More Nancy Dunitz Drawings Featuring Dunitz Fair Trade Jewelry

Time for new installment of Nancy Dunitz drawings featuring Dunitz fair trade jewelry. It's been several months since I share some of my drawings here. I love showing off my works after I've used Photoshop to add Dunitz & Company jewelry. It started with a class I took in 2019 with a talented artist, Isis Rodriquez in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. If you're looking for a teacher I highly recommend her. She actually teaches via Zoom now as well. (I know, because I have another talented artist friend who has studied with Isis remotely.)

Take a look! (These are posted below in no particular order.) You might find a pair of earrings, a bracelet or a necklace perfect for you or for a gift.

 

These drawings of mine are all created using charcoal and pastels. I'm ready to take commissions if you'd want an original drawing by me! What do you think? If you're inspired to own a new piece of Dunitz & Company fair trade jewelry, that's ok with me too. Looking for your retailer near you? Check out our store locator. And if you want to restock your store shelves, place your order soon on our wholesale site.  I appreciate all of you! - ND

My Drawings. Dunitz Fair Trade Jewelry!

Many of you know, I've taken up drawing. And you know I love showing off some of my works after I've used Photoshop to add Dunitz & Company jewelry. It started with a class I took in 2019 with a talented artist, Isis Rodriquez in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. If you're looking for a teacher I highly recommend her. She actually teaches via Zoom now as well. (I know, because I have another talented artist friend who has studied with Isis remotely.)

 

Here are some of my more recent drawings with jewelry you could either be selling in your store or wearing on your ears or wrists.  

 

 

Let me know which are your favorites. Favorite earrings. Favorite bracelets. Favorite drawings. (Should I start taking commissions?) Let me know how your doing and how we can add to your personal style of store shelves. -ND

Fair Trade Jewelry - Custom for Your Store & Exhibitions

Dunitz & Company's been at it for a long time! And one thing we adore is collaborating with our clients on custom designs for your stores and art exhibitions.  Back in August, 2021, I wrote a blog post sharing some of our custom projects we had created up until that point. Here are some others from recent times, not in any particular order.

 

In 2022, Santa Barbara Museum of Art hosted a Van Gogh exhibit.  Through Vincent's Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources was a very well attended exhibition. We collaborated with the gift shop buyer so she could offer earrings that featured the artwork actually on display. This one of white flowers on a pale green background was one of my favorites. They offered dangles and studs of each of the custom designs we made for the show.

The Dayton Art Institute presented a wonderful exhibit, so I was told, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: The Birth of Modern Paris, which closed in January, 2024. Sadly I live too far away and couldn't get there to see it. The store buyers at the museum wanted to offer some earrings that featured one of the artworks that was up on display. This is what we came up with.

 

 

 

 

We've created several custom earrings for the Michigan History Museum and when they staged an exhibit showcasing the work of beloved artist, Mathias J. Alten, we were there to help. Several of his wonderful paintings became earrings! These shown here are my favorites.

But it isn't only about the paintings. The Michigan History Center also manages many regional museums. The earrings here feature the Tawas Point Lighthouse. Did you know that Michigan has the most lighthouses in the United States? More than Florida or California.

Back in 2022, the National Building Museum in Washington DC showcased Notre Dame de Paris with an interactive exhibition. We scoured every image of old paintings we could find and created these for their gift store. It's always fun to take a souvenir home after visiting a museum and these were a perfect choice for many museum visitors.

We've worked with the Detroit Institute of Arts for many years. Did you know I am originally from Detroit? And my aunt was a docent there for many years during my youth. This museum has a very special place in my heart and when I ship our fair trade jewelry for their store, I have to share widely to my Detroit based friends and family.  The DIA presented an amazing Van Gogh exhibition late 2022-early 2023. It was actually postponed because of the Covid lockdown. It was really fun to create dangles, studs and pins using paintings from their permanent collection. They sold a lot of the earrings we created for this show. That's good for everyone. We love it when these special projects provide a lot more work for the artists we work with in Guatemala.

