![]() |
A Big No - Ultimate Gray & Illumnating |
![]() | |
Pale Gold & Mint Teardrops |
![]() | |
Gray & Lavender Earrings |
![]() | |
Gray Glass Earrings |
![]() |
A Big No - Ultimate Gray & Illumnating |
![]() | |
Pale Gold & Mint Teardrops |
![]() | |
Gray & Lavender Earrings |
![]() | |
Gray Glass Earrings |
In the spirit of collaboration over competition, I am sharing my favorite fair trade things from my Fair Trade Federation colleagues.
Don't worry. Here's a pic of my rayon chenille scarf. I actually own two. My favorite is green. The other is sort-of an eggplant purple. These are made in a cooperative in Solola where the yarn is spun, dyed and then back-strap loom woven into these magnificent scarves. One year just about everyone in my family received one as a gift. And guess what? They're available from Mayan Hands. Did I say how much I love my chenille scarves?
As I am typing my blog salutation, I can hear Julie Andrews singing "these are a few of my favorite things." (Can you hear it too?) This list is short, I know. But these ARE my favorite fair trade things. Maybe they'll become yours too. - ND
If you're like many people I know, when you head out to a museum, you spend more time in the store than the galleries. I get it. Museum stores rock. Did you know that Dunitz & Company is a member of Museum Store Association. We're so proud to have our fair trade jewelry offered at so many museums. Did you know many museums depend on the revenue they earn from their stores to maintain their galleries and sustain their programming? You can only imagine how Covid19 has raised havoc on our cultural institutions revenue streams. But wait, many have on-line stores. And some even sell Dunitz & Company online. Why not support some of your favorite museums this season remotely. Here are some terrific online stores we can vouch for.
![]() |
Detroit Institute of Art |
![]() |
Corning Museum of Glass |
![]() | |
Virginia Museum of Fine Art |
![]() | |
Phoenix Art Museum |
![]() | ||
Peoria Riverfront Museum |
![]() |
Dennos Museum Center |
![]() |
Museum of New Mexico Shops |
![]() | |
Cummer Museum |
![]() | |
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art |
![]() |
Los Altos History Museum |
![]() |
A Perfect Pin |
So you can't make it to your local museum this season? You're not traveling out of town to check out others? Covid19 has you down? (I totally understand!) Perhaps you'll enjoy shopping these online museum stores for some of your holiday gifts. Why shop Amazon, when you can make purchases that WILL make a difference? These institutions depend on us.
This just in from Museum Store Sunday today 10/22/2020. They've compiled this list of even more museum stores you can visit online.
Me? My next job is to check in with the buyers from these sites I've listed above that aren't selling Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry online. My color charts are ready. -ND
I've been at it a long time. And I've been working the Dunitz& Company social media for a long time too. Sometimes I refer to it as a giant time suck. I'm not sure all my efforts pay off. Being the rather stubborn person I am, I keep at it. And I dream that my endless energy promoting our ethically made and fair trade jewelry is making a difference. Are you on Instagram? The Dunitz Instagram account definitely steals plenty of my waking hours [Follow us. Hint. Hint.]. Creatively featuring our designs and mission, so as not to be too pushy and in your face is an ongoing challenge.
What I've learned most, is in order to succeed with Instagram, you must be willing to watch, learn and engage with other brands and people. Yes, I watch my Fair Trade Federation colleagues, and I do have my favs. And, I watch Fair Trade Federation too. Some of the most fun is when I put on my detective hat and discover people and brands that except for this random connection on Instagram, I wouldn't have known. With this blog post, I wanted to share, in no particular order, some of my new favorite Instagram accounts I enjoy following. You might enjoy engaging with them too.
Tatty_moo - From across the pond, this account seems to inspire me with each of her posts. The woman behind this account is innovative and environmentally conscious. She tears apart old clothing and pieces scraps from various items together to make new wholes. She designs wood-cut stud earrings that are super cute too. And you know it takes a lot for me to say that. If this account doesn't inspire you, I don't know what account could.
fredrika_and_the_apricots - Don't ask me how I stumbled upon Sarah the illustrator. What I do know is I have fallen in love with her aesthetic. Her drawings are beautiful. Her presentation on her Instagram posts is perfection.This woman is so talented.
jillian.isabel - Yup, she's very far from me. Jillian is Down Under as we say. She reports from Australia. She has such a great eye with her camera shots. I love that she posts oodles and oodles of street art photos. She doesn't know it. But I know if we were actually acquainted in person, and could walk around town together, we'd be attracted to much of the same. I too love snapping pics of outdoor murals. If I find painted utility boxes, even better. Wait wait. That reminds me. I saw one on the way into work today. (Yes, I'm working on Saturday.) I must go back and take the shot.
![]() |
Perfect Pin |
Just recently, Dunitz & Company agreed to be part of NY NOW's upcoming Wholesale Digital Market. Participating in a virtual trade show is a completely new concept for us. (OK, it's probably new for most of you reading this too.) The on-boarding for this show has been a huge task. It also brought up questions about words I've used so often interchangeably. But when this digital show delineated between "Eco Friendly" and "Sustainable", it made me realize there were subtleties I obviously didn't understand. Are you in the same boat? After scouring the internet, I came up with these definitions and explanations for their difference. And while I was at it, I decided to throw in the word "Green" too.
First off, so many people use the word "Green" these days. No, not the color, green. The dictionary describes green when used in the context of this conversation as "to make less harmful or more sensitive to the environment." People tend to use this word as a catch all to describe anything that is benefiting our planet. Guilty.
Now let's talk Eco Friendly. The use of these words together isn't quite as broad as 'green.' It means that something doesn't harm our planet. Webster's dictionary simply says "not environmentally harmful." When it comes to fabrics, using dead-stock (not producing more) might be seen as eco friendly. Recycling or upcycling textiles and other stuff (yup, broad term, "stuff") would be the same. We've come to realize that many people also freely use the words "eco friendly." Stop and ask them what they mean. On products, for such terms to be actually listed on their packaging, the FTC requires explanations of the whys and hows something won't harm the planet.
![]() |
Dunitz Eco Friendly Designs |
So what is Sustainable then? Sustainability is much more precise and is measured by so many more variables. Sustainability looks to our future. It means the item or action is generating environmental, social and economic benefits, while not using up too many resources or causing pollution. According to ecocult.com, "sustainability includes eco friendly activities and green products, but green doesn’t necessarily mean sustainable. For instance, a product made from renewable resources is considered green, yet if a life-cycle analysis shows that it required a lot of energy to manufacture and ship to you, and if there isn’t a proper way to dispose of the product, then it’s not considered sustainable." With this definition, we know that there are very few consumer products that would be considered sustainable. And for this reason, we decided that Dunitz & Company jewelry would not be classified as sustainable. (We sure are curious to see which of our NY NOW exhibitor wholesaler colleagues will classify their items as sustainable, and what those items are.)
![]() |
Perfect Pin |