Raising the caliberWhen lawyer-turned-jewelry designer Jessica Mindich was approached by Cory Booker — then the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, now a US senator — to use her design talents to help get guns off the streets, the offer appealed to her creativity and sense of commitment. In 2012, she launched the Caliber Collection: a jewelry line made from guns and shell casings, taking elements of pain and destruction and turning them into a source of hope and resolve.
From the start, Mindich envisioned a program that would be self-sustaining: Money from the sale of the bracelets would go toward funding voluntary gun buyback and amnesty programs that would, in turn, provide the guns to make more jewelry. However, she needed guns to start. Working with the Newark Police Department, she was able to get firearms that had been used in crimes but were no longer needed for evidentiary purposes. It was the first and only time that a police department supplied the guns; since then, all the jewelry has been made from firearms taken off the streets in buyback programs.
The bracelets’ design is deliberately simple, but every element is significant. “Guns are very sexy to some people, but we don’t want to glorify them,” explains Mindich. The bracelet’s smooth surface represents the simplicity of peace, while the “bumpy” side shows the destruction guns cause. Rather than round, the bangles are oval-shaped to mimic a gun’s trigger cage. However, the impact is the exact opposite: “When you put the bracelet on,” says Mindich, “you are engaging in peace.” But the most powerful design element is the serial number. “Once the serial number appears on the bracelet, the gun will never be on the street again,” she points out.
The buyback programs have been expanded to include Detroit, Michigan; Hartford, Connecticut; Miami, Florida; and the San Francisco Bay area. To date, the Caliber Collection has taken over 3,000 illegal guns off the streets and raised over $225,000 for the police departments to fund further buyback initiatives.
In addition to bracelets — some containing diamonds — the collection includes cuffs and cuff links. The jewelry is made in America and has an entry-level price point of $10 for the Raise the Caliber Wear Orange bracelet (orange represents solidarity among groups advocating against gun violence). Customers in almost 90 countries have purchased the products online.
calibercollection.com
The beauty of philanthropyJoan Hornig has a non-traditional business model: 100% of the profit from the sale of her jewelry goes to a charity of the customer’s choice. Through her companies, Philanthropy is Beautiful and Pavé the Way, Hornig gives people the opportunity to make a statement that’s about more than just style; it enables them to support causes that are important to them.
A former fundraiser and Wall Street executive, Hornig switched careers to follow her “personal passion” and become a jewelry designer. Her eponymous line of precious and semiprecious stones in 18-karat gold was selling at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. But her commitment to social responsibility took her career in another direction that combined her design skills and nonprofit experience. In 2003, with the creation of Philanthropy is Beautiful, she embarked on an innovative approach to giving back.
“Very early on, I understood that consumerism and activism could be combined,” explains Hornig. “My jewelry is a vehicle for people to feel that they have made a difference immediately. And the jewelry is meant to be noticed, so it’s a conversation starter, which hopefully keeps the discussion going and in turn attracts new and repeat customers.”
In 2017, she launched Pavé the Way to expand her customer base by introducing lower price points than the bespoke Philanthropy is Beautiful collection. “I want everyone to be able to participate in changing the world,” she says.
Online transactions account for the majority of her sales. To date, she has donated more than $1 million to over 900 nonprofits worldwide via her jewelry, which is made in the US. Her only two provisos regarding donations are that the charity must be legally registered as a 501C3, and that it must not promote guns or intolerance.
Hornig’s fans range from politicians to A-list celebrities, including former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, and singers Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Hornig’s designs continue to be a favorite gift from the US State Department to visiting dignitaries.
“We leverage every dollar we get to make life better for someone else,” she says.
joanhornig.com; pavethewayjewelry.com
‘Love is the bomb’Elizabeth Suda remembers the “aha” moment for the creation of her Peacebomb jewelry line. It was when she saw villagers in Laos producing spoons from shrapnel left over from the 250 million bombs dropped there during the Vietnam War. “Everything clicked,” says Suda. “I was impressed with their incredible resourcefulness. I knew there was an opportunity to expand their markets across the world. [Turning the shrapnel into] bracelets made sense. They are easy to wear and are a conversation piece, which is important to getting our message out to people.”
The Peacebomb collection aimed both to support the Laos communities and to raise awareness of the 80 million unexploded ordinances (UXOs) in the country. In partnership with Swiss NGO Helvetas, Suda founded ARTICLE22 in 2009. The company takes its name from the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 22 of which addresses the economic, social and cultural rights of every member of society.
Using wood and ash molds, villagers transform the melted aluminum shrapnel into bracelets. “I bought the first 500 and sold them to friends,” says Suda, who left her merchandising job at leather goods company Coach to study sustainability in Laos. “But the 500 turned into 1,000 and then 10,000.”
Initially, the bracelets were not engraved, but some now display compelling sentiments such as “Love Is the Bomb” or “Peace Is a State of Mind.” Wedding rings with diamonds were added in response to customer demand. The current collection of over 100 pieces is produced through ethical, fair-trade and sustainable practices. Recognizing that people want to contribute regardless of their income level, Suda has set the prices low for some bracelets, at $22 to $150. The Angela Lindvall designer collection, meanwhile, ranges from $155 to $2,200. Retail, online and pop-up stores each account for about a third of global sales.
“People have a strong emotional connection to the jewelry,” explains Suda. Actress Emma Watson wore the Laos Dome earrings and shared their story on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Given the area’s contentious history, Suda is also proud that Vietnam veterans have asked that she make bracelets for men.
“Jewelry speaks in a universal way,” she says. “We’ve taken a negative and turned it into a positive.”
article22.com
Image (left to right): calibercollection.com; pavethewayjewelry.com; article22.comArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - October 2018. To subscribe click here.