For years the buyer from the Museum of Flight in Seattle and I had been discussing what we might create together for their store. From mid 2023 through January 2024, Art & Flight featured work of several talented artists. Seattle artist, Angelina Villalobos created two amazing murals for the museum. With her permission, the earrings shown on the right were created. Fun right?

What happened next? The staff at Museum of Flight thought it might be fun to offer stud earrings that look like paper airplanes. If you visit their website, you'll see a paper airplane serves as their site cursor. That's so cool! The earrings shown here can now be purchased at the Museum of Flight's gift store. They can also be purchased from us directly for your store.

 

 

Sometimes a store owner wants to show off their own amazing artwork. And in the case of Julia Mooney, a talented watercolor artist and owner of My Fair Trade Lady in Haddon Heights, NJ, this was the case. She had created a wonderful painting of the local train station. And on earrings, these make a terrific gift and souvenir. She provided a high-res image of her painting, and we created earrings. You too can purchase a pair here.

The truth is all you need is a good idea, and we can help you create just about anything. We have a lovely customer who is crazy for all things music. And so are her customers. In her case, most of her jazz fanatic clients are in Taiwan. Sora Designs had exhausted the musical instrument studs we offer.  We created custom bass violins, electric guitars and accordions for Sora. These have been turned into earrings, lapel pins and you name it.

Don't forget to revisit our original blog post where I highlighted other custom creations Dunitz & Company has made. We even laser cut out the state of Missouri for one of our clients. Our minimums are low. Our quality is excellent. And if you're already a Dunitz customer, you know our prices are more than reasonable. What are you waiting for? I'm here to help you create your next custom project. -ND

A Competition That Could Benefit You & Us

Today I announce a competition that could benefit you and us. And actually, we could have several winners. Dunitz & Company is always looking for new ideas for their fair trade jewelry collection. And the ideas don't always come from our own heads. Just saying.

 

Who knows better than you, what will sell in your store (or you might purchase in a store)? If you suggest a new painting for our famous art earrings collection, and we are able to offer it, we'll send you a pair as a gift. (When making suggestions keep in mind, images need to be available in the public domain.) Last year a customer recommended we add "The Kiss" to our collection. And she was right on target!  

Have an entire "collections" idea for us? If it makes sense and we can create it, we will send you a dozen pairs to sell in your store. Come on! We know you have some great ideas. Help us help you. And not just you and us. Good ideas help us provide more work for artisans in Guatemala. Please send us digital photos. We know some of you might suggest sea life, fish and turtles. So far, we haven't found good accessible art. Perhaps you can share some with us.

Check out some of our popular collections that might get your light bulbs turned on. 

 

Our customers love butterflies! This collection of butterflies is reordered and reordered. 

And if you haven't brought our musical instrument studs into your store, it might be time to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

We thought this collection would be fantastic for sports fans and players. This is our newest collection.

 

 

 

Bring it on! We'd love to hear your ideas of what you WANT to sell in your stores. Perhaps we can provide it. Dunitz & Company wants you! -ND

Showing Off Fair Trade Jewelry & Portrait Drawings

I've been having a pile of fun drawing these last several months. Did you see my blog post from May where I showed off my accomplishments from earlier this year? Lately I've been amusing myself by adding jewelry (yes, with the help of Photoshop), and transforming my pastel portrait beauties into Dunitz & Company jewelry models. I thought it would be fun to share some of my recent "work" here.

 

It's fun drawing people you love. And I adore my niece, Lauren.  She was quite flattered that I wanted to draw her.  At my request she submitted a few photographs that I could pick from.  After my initial sketch, I added Dunitz & Company's coral necklace and a pair of sparkling crystal studs. That worked for the Shop Dunitz Instagram! 

My pal Amy also was game to have me draw her. She also submitted a few snapshots for me to choose from.  My social post shows her wearing our embroidered fringe earrings. You too can add some Boho style to your wardrobe.

I have 8 nieces. That gives me lots of opportunity to draw young pretty women. I promise, Rena is not naked in the photo I used. She was wearing a very low cut dress at a wedding we both attended. And I liked her expression.  In the in-process drawing, she is modeling our small rectangle glass earrings and a matching pendant. Why not? That low cut dress left me a lot of space to add the pendant without interference. 

