Raquel Welch and Fair Trade Fused Glass Earrings

Did my post title catch your attention? I know it's rather silly, but I had to do it.  Raquel Welch actually has marketed a wig collection for many years.You can easily find Raquel's wig designs online as well as numerous glamorous photos of her modeling them. I took the liberty of changing out her diamond earrings for Joanie M fair trade fused glass earrings in this image. She's styling in our Delgado Earrings. What do you think?
By now you are asking where is all of this coming from.  Many of you know that I am flea market maven. Often on Sunday's you can find me scouring tables and piles of vintage goodies at one market or another. Recently I found a Raquel Welch wig mannequin. My Raquel has long eyelashes, pierced ears, plump lips and enviable cheekbones.  I have no wigs for her.  I do however have lots and lots of earrings to doll her up in. For the occasion of this blog, my Raquel was outfitted with our fair trade fused glass earrings. Each pair is individually cut by artisans and then cooked in a kiln. Every pair bubbles just a little differently. Buy a pair on our retail website. Or you can order them for your shop.  Dunitz & Company has been designing this collection of fair trade jewelry since 2011 and it has become a huge hit with our retail store accounts. Triangles, rectangles, teardrops, almonds - these are only a few of the shapes we offer. And they're always available in many colors. Ear wires are made of surgical steel.We promise you don't need to look like Raquel Welch to look like a million bucks in our fair trade earrings. -ND

Wearing Prosperity

We've recently collaborated with several bloggers and Instagram fashionistas. It seems not only do they love our message of sustainability, they also dig our fair trade jewelry. It's been a lot of fun seeing our pieces featured in several lifestyle shots. Our world coin necklaces which are part of our 'prosperity collection' have been a blogger favorite.  Several women have jumped at the chance to model these pieces. Only today, Rie Aoki posted a spectacular shot on Instagram wearing our four strander coin necklace. (Richard Romero @richromero_ earns the photo credit for these shots.) Rie also blogs and as soon as she has posted her entry about her shoot (with a lot more pics), we'll add the link to this story. You won't want to miss her dramatic images which also include Dunitz & Company fair trade earrings. [OK, you can see a snippet of our Screener Earrings in her photo shown here!]
Earlier this year we worked with Lisa Mecham. She sported some Dunitz & Company's coin jewelry for her blog entry "Favorite Pieces From My Jewelry Collection." That sure made us happy! Check out the photo to the right of this paragraph. That's Lisa with our four strander and beaded leather bracelet.  We say take the time to read her blog and see the other photos she posted of our designs. [Look right again. That's her photo with our coin lariat and bracelet.] While you're at it, peruse her other entries. We think you'll also enjoy following her on Instagram.
Why wouldn't you invest in one of our coin necklaces or bracelets?  Yes, they're stunning. They also make great conversation starters. I've almost never worn a piece when someone hasn't commented on the coins, where they are from and where they have traveled. Almost everyone enjoys sharing their tales of adventure to faraway lands. Mexico? Portugal? Egypt? No two pieces are ever the same. And our world coins come from absolutely everywhere. Want a bracelet or necklace with only Israeli coins? We do that too! -ND

Pin It On for Pantsuit Nation

Pantsuit Nation. You might say this is all about Hillary Clinton. And many would agree with you. Since the election, lots of Pantsuit Nation groups by any other name have organized on Facebook. Most promote equity, liberty and social justice.
Many of the biggest clothing designers from around the globe have jumped on the Pantsuit bandwagon.  Fall 2017 ready-to-wear runways showed off many many pantsuits - some conservative, others boldly colored with unconventional lines. We think wearing any of these makes for a strong woman and a strong statement. Check out the latest from Alexander McQueen, Marni, Jil Sander and Max Mara. I'm tellin' ya - after seeing these and others, I'm wildly happy I saved several of my very own pantsuits from the 1980s!
So what does a jewelry designer (that's me) suggest for all these stunning solid colored top & bottom coordinates? If you were a politician, we'd tell you to attach straight up, a flag pin. But, since we're not, we suggest fair trade brooches. Dunitz & Company offers all kinds of artisan made fair trade pins to doll up any of these outfits. Some resemble roses made of sheepskin. Others are made from scraps of handwoven Guatemalan fabric with glass bead adornments. Quilters will love our yoyo flowers.  If you're looking for your retail store, Dunitz & Company has lots of pretties to send you. Login to our wholesale catalog and have a look. Our embroidered denim pins might be the number. Don't want to place a brooch on your lapel? You KNOW you have a hat, handbag or coat begging to be adorned with our fair trade pins! -ND

Fascination Frida Kahlo

Does it seem as if the entire world is fascinated with Frida Kahlo? I know I snugly fit in that group. (Dunitz & Company retails designs inspired by her fashion savvy.) This weekend, I began to ponder about why she garners so much attention and curiosity.  It seems there is a lot of good reason for it. First off, when I think "Mexican Art", the first thing that pops up in my head are all the self-portraits Kahlo created. If this is your experience too, you're not alone. After inserting the words "Mexican Art" into my browser, stories and photos of Frida Kahlo were the first to populate. We live in a selfie era. And Frida Kahlo got started long before any of us.  She was her own best publicist. It's been reported that of 143 paintings produced by Kahlo, 55 are self portraits.Wow! 

