit a wall  or have lost confidence in yourself reach out for help!

Check out the sources I've provided links for in this blog, other online and local sources,  and don't give up!

By the way, I chose to write this now because I celebrate my 70th Birthday today!  It's never too late to "awaken".  Peace, love and buy jewelry!

Anita

Links:  After Effects of Awakening

Ethical Making and Sourcing - Why is it Important?

Ethical Making

Ethical making is more than just a ‘feel good’ thing to do. Growing numbers of companies and public bodies are addressing the negative impacts of global industries and consumers are increasingly interested in the ethical standing of products.

An ethical jewelry business involves responsible sourcing of materials, responsible studio practices and transparent branding that communicates our commitment to ethical making.

If the story behind a piece of jewelry includes the unfair treatment of communities and environmental destruction, the symbolic value of the piece can be tarnished.

Sourcing materials responsibly will help limit the harmful effects of mining industries, including:

• Environmental degradation through water pollution, harm to aquatic life, and damage to landscapes and ecosystems;
• Human rights violations on mining sites and in mining communities;
• Use of child and forced labour;
• Health and safety risks such as poisoning from unsafe handling of toxins, over-exhaustion from strenuous work, and injury caused by accidents and;
• Prevalence of violence in mining communities related to the trade of conflict minerals.

Metal Sourcing

As a key actor in the supply chain, we choose to source traceable and responsibly mined precious metals. There are three accepted options for responsibly sourced precious metals, these are Fairtrade metals, Fairmined metals, or 100% recycled metals.

Gold, silver and platinum, precious metals commonly used in the jewellery and electronic industries, are mined around the world. After they are extracted from rough ore and processed, they are sold through trading bodies as metal bullion. Metal refiners turn metal bullion into products such as sheet or wire, and then sell these materials to industry bodies.

Metal mining occurs in both large and small-scale mines, each with different conditions, methods and access routes to the international market. There is artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) and large-scale mining (LSM) or ‘industrial/corporate’ mining.

Fairtrade and Fairmined are the two major accreditation schemes that bring precious metals from artisanal small-scale mines to market. They support artisanal small-scale miners by certifying that they employ responsible mining practices in compliance with their respective standards, and by conducting regular audits to ensure those standards are maintained.

Fairtrade and Fairmined metals can be traced to their source and makers and consumers can trust that they have been mined by people who have been treated and paid fairly.

Because of the nature of the metal trade, most precious metals have already been recycled to some degree. However, you can choose to source 100% post-consumer recycled metals which are made of second generation recycled content and may also be tracked to show this. Some suppliers will have a certification for their recycled metal content such as a Recycled Content Certification from Scientific Certification Systems. 

We only work with suppliers offering Recycled Metals who have Certifications in place.

Gemstone Sourcing

Responsibly sourcing diamonds and gemstones presents different challenges to responsible metal sourcing, but it is achievable.

Stone supply chains are more complicated than metals as there are fewer established certification systems in place. There are some accreditation schemes for diamonds, but currently none for gemstones.

Stones are mined all over the world from countries with different political climates, workers’ rights and trade laws. The nature of the stone trade and the fact that many stones are extremely old, make them difficult to trace back to the mine of origin.

It is not uncommon for stones to be mined in one country, and cut and polished in another, which may have different working standards, making it even more difficult to trace the stone from mine to market.

There is no formal third-party assurance to back up claims made by gemstone suppliers, which means that purchasing responsibly sourced gemstones requires developing an open dialogue with gemstone suppliers.

There are three main options for responsibly sourced stones. These are:

• stones that have been tracked and ideally certified with a known mine origin and verified standards;
• recycled/reclaimed/vintage stones and;
• lab created stones.

DIAMONDS

Our main supplier sources the majority of its diamonds directly from sources that manufacture rough diamonds from Canada, South Africa, Russia, Botswana and Namibia.

No Conflict Diamonds

They are committed to selling diamonds ethically and with integrity, giving us confidence in the diamonds we purchase. We believe it is completely unacceptable to tolerate conflict diamonds and/or human suffering in any way and we fully support the Kimberley Process. Our supplier offers this commitment to us. In turn, it can act as ourr commitment to our customers. All rough and polished diamonds sold by our suppliercomply with the Kimberley Process. The Kimberley Process ensures that rough diamonds are:
Exported and imported with a government validated Kimberly Process certificate stating the diamonds are conflict-free.
Transported between signatory countries in a sealed and tamper-proof container.
Sold with a statement from the seller (known as a warranty) on all invoices guaranteeing that the diamonds being sold are conflict-free.


Synthetic Screening Policy

When we buy diamonds from our supplier, we can buy with confidence. Our supplier does not tolerate undisclosed synthetic diamonds in its inventory. In July 2014, they acquired the De Beers Automatic Melee Screening Device (AMS), which screens all diamonds 1.4mm+ for synthetics in accordance with De Beers’ protocols. They require all their loose diamond and diamond set jewelry suppliers to warrant that they are not supplying them with synthetics. For additional security, they further stipulate that their vendors screen all diamonds from .20+ carats for synthetics.

Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America

Our supplier is a proud member of the DMIA.

Established in 1931, the mission of DMIA is to promote the highest standards of ethics, integrity and professionalism in the American marketplace. The DMIA, remains at the forefront in addressing domestic and world diamond industry issues, acts as a representative for the American diamond industry together with other industry organizations, governmental bodies, and the diamond consuming public.

The DMIA is dedicated to advancing and ensuring consumer confidence in diamonds and diamond jewelry.


Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct

The Code establishes a minimum standard based on records and a chain of warranties required to validate a Canadian diamond claim. Retailers who abide by the Code demonstrate to consumers their commitment to ensure authenticity of Canadian diamond claims. The Code allows Canadian diamonds to be traced from the Canadian mine to the diamond jewellery retailer, providing consumers a method to authenticate Canadian diamonds sold by a Code member.



GEMSTONES


Our supplier continues to adhere to strict protocols in regards to the sourcing of gemstones. As a natural resource, gemstones can be found almost anywhere and are exchanged too frequently to keep an absolute accurate account of their exact origin.

However, they engage in several practices to ensure the integrity of the stones they purchase. For example:  Experts from both our supplier's US and Bangkok offices frequently visit their suppliers/cutters in order to make certain socially responsible practices are being followed in those locations.

All of their suppliers have provided written verification stating their compliance with the US Patriot Act.

Studio Practices

Ethical making goes beyond how raw materials are sourced. When measuring the ethics of our practice, it is also important to consider our entire making process and how our work space functions. We make every effort to address the following issues.

• Chemical alternatives
• Greener options for print and packaging
• Greener consumption and resource use
• Using resources maximizing metal reclamation 

If you are passionate about improving the lives of workers who have been exploited and the well being of the environment, consider ethically made jewelry.

excerpts for this blog were taken from: http://www.ethicalmaking.org/consumers/

Pantone Color of the Year!

Although it may seem more pink in nature, Pantone describes Living Coral as “an animated, life-affirming shade of orange, with golden undertones.

Chatam Created Champagne Sapphire

This engaging hue captures the playfulness, optimism and joyful pursuits embodied in nature.

Pink Coral

Great for Spring and Summer Wear!  Let me make you a custom jewelry piece with a special Living Coral Stone!

Call me at 251-929-3620!

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