 

Lately I've been cutting out pics and advertisements from fashion magazines. I've named this woman "Fiction Girl" because somehow I envision her on the cover of a romance novel. Silly me. I decked her out in Dunitz & Company twice. Once wearing our long stick glass earrings. The second time with our embroidered flower pendant necklace. (This necklace design is currently available to our wholesale customers at www.dunitz.com and is not currently available on our retail site. That could change at any time though. Check out our Huipil Collection for all things embroidered.)

This lovely young woman reminds me of a Disney princess. Maybe it's the hair. She came from an Anthropologie email blast. Anthropologie has some amazing looking women modeling for them. And these days they've added many more models with varying ethnicity.  I added triangle shaped glass earrings in one image. And the other my favorite embroidered flower earrings, the same style as Amy above. 

 

Another pretty girl. This time the challenge was to master "yellow blonde hair." My girl with yellow hair is modeling one my newest embroidered earring designs. Fun, right? Click on through to snag your favorite one-of-a-kind pair. Or maybe for your gal pal who enjoys an ethnic aesthetic. 

For those of you that work in the fine jewelry and fashion industry, you might be familiar with In-Store Magazine. I'm on their mailing list. My girl with narrow nose was inspired by one of their cover models. I like their covers because there usually is a photo of an attractive woman that takes up the whole page. It allows me to really see the features and shadows. I decided to dress her up in a pair of our Van Gogh Almond Blossom Earrings. Chic and very affordable.

Honestly, I don't remember where I discovered this attractive model.  What I liked was the hand by her face which provided a new challenge for me. And a red tube top too! I decided this bare midriff woman should wear one of our worldy coin necklaces. 

 

 

 

I'm always looking for new challenges. And this Sports Illustrated swimsuit model did just that for me. A mostly naked body. An arm and hand. Hair that went on forever. Since her hair covers her ears, that wrist was the perfect opportunity to show off a Dunitz cuff bracelet. This design features embroidered butterflies and flowers on recycled denim.

Fondly called Watermelon Girl, (because for social I decked her out with one of our new fruit stud earring designs) was also an In-Store cover girl. I selected her because again, the image gave me a chance to draw some hands. I've been told this drawing is reminiscent of Modigliani's work. I take it as a compliment. Modigliani's women have really long faces. I'm assuming that is where the comparison comes from. (At the time of writing this, I have not listed my fruit designs on our retail site. They are however, available for wholesale.)

You've guessed it. As a newly minted portrait artist, I'm always looking for new challenges. This Anthropologie model tested my abilities in drawing hair. I think I was successful communicating her dreadlocks to paper. What do you think? And for fun, I dressed her up on some of our long skinny glass earrings.

 

And then there was this. A sweet angelic model, also from Anthropologie. To me she looks like some of the dolls I longed for when I was a tot. Such a sweet face deserved flowers for her ears. Since I adore Van Gogh, I added Almond Blossom Earrings. (I'm starting to see that I have some favorite designs. I seem to repeat styles that I attach to my social darlings.) The image on the right is true to my drawing. The social post on the left was lightened up quite a bit in Photoshop. This allowed her to look a lot more like a baby girl.

 

Sketch girl has been posted to IG & Facebook. However, at the time of writing this blog post, I have yet continued with or finished the drawing. This will be a Nancy project for this weekend.  If you want to see this drawing finished or watch me as I progress, do follow my personal IG account. I tend to be a bit of an over-sharer there. Just saying. This full lipped stunner comes from the pages of Sports Illustrated. And she is yes, wearing my favorite embroidered fringe earrings!

One final portrait I just wanted to share for good measure. I get some of my most pleasure from drawing people I'm fond of.  Working in fair trade, over the years, I've made many friends who are quite special to me. Nimet and Fatima are long time friends that no longer work in fair trade. However, that is how we met. And we're friends forever. I decided to draw them from a photo I snapped when visiting them in Canada several years ago. And then I mailed this gift on to them. I never decked them out in my jewelry for social. I do however, know I posted this pic on my personal Instagram feed. Since this portrait was not yet created when I shared many of my drawings here in May, (and I'm so proud of all my drawing accomplishments,) here it is for you to see.

So there you have it. As they say, I've killed two birds with one stone. I've shared my most recent portrait drawings. (You now know I love sharing them.) And it's given me an opportunity to show off Dunitz & Company's fair trade jewelry. Keep watching. I'm sure in a few months I'll be sharing another batch. Are you in? -ND

Fair Trade Wholesale Guide - Great Resources

If you're reading this, you're most likely familiar with Dunitz & Company's handmade and oh so pretty fair trade jewelry. What you might not know (but should) is we are part of a very supportive and collaborative community, Fair Trade Federation. FTF staff worked diligently to produce and launch our first collective (and hopefully not last) Fair Trade Wholesale Guide. Browse the guide to find great resources for jewelry, clothing, coffee and home decor. I can't list all of my colleagues here, but I thought I'd provide a shout out to some.

Here's the thing. Fair Trade Federation has been growing quickly as more and more wholesalers and retailers choose to be verified for their fair trade practices. Many members I'm acquainted with. Others, not. Personally, I love the offerings of many. Some companies sell items I choose not to own. Isn't that the way it goes with just about everything? In the case of the cover of the Fair Trade Wholesale Guide, I was thrilled to see Jenn Pullin's bag from Fibres of Life featured. If you've seen her booth at a trade show, you know her collection from Nepal is amazingly beautiful. And honestly, I have a soft spot for Jenn. She seems to always be sporting a pair of Dunitz & Company earrings whenever I see her.


Page 2. See that adorable model with the yellow shrug? Yes, of course you do. Look straight up and you'll see she is also wearing a pair of Dunitz & Company's fused glass earrings. (Did you know I call this collection, Joanie M after my mom? She always dreamt of owning a dress shop. When I introduced our fair trade fused glass jewelry, it seemed fitting to name it in her honor.)

I'm definitely a bit partial to all things Guatemala. After all, I've been working there since 1989. And I've hiked several times to San Antonio Palopo where the beautiful ceramics offered by Lucia's Imports are made. I've always told Teresa Hendricks, the co-owner of this company that she is so brave to be importing fragile pottery. (Did you know I first imported glass bowls from Guatemala? I still have some in my garage. Interested?)



 Are you familiar with the Zapotec handbags offered by MZ Imports and Shelly Tennyson? That's their purse on Page 3. Shelly and I have often communicated online. It wasn't until the recent NY Now-Fair Trade Federation get together that we met in person. I was thrilled that we broke bread together and shared some real face time. I confess, I grilled her for a few travel/restaurant ideas for an upcoming trip I'm taking with a friend to Oaxaca later this year. MZ's line is made in Oaxaca.



This mantel shot from the wholesale guide is an all-star! I adore Brenda Rosenbaum from Mayan Hands - and yes, she's been working with artisans in Guatemala for a long long time. Heck, she grew up in Guatemala. Need pine needle baskets? They might be the perfect resource for you. Looking for fun instruments? Then Jamtown is your number. And I can tell you from being John Hayden's neighbor at trade shows, he KNOWS his music! Lucuma Designs for Peruvian gourds? Yes! And finally, my favorite things about Manish Gupta is he, like me, is a University of Michigan Wolverine - GO BLUE! His company Matr Boomie offers lots of fabulous gift items crafted in India.



Saving one of my favorites for last. I absolutely adore Johnnie Segers and Penny Webster, the founders of Woven Promises. Whenever we've been in the same city at the same time, I've dined with these women (and taken in a few Broadway shows). I know well how absolutely dedicated they are to their artisans in Ethiopia. And the quality of their towels and napkins are the best, bar none.



So now you know the Fair Trade Federation Wholesale Guide is out for your perusal and use. You'll have fun browsing the photos and exploring which items spark your interest. And remember, you can always visit the Fair Trade Federation site and search by product category. You'll find Dunitz & Company when searching for fair trade jewelry and Judaica. (Side note: You can also search the FTF site for vendors that retail their goodies online.) Let me know if you source anything new after referring to this booklet. I'm so curious to know what new items you've discovered for your shop. -ND