Obviously Frida Kahlo's work was greatly inspired by her life experiences. Much of her life was riddled with pain. She survived a bout with polio as a child leaving her with a limp. She survived a bus accident in her late teens which resulted in many surgeries. She fell in love with, married, divorced and remarried artist, Diego Rivera whom was 31 years her senior. There's was a tumultuous relationship, which yes, lead to more pain. Frida, a most colorful character, according to reports didn't dwell in her pain. She lived. She was openly bisexual and was known to have had affairs even when she was married. Her sexual relationships included those with Josephine Baker, Isamu Noguchi and perhaps most notable, Leon Trotsky. Frida's life is fascinating. She was a feminist, a communist and a fashion plate. No wonder Salma Hayek made a movie about her.
Much of my fascination with Kahlo revolves around her dress and the fashion choices she made. As you know, I work in Guatemala where the local Mayan women primarily wear beautiful and traditional dress.  But, to me, that's what they look like. Local women outfited in traditional dress. Somehow, Kahlo wearing flowers in her hair, traditional Tehuana clothing and big earrings transformed her into a super star. She was magnificent whether she was in the pueblo, Mexico City, Detroit (where she lived for a time with Diego Rivera) or New York.  No wonder she is viewed as a fashion icon and inspires the collections of so many designers. Heck, she has inspired me. This current season Dunitz & Company introduced and named necklaces, bracelets, earrings and brooches for Kahlo. These latest styles are embroidered and beaded on recycled denim. I'm certain if she were living today, she'd be sporting them with any number of her flouncy skirted outfits. What do you think? Are you fascinated by Frida Kahlo? - ND

Fair Trade Judaica

Did you know that Dunitz & Company offers a small fair trade Judaica collection? If you are a buyer from a synagogue gift shop you should be logging into our wholesale catalog. If you are looking for you, you should check out our store locator to find a shop near you that carries items from this collection or visit our retail catalog. We're always changing things up, so check back often.
Perhaps you are wondering how a fair trade jewelry company begins selling Judaica? It's really quite simple. It seemed several years ago at the wholesale gift shows, especially in New York, Judaica buyers were determined to find new and different designs for their shops. Each and every season for many years, I'd be asked "Do you have any Judaica?"  And season after season, I'd say no.... I wish I did. And then it dawned on me why not?
For many years Dunitz & Company had been employing crochet artisans and sisters, Barbara and Concepcion. (That's Barbara in the photo!) They were making jewelry components for some of our best selling designs in the 1990s. (Before I'd met them, they crocheted the best hacky sacks you could find in Guatemala.) It made perfect sense for them to crochet yarmulkes too. Our Judaica line was born. Since that time, we've designed several styles in several colors. There definitely was a learning curve. When I first launched the line, we offered kippot in "fashion colors". We learned quickly that the Judaica shops did not want 'coral orange' for Spring and 'burgundy' for Fall.  Since that time, we pared down our offerings to those our client's preferred in more subdued colors. Ivory and black have always been the most popular.  Barbara and Concepcion continue to make are kippot...and crochet jewelry components.

From time to time we design other items for those interested in Judaica. We've created a stunning collection of mezuzah's for inside use comprised of glass beads and ribbons.  Want one for your living room door? You can find them on our website. Several colors are available. We have also launched several designs with the familiar Star of David symbol. One of our favorites, our Star of David Cuff can be found on our retail site.  Perhaps our strongest selling Judaica jewelry has been our necklaces and bracelets featuring Israeli coins and metallic colored glass seed beads. We adore this sophisticated collection and you'll find it in many temple gift shops. We actually offer identical styles comprised of assorted world coins. Order them for your shop... or order them for you. Most of all, we are thankful to have several excellent retail partners for our Judaica - online. Fair Trade Judaica always has an excellent collection of our kippot available for sale. Check out Judaica.com and the Tallis Lady too.-ND

Fluff, Tippy & Fair Trade Earrings

Some of you may know this about me...I love to hunt for flea market treasure. Often on a Sunday morning you can find me trolling around for the perfect find.  One of my discoveries was and is "Tippy", a fabulous vintage mannequin with pierced ears.  Named by a dear friend of mine, Tippy has wonderful painted curly hair and real eyelashes. She has enviable cheekbones.  Today she decided to steal my old faded Gap sweatshirt and model some of Dunitz & Company's fabulous fair trade earrings. Yes, this is a fluff piece today! Most of the earrings Tippy is wearing in this spread are new this season and available from our wholesale catalog.  If you're looking for fair trade jewelry direct from us, please check out our host of offerings on our retail site.

