Monday, September 22, 2014

Heart of gold: Colombian gilt lace jewelry


Whenever a company asks me to review a piece of clothing or jewelry, I am hesitant and I end up saying no 99% of the time. But when Uncommon Goods contacted me last week I made an exception. I was intrigued by their B Corp status (what what?) and curious about the story behind the company they wanted me to check out, a Fair Trade jewelry manufacturer with Colombian roots.

Uncommon Goods is a Brooklyn based online marketplace with a focus on small-production, handmade, and socially-mindful products. They are a B Corp, which means that they are a for-profit company that has documented and measurable social goals as well as business (financial) ones. There are only about 1000 B Corps in the U.S., which puts them in pretty exclusive company. You can visit here to find Uncommon Goods' most recent B Corp scorecard, rating them on everything from employee wages and benefits to community giving.

And now to the necklace. As you know, I rarely wear anything that is new. But, but, BUT - this 24K gold dipped lace necklace has charmed the pants off of me.  It is made by a mother/daughter business duo with the help of Colombian artisans. The mission of the company is to support, though meaningful and empowering employment, those people (most women) who have been displaced over the course of the Colombian Civil War. The gilt lace pieces combine two traditional Colombian crafts - fine metalwork and lace art. I think this is one of the best lines offered in Uncommon Goods handmade jewelry selection and it certainly stood out to me when I browsed the personalized jewelry selection right here, too.

As a little bonus, the heart pendant twists slightly to one side, which reminds me of the Georgian "witches hearts" that I covet as an antique jewelry collector! I wore it all day yesterday with my trusty fall flannel. A good piece of jewelry . . . and for good in the world. I'm a fan.

Thank you to Uncommon Goods for sponsoring this post.

More reading:
This is a great article about B Corps in the New Yorker.
And here is a nice bit about Belart, the mother/daughter company that made this necklace.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Lovely jewelry, as usual. The blog pieces are beautiful.
Might I just mention that it's spelled Colombian? With an O, not a U.
Colombia refers to the country,
Columbia refers to the river and the region in the Pacific NW.

Jean Jean Vintage said...

Thank you, Angelica! I think I corrected everything.

Unknown said...

I find lace jewelry fantastic, not just as an adornment, but as a piece of art. That is what I like the most on vintage jewelry, modern jewelry is often elegant but with too simple design to me.

http://www.certifiedjewelry.com/vintage-jewelry-old/

Unknown said...

This ios really very beautiful. looks like Symbol of relationship. Awesome!!!https://www.krmcreation.com/gemstone

Unknown said...

So much prettier in person. Very petite and beautiful, understates but simply gorgeous. The picture is nice but we have a million times better antique jewelry .
If you don't mind please have a look to my jewelry collection! hope you like it too!

Unknown said...

Buy Online Gold Jewellery in 2016 with the latest jewellery design from the our online jewellery store.

Unknown said...

I love this kind of jewelry it's so nice! Check out this inspirational jewelry

Post a Comment