Pangea-Collection.com Blog

Like many of you, I woke up on Saturday morning to hear the horrible news that there had been yet another earthquake. This time the earthquake has struck Chile.

My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Chile last Christmas and meeting many of the fair trade jewelry artisans featured at Pangea Collection. We visited the office of the fair trade organisation and met with the artisans who had come to showcase their beautiful jewelry. It is for this reason the impact of the earthquake has an even more personal feeling for me.

When I woke up on Saturday morning I immediately emailed my contact at the fair trade organisation to check to see if all was okay with the staff of the organisation as well as the artisans who are located in many areas of Chile, not just Santiago. For several days as I’ve been watching the news I’ve been thinking of them and wondering if indeed they were okay.

Today I received an update indicated the delay was, not surprisingly, a result of electricity and internet outages. The good news is that everyone at the fair trade organisation and their families are okay. The bad news is that they have been unable to reach many of the artisans to find out how they are.

Below is part of the message which the Chilean fair trade organisation is sharing with their partners and friends around the world.

SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES OF ARTISANS AND PRODUCERS AFFECTED BY THE EARTHQUAKE IN CHILE

With great dismay, we are now handling the significant impact of this tremendous earthquake in the regions of Maule, Biobío, and facing a smaller scale of damage, the Metropolitan Region.

We would like to forward our support, companionship, solidarity and love, especially to the families of our artisans and farmers that work in these areas. As a team, we are sending all of our support in offering the network of contacts we manage from Santiago throughout the world. In particular, we sending support to Lipimávida Fruits, production plant of canned papaya, in Ilocos, VII Region, which was completely devastated by the tsunami. We still have no news from this region.

As major communication lines remain cut, we will continue to try contacting these artisans and producers. We are also taking up contact with people in the rural areas surrounding Santiago that were also strongly impacted. We are making an effort to contact these producers to better understand their conditions and how we can help. We send our all of our support.

We greatly appreciate the solidarity and concern of our friends in the various countries that work with us in Fair Trade. We have already received messages from many of our clients who have been our friends and partners for many years. Thank you very much for your concern. We will be advising everyone whether there is any specific help that we need that can be channeled through to these devastated areas.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has suffered from this disastrous event. We ask that God helps everyone contribute in building solidarity with those affected.

Why not celebrate fair trade month with some fair trade jewelry (fair trade jewellery)?

October is fair trade month. During fair trade month you can help raise awareness of fair trade by spreading the word to your friends and family that it is possible to purchase products including fair trade jewelry that you will love, are fairly priced and produced in good working conditions and the artisan is paid a fair price for their work.

Fair trade products including fair trade jewelry ensure that the fair trade jewelry artisan (or other artisan/producer) are paid fairly for their work, are producing the goods such as jewelry in a good working environment, without child labour etc. There are ten basic principles of fair trade that all fair trade organisations must follow ensuring that the fair trade jewelry or other goods are produced ethically.

So this fair trade month help us not only celebrate the beautiful cultural jewelry of the jewelry artisans from around the world but also help these fair trade jewelry artisans achieve the art of self reliance.

The following jewelry is fair trade jewelry:
Fair Trade Jewelry From India
Fair Trade African Jewelry
Nepal Fair Trade Jewelry
Chile Fair Trade Jewelry
Thai Fair Trade Jewelry
Ecuador Fair Trade Jewelry

Happy Fair Trade Month

Pangea-Collection.com is once again proud to be supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) with a donation being made from Pink Breast Cancer Jewelry Collection purchases.

Last year, Pangea Collection offered a $10 donation from every Sterling Silver Link Heart Pendant Bracelet in support of breast cancer research. This year, Pangea Collection is extending the Breast Cancer Jewelry Collection to include eight different artisan jewellery pieces.

A donation of $5 from every Pink Breast Cancer Jewelry Earrings or Scarf purchase and a $10 donation from every Pink Breast Cancer Jewelry Bracelet or Necklace.

Breast Cancer Jewelry Collection

The pieces in the Pink Breast Cancer Jewelry Collection include the jewelry pieces below. Click on the name to see the jewelry on the Pangea Collection website.

Pink Semi Precious Stone Lariat Necklaces

Salmon Moss Semi Precious Stone Bracelet

Pink Rhodonite Semi Precious Stone Bracelet

Sterling Silver Heart Pendant Bracelet

Silver and Pink Cz Crystal Earrings

Pink Jade Earrings

Cherry Quartz Earrings

Coral Pink Thai Silk Scarf

In addition to your artisan jewellery purchase contributing a donation to breast cancer research, you will also be helping support artisans and their families around the world.

Pieces in the Pink Breast Cancer Jewelry Collection are artisan jewellery pieces from the Mexico Silver Jewelry Collection (Sterling Silver Heart Pendant Link Bracelet), Canadian Artisan Jewellery Collection (Pink Semi Precious Stone Lariat Necklaces, Salmon Moss Unakite Semi Precious Stone Bracelet, Pink Rhodonite Semi Precious Stone Bracelet, Pink Jade Earrings and Cherry Quartz Earrings), Thai Fair Trade Jewelry and Silk Collection (Silver and Pink Cz Crystal Earrings and Coral Pink Thai Silk Scarf).

Pangea-Collection.com has posted an article on fair trade jewelry and the reasons you should care about purchasing fair trade jewelry versus mass produced jewelry. Read the whole article “About Fair Trade Jewelry“.

A thank you to all our customers who helped us raise enough for up to two loans for struggling entrepreneurs in the developing world. Your purchases of fair trade jewelry as part of our fair trade day mother’s day celebration helped us make a donation to Opportunity International.

You can feel proud to wear your fair trade jewelry and know that during our mother’s day celebration it not only helped the fair trade jewelry artisans who crafted it but also contributed towards loans for struggling entrepreneurs in the developing world.

We thank you for your support!

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and there is an important reason to celebrate mom this year. Pangea-Collection.com with your help is giving back to moms around the world. Purchasing a piece of fair trade artisan jewelry from Pangea-Collection.com is a gift that gives – to your mom and to moms around the world, though a $1 donation from every online order going to Opportunity International.

Pangea-Collection.com offers a distinctive selection of handcrafted fair trade and artisan jewelry from around the world. Starting from just $20, the site’s mother’s day gift guide has a perfect gift selection for every personality. Moreover, many of the pieces on Pangea-Collection.com are exquisite works of jewelry art created by artisans, the majority of whom are women.

Opportunity International is a microenterprise development organisation. They provide small loans – sometimes as little as $50 – and training to help entrepreneurs in the developing world start a business. As business grows, the entrepreneurs develop steady incomes, enabling them to feed, educate and provide for their families. By giving the entrepreneurial poor a “hand up” instead of a “hand out”, Opportunity International helps uplift entire communities through job creation. Founded in 1971, Opportunity International now serves over 1.2 million loan clients. Loan repayment rates are 98%; about 85% of loans go to women. On average each loan supports five family members.

Pangea-Collection.com is on “Mission Mom” honouring mothers but also Fair Trade Day which falls on May 9th, the day before Mother’s Day. There is a meaningful connection here: According to the Fair Trade Federation, 70% of the fair trade artisans are women, who are often the sole wage earners in their homes. Of all the impoverished, women are the poorest. The UN says women do 67% of the world’s work, earn only 10% of the world’s pay and own only 1% of the world’s property. Women are paid 30-40% less than men for comparable work. Women in developing countries work an average of 60-90 hours a week.

Whenever possible, Pangea-Collection.com is committed to working with Fair Trade organisation worldwide, as is witnessed through the variety of Fair Trade Jewelry collections available through the site.

Shop Pangea-collection.com from April 20th to May 4th 2009, and $1 from online orders will be donated to Opportunity International. Offer mom an alluring piece of the world, and cascade it to moms around the world.

As Patricia Pinkney creator of Pangea-Collection.com states, “After years of working in the corporate world, I wanted to do my small part to help enable artisans around the world, especially women. It is especially meaningful on Mother’s Day and Fair Trade Day to recognise the privilege we have living in this wonderful country while at the same time acknowledge that there are mothers around the world who are struggling to support their families. Together we can help them achieve the art of self reliance.”

Bangles, bangles, bangles! They are a key accessory for spring fashion. Stacked up the arm in bright colors was all over spring fashion week runways.

Bangles continue to be a great investment. They have been “in” for several seasons and don’t seem to be going away soon. For about $20 you can create a currently look to a simple outfit.

Check out Pangea Collection’s bangle collection. Below are some of our favs:

Bangles

Celebration International Women’s Day this year by helping women around the world today, March 8th.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated through events around the world in acknowledgement the achievements of women in economic, political and social areas.

IWA was first celebrated in 1911. The years leading up to this first IWD was a time when industrialisation was taking hold. During this time women suffered from oppression and inequality. Women started to stand up for change and in 1908 a group of 15 000 marched in New York City demanding better treatment.

Following this march in 1909 the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) in the USA.

In 1911 IWD was officially celebrated in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.

IWD is now an official holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhastan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

While it is true that woman have made significant strides toward equality, there is still work to be done, around the world. And in particular countries even more so where women are often the victims of violence, lack of educational opportunities and access to adequate healthcare.

Events are held around the globe to inspire women and to celebrate their achievements. The United Nations theme for 2009 IWD is women and men unite to end violence against women and girls.

Not sure how to celebrate? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Read more about IWD on the International Women’s Day website (the source for much of the information above).
http://www.internationalwomensday.com

2. Consider participating in an existing event (you can see a list of events on the IWD or your local women’s organisations.

3. Make a donation to an organisation that supports the development of women. Pangea Collection’s organisation of choice is Opportunity International. Opportunity International is one of the world’s largest micro finance organisations. They provide the working poor with a working choice via small business loans.

This year Opportunity International is creating “The Global Opportunity Quilt” You can buy a virtual square on the quilt for $25. More details at the site below.
http://www.optinnow.org/quilt

What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day?

4. Feel free to purchase something from one of the women artisans at Pangea-Collection.com.

5. Spend time with your mom or girlfriends.

Whatever you decide to do on International Women’s Day. Have a lovely Sunday.

Pangea-Collection.com has created a facebook fan page so that customers/friends can interact with us and contribute to our community. You can find Pangea Collection’s fan page here.

All this doom and gloom has me thinking that it doesn’t have to be so bad. You can buy fair trade and artisan jewelry at very good value. Not only will you pick yourself up with a little bit of retail therapy but you’ll also be helping an artisan support themselves and their family. The gift that gives back!

So I started thinking about a top list of 15 artisan and fair trade jewelry pieces under $20 each including free shipping. I may be a little biased but I think that’s a pretty darn good deal! Better than a piece of chocolate cake - well maybe not better but it won’t end up on my hips!

Here we go top 15 (in no particular order)

1. Sterling Silver Fair Trade Buddha Pendant $19.99

2. Balinese Filigree Dangling Sterling Silver Heart Earrings $19.99

Balinese Sterling Silver Heart Earrings

3. Dangling Tagua Seed Earrings $19.99

Tagua Seed Earrings

4. Fair Trade Glass Earrings - Retangular $19.99

Fair Trade Glass Earrings

5. Fair Trade Glass Earrings - Square $19.99

Fair Trade Glass Earrings

6. Fair Trade Tagua Seed Earrings $19.99

Fair Trae Tagua Seed Earrings

7. Fair Trade Copper Bangle $19.99

Fair Trade Copper Bangle

8. Fair Trade Glass Ring $19.99

Fair Trade Glass Ring

9. Hand Painted Fair Trade Copper Earrings $19.99

Hand Painted Fair Trade Copper Earrings

10. Painted Fair Trade Glass Rings $19.99

Fair Trade Blue Flower Ring

11. Fair Trade Wood Bangle $19.99

Fair Trade Wood Bangle

12. Fair Trade Stretch Ball Wood Bracelets $19.99

Fair Trade Stretch Wood Bead Bracelet

13. Eco Recycled Paper Bead Bracelet $19.99

Eco Recycled Paper Bead Bracelet

14. Colour Vegetable Dye Fair Trade Wood Bangles $19.99

15. Eco Watermelon Seed Necklace $19.99

Eco Watermelon Seed Necklace