We love our Crochet Web Hoops and they're available in several colors. If you have a retail store, log in and get some ordered for your shop. As you know, Dunitz & Company has lots and lots of fair trade beaded earrings to show you (and sell you!)

 These are our Triangle Swirl Earrings. These Dunitz & Company fair trade beaded earrings are a customer favorite this season. Tippy decided to hang out in the middle of our offices near the inventory for this shot!

 Our Quilter Earrings remind us of....vintage quilt patterns. What an original name, yes?

 Peace Peace Peace! Peace Now! We're all striving for a bit of peace. Why not dangle some Peace Danglers on your ears? Or your customer's ears?

 Dunitz & Company also has a terrific collection of fair trade fused glass earrings. We have lots of styles including these Tiny Almond Glass ones.  And you'll find several fused glass earrings available on our retail site. If you haven't given our Joanie M Collection a try, we suggest you do. This collection which we introduced in 2011 has successfully sold in many stores. You won't be disappointed.




 

Tippy shows off our Pointed Triangle Glass Earrings in this last photo of the day. She wanted you to all know Dunitz & Company sells several shapes of fair trade fused glass earrings.
Thanks for reading and having fun with us. - ND

 

A Step Forward - A Solola Tale

Several years ago, on one of my many trips to Guatemala, a friend and I decided to head to a cooperative we knew about which was located in the city of Solola.  This workshop was known for the hand-dyed and woven chenille scarves it produced. My intent was (and I did) to purchase gifts for my nieces and business colleagues. While there, we were also shown a series of small pen and watercolor paintings that an artist had left in hopes of possibly selling a few. For that artist, it was an unlikely venue to do so. Cooperatives like this one do not receive a lot of foot traffic. Typically I wouldn't purchase a jumbo postcard sized illustration. But at the time, I knew that if I did, the money earned by this artist could feed a family for a week. I could make a difference.  To this day, I do not know if the artist who created this work is a woman or a man.

I remember thumbing through several small paintings. My friend & I each selected one. I'm certain I chose this "outsider art" piece, because the characters shown had facial features (eyes, nose) and also were wearing traditional clothing of which you could see some details. This image illustrates indigenous people farming. Obviously they are poor - neither character has shoes. At the time, the positioning of the people reminded me of ancient Egyptian art. Although we should be seeing these character's profiles, their eyes stare at us.  We know their feet are moving them toward the left of the frame. But what we see is the top of their feet. Even though the piece is very cartoon-line, it expresses so much. (Do I sound like an Art Historian? I actually earned a B.A. in History of Art at the University of Michigan.) 

And this is where my analysis of this artwork began and ended. Until today. Since the time I purchased it, it has been propped up against some books on the shelves of my library. I glance at it often without giving it significant thought. This morning with International Women's Day on my mind, I approached this piece quite differently. All of a sudden I noticed that the woman is standing behind the man. He has a hat. She is not shielded from the sun. Her hoe is embedded in the ground and her head is tilted as she works the field. He holds his tool, but is not actually using it.  What the painting illustrates to us is the woman is one step behind the man and in this rendition of life in Guatemala, the man is positioned in a superior position. This is a light bulb moment.

I have been traveling to and working in Guatemala since 1989. I've spent years developing a fair trade business that has diligently supported and sustained a community of mostly female artisans. Dunitz & Company has made a difference for this community. Guatemala is a poor country and most farmers and artisans are without opportunity. Often their daily labor is not enough to cover necessities. The painting I have shared above illustrates just that. It was painted by a Guatemalan showing how they see themselves and their daily existence. We know fair trade makes a difference in the way people live. We also know according to the UN and Oxfam, that a majority of those growing and producing the world's food are women. Whether someone is picking coffee beans in Guatemala or tea leaves in Sri Lanka, when you purchase fair trade, you know the people working in the fields are earning living wages and can feed and educate their children. I realize I'm preaching a bit. Nothing changes overnight. By changing our purchase habits, even a small bit, we can make it a better world. If you decide to purchase fair trade cotton sheets next month or fair trade coffee always, these choices will trickle down to improving lives globally. Today is about taking steps to champion gender parity. If you are reading this, I implore you to begin changing your purchase habits...even just a little bit. And I hope next time I find a cluster of small paintings in Guatemala, the woman and man will be shown as equals and they both will be wearing shoes.-ND