Sadly, we are saying farewell to the Hot Diamonds line. The powers that be at their new US distributorship will not support an internet only company and we choose not to join the ranks of brick and mortar stores who have been struggling to stay alive! Jewelry Crossings was the first internet company to carry Hot Diamonds six years ago and we had a great ride watching the brand take off.

Our liquidation sale of our vast inventory of Hot Diamonds has been going extremely well. Loyal customers have been sending us the nicest notes. What a reward to hear from satisfied, return customers who tell us they will continue to shop with us for other brands because of our excellent service. Talk about making my day!

We are so fortunate to have Lori Bonn, Sara Blaine and Baroni Designs aboard--not to mention our popular JC Collection of sterling silver basics made for us in Thailand. We still seem to be the ONLY internet site carrying sterling silver baht chains. This is what we hear from all our baht chain customers. They tell us that only Jewelry Crossings carries them!

We are negotiating to carry yet another sterling silver brand. Watch our Newsletter for a launch soon.

New 2009 Baroni Designs Collections

I'm very excited about the latest Baroni Designs collections we have added at Jewelry Crossings. The team at Baroni shares their artistic aims with these words: "We continue to design jewelry with our heroes in mind; the moms, the yogis, the marathoners, the teachers, the artists, the surfers, the writers, the gardeners--celebrating the playful, the strong, and the beautiful people who wear our jewelry and shine--from the inside out."

The new 65-piece Santosha Collection is such an example. The lotus is the sacred symbol subtly gracing many of the new pieces in the new Santosha line. This exquisite flower rises from its murky waters to reach toward the light from above, symbolizing the wearer's true inner beauty and personal potential. The Santosha Collection is offered in 24k gold plate over sterling silver as well as matte sterling silver. Each piece is not only beautiful on its own, but also serves as a personal inspiration towards that which we seek: the strength and grounding of the oak tree, the transformation of the dragonfly, the joy and freedom of the dove, the universal peace sign. A truly meaningful collection, each piece reflects the radiance of the wearer, and serves as a graceful reminder of her best intentions.

Terra Firma is an exclusive collection of upscale gallery pieces designed to stop the eye and start conversation. Exquisitely handcrafted, substantial and weighty, these textured organic shapes feel as sensuous as they look. Matte and polished silver ovals are combined in an array of sizes and styles to form a full organic link necklace and a beautiful cuff bracelet. A study in contrasts--strong yet feminine, solid yet airy, striking yet simple. This is the belle of the ball--truly special pieces that are timeless in style, sophistication and beauty.

Other new Baroni Collections soon to be found at Jewelry Crossings are Meadow Walk and Fairy Tales.

Lori Bonn Design Walks The Walk With Style

Oct 13, 2008

Author: Jenn Breckenridge

Greenloop

Lori Bonn Design has been crafting stunning jewelry with gorgeous semi-precious stones and silver for over seventeen years. Many typical questions came up for designer Lori Bonn Gallagher over the years-where to source materials, what merchants to sell through, how to run a successful operation while creating pieces her clients could fall in love with. In 2005, some much deeper questions about her business came to mind. Where do these stones really come from? What's happening to the people who mine them? Is consumption on this level acceptable? This was a turning point for Lori Bonn Design and the beginning of Clear Conscience Jewelry.

Bill Gallagher, partner and operations guru at LBD, explained in a recent interview, "Clear Conscience Jewelry is our project to create a new standard for environmentally and socially responsible jewelry. It's jewelry that you can wear with a clear conscience and then feel as good as you look. The three elements of Clear Conscience Jewelry are ethical manufacturing, recycled metals, and responsibly produced gemstones."

Every collection Lori Bonn Design produces is made with at least 50% recycled metals. They've dropped any manufacturing facilities that they could not prove were providing fair wages and have safe working conditions free of abuse and discrimination. Bill and Lori have become an integral part of the Madison Dialogue, a coalition of jewelry manufacturers, retailers, conservation groups, and mining associations that have joined together to establish standards and best practices for fair trade and ethical jewelry. With their new Chrysalis Collection, LBD is combining recycled metals with traceable stones while doing everything in their power to make sure the land where their raw materials come from are restored fully after being mined. All these efforts combined make the Chrysalis Collection Lori Bonn's most socially and ecologically responsible line yet.

Living in California and manufacturing in places from Java to Jaipur makes truly ethical production a hard won challenge for Lori, but well worth it. "Knowledge is power. Right now, most of the gemstones on the market today pass through many unnamed hands before they reach the jewelry store and it is virtually impossible to know what happened along the way…Personally, I want to feel good about the planet I leave to my two children and the legacy of the business I build and I think most people feel similarly."

So Lori Bonn makes every effort to understand the effects of every aspect of how their exotic collections come to market. In their Indonesian operations, Lori Bonn Design has even started pushing for women to have prenatal benefits and to be introduced into management positions. They have also been working hard on initiating a post-consumer silver recycling program there. It is obvious that these people are walking the walk, regardless of how daunting the path to conscious jewelry making may be.

Through their Clear Conscience Jewelry project, Lori Bonn aims to create greater consumer interest in ethical jewelry. "I think it is becoming obvious that we can't continue to consume more, more, more, even if it is 'green.' It is an insatiable appetite that hurts the planet and leaves us ultimately unfulfilled. I think that in the future, what will matter more is the process and story behind the product." If Lori Bonn Design is any example, the story behind the precious metal and stone we adorn ourselves with is well worth a listen.

To view the Clear Conscience Jewelry Chrysalis collection available at Jewelry Crossings, please click here: http://www.jewelrycrossings.com/store/lori_bonn_chrysalis.php

Lori Bonn Clear Conscience Chrysalis

Chrysalis. Even the biggest changes start with one small step.

They say a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can cause a tornado in Texas. We can’t predict the weather, but we do believe our small actions could make a big, industry-wide difference. That’s why Jewelry Crossings is proud to carry the Lori Bonn Chrysalis line – a handmade, limited-edition collection that combines verified socially and environmentally responsible gemstones with partially recycled metals and ethical manufacturing practices.

Working individually and as part of an industry wide movement, Lori Bonn Design is taking active measures to make its jewelry as socially and environmentally responsible as possible.

Lori Bonn Design’s Clear Conscience Jewelry project is being developed in partnership with the Madison Dialogue, an industry group comprised of mining, manufacturing, design and retail companies that are working to set the standard for ethical jewelry. Representatives from Lori Bonn Design sit on the committees responsible for drafting these standards.

Lori Bonn Design’s ultimate goal is to create exquisite, signature pieces that tread lightly on the planet while respecting every person along the supply chain – jewelry you can wear with a clear conscience. By carrying this new line at Jewelry Crossings, we hope to contribute to this important effort.

Ethical Manufacturing

Lori Bonn’s Clear Conscience jewelry is manufactured in a healthy environment free of abuse and discrimination. Employees receive a living wage and benefits such as health care, life insurance, paid time off and pension contributions, as well as prenatal care and maternity leave. Managers – at least half of whom are women – are promoted from within. And our production methods preserve ancient craft traditions that are integral to local cultures.

Ethical Metals

At least 50% post-industrial recycled silver is used in this line and Lori Bonn Design is actively working to develop a local source for 100% recycled silver.

Ethical Stones

Though it is challenging to trace the origin of any stone, all gems in the Chrysalis collection have been closely tracked, documented and handled in a verifiably ethical and socially responsible manner from the mine to the marketplace. The strict standards adhered to during all stages of processing include safeguarding and protecting the environment during mining and cutting, as well as maintaining fair labor practices and high health and safety standards at all times.

The Fair Trade Goal

As independent verification of responsible production methods, Certified Fair Trade standards have the greatest potential to improve mining and manufacