Two Women

I was browsing through some of the photographs I've taken in Guatemala earlier today.  What I noticed is I've taken several photographs of "two women".  Is it me? Or do women frequently travel in pairs?  I rarely have a photo of just one...or three. Perhaps no matter the culture, women always have their BFF at their side.  Tell me what you think? -ND

Two Women, Santiago Atitlan

Santiago Atitlan stop light

Two Women...& a child.

Two Women, Solola

Two Women & tomatoes

Fashion Colors & Joanie M

I know I've posted photos before of how we create color combinations for our beaded line  We do the same for our Joanie M fused glass.  Designer runway shows frequently give us inspiration for our jewelry. Here are two teaser pics for Fall 2014.
Check out the coppery red presented by Dennis Basso.  Our new color #63 will surely translate the richness.

I love the designs from Vivienne Tam each and every season.  Her Fall 2014 lineup was no different.  It only made sense to use some of her outfits for color inspiration.  Drawing from this wonderful jade & jet outfit, we've created Joanie M's new color #55.

Yum! Right? - ND

A Little Nostalgia...& Big TV Sets.

I confess, I still have one of those large TV's.  I remember sweating over which brand and what size to buy. Yes - that's the TV with the image of Dayna Devon from EXTRA TV. 
One of my very first beaded designs was a little net choker.  Dunitz sold 100s - maybe 1000s of these.  We created so many fun color combinations.  One mail order catalog we worked with had us create Halloween, Christmas and July 4th versions. I'm certain we created them for other holidays too. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. After other companies copied our net choker, we retired it from our arsenal.  I'm sure you can still find this design from other wholesalers.
The most fun was seeing our net chokers turn up on TV! Yes - it was fun catching Dayna Devon on EXTRA wearing our choker. We also captured Tangi Miller wearing our net cutie over and over on her hit show, Felicity. I was lucky enough to snap her a couple of times - yes watching the BIG TV. I know it's Friday. Can I call today #ThrowBackFriday? OK - #ThrowBackThursday one day late. - ND

A Bit of Photographic History - Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala

A friend of mine has spent a lot of energy researching, collecting & sharing old photographs from Guatemala. I've been particularly interested in the old photos from Santiago Atitlan. This is the community where Dunitz & Company's beadwork is created.  It is amazing to see how so much and yet, so little has changed. The women haven't changed their style. Many of the buildings in these photos are the ones you see in town today. Enjoy! -ND.

1955. Art, Architecture & Engineering Library. University of Michigan. Donated by Louis Redstone.

1955. Art, Architecture & Engineering Library. University of Michigan. Donated by Louis Redstone.

1960's. Stoiber Collection. Dartmouth University

Public Beach. 1920's. Photographer Unknown.

1920's. Photographer Unknown.

1930's. Carnegie Institute of Washington. Peabody Museum. Harvard University

1931. Public Beach. Samuel Lothrop

1950-1960's. Pablo Sittler.

1953. Karl Paschkis.

Semana Santa 1960's. John Dealy. Cirma Fototeca

There's A New Gal In Our Offices

I thought I'd have some light fun today and talk about mannequins.  Our (Dunitz & Company, that is.) mannequin, Ms. White has been showing off our jewelry for several years now.  She doesn't complain and she can sit (or stand) still for hours on end. What I like best about Ms. White is that she doesn't "fight" our jewelry.  She may be lithe and have an enviable body.  But, for the most part, she falls into the background.  And - well, she does have a torso, legs and arms.  This allows her to model earrings, necklaces, bracelets and anklets.  Oh yes, she has also modeled our kippot, part of our Judaica Collection.  Hats off to Ms.White.  Our website catalog wouldn't be as wonderful without her.
You can see what I mean in the photos I just snapped.  I'm almost certain you see our colorful earrings before you focus on her beautifully shaped lips. I've always thought our jewelry is most outstanding when featured on a white or beige background. If you've seen Dunitz at the trade shows - you know our display is always eggshell color.
Last week, a new gal joined our staff.  Ms.White now has some competition.  Nancy joined up with "Tippy" (recently named by a customer of ours) at an area flea market.  We're not sure what generation Tippy comes from. But, she's definitely been around.  She has sexy full lips.  And heck, this gal knew how to put on makeup and falsie eyelashes!  Face it. She's hot! 

She's already modeled our earrings.  She does have pierced ears.  And a fine job she's done.  I'm also wondering if her beauty calls more attention to her than the earrings she is wearing. Maybe so.  But I also think her glow is quite appealing.  Tippy's work load will be limited.  She has a torso without arms. And she has no legs. I'm guessing she'll look fabulous in some of our designs that use vintage components - watch parts and old coins.
What do you think about the battle of the mannequins?  I'd love to hear your feedback.  For now, I'm certain both of them will have some work to do later this season when our Fall 2014 designs are ready to be photographed. - ND

What Small Contribution Can You Make for World Fair Trade Day?

World Fair Trade Day is coming up on May 10^th.  Since Dunitz & Company is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, it only seemed appropriate to blog about the event.  On this day, people around the world will celebrate the impact of fair trade relationships. If you are a supporter of fair trade, you’ve probably read a zillion articles about fair trade. You’ve reviewed the nine principles set out by the Fair Trade Federation.  And YOU know what fair trade is about. You know fair trade is all about supporting livelihood, safety and well-being of farmers, craftspeople and artisans.

This left me in a conundrum about what I could say that might have some impact.  The light bulb went off when I was walking Stetson, the mascot earlier.  I thought, why not make a list of things any person could do, however small, that might make a difference in lives . And  by all means, let me know anything we should add to the list.  I’m only starting it.  Please chime in.  I think the main thing is how can we, backers of fair trade –promote education.

      1.  Buy a can of Fair Trade Coffee. Share a cup with a friend of neighbor and tell them why you purchased fair trade.

      2.  Drag a friend to a Fair Trade Store and of course tell them why you did it.  Can’t get them to move? Give them a tour of Fair Trade Federation member websites. 

      3.  Visit any store and show off the hat, bag or jewelry you are wearing  that is fair trade. Tell the owner why they need to sell what you are wearing.

      4.   Search #fairtrade on Twitter and start re-tweeting things of interest. All you need is for one person to stop and read! The smallest activity can make a huge impact.

5    5.   Share something about #fairtrade on your Facebook page. Don't forget the hastag! Help #fairtrade trend!

      6.  Share something about #fairtrade on Instagram. 

      7.   Drum beating is becoming an event associated with World Fair Trade Day celebration. Make some noise. Get others involved and tell them why  they’re making noise.

8    8.  Bake something with fair trade ingredients. Google for a new recipe! Share some of your culinary masterpiece and tell your tasters why you chose fair trade. Heck, after that tweet and share your new recipe.

9    9.  Buy, eat & share a bar of fair trade chocolate. You’ll taste the difference and feel good about it. 

      10. Watch a documentary such as “The DarkSide of Chocolate” or some other educational feature with themes including poverty, climate change and other environmental issues. 

Please share with me your #11, #12 etc. - ND 

If It's Not Broken, Don't Fix It!

Each and every season it seems a formidable task to come up with new and exciting designs that will please our clients. And somehow, each and every season Dunitz manages to unveil some completely new creations that whet the appetites of our loyal store patrons.

Often, we have collections that had a great response. They work. There is absolutely no reason to retire them.  OK - maybe they need a little bit of tweaking. For the most part, that old adage applies. "If it's not broken, don't fix it." Our 'Corte Series', which we introduced for Spring 2014 is a perfect example.  Dunitz introduced bracelets, earrings, necklaces & brooches where we made a point of featuring traditional handwoven Guatemalan fabric as an integral part of the design. (To the right, top photo, you can see our SKU: Pcorte3 bracelet.) We had noticed for a few years that when we backed other designs with these beautiful ikat textiles, our customers often (and I mean often) would turn them over and admire the backsides. It worked and our customers loved and ordered these new designs at the winter show. The trick is we consciously purchased bright fabrics and used bright beads to create pieces appropriate for the Spring & Summer seasons.  It will be easy enough to update this collection for fall.  A quick test (Seen at the right is our SKU: Ccorte1 necklace updated with dark color.) shows by using darker fabrics and deeper colored beads we can create a palette perfect for Fall.  So peeps - if you didn't order this collection for Spring - you will have an opportunity to offer it to your clients for Fall/Winter 2014. We know it will be rich, ethnic & preppy all in one :)! [Hint! You can still order for the current season!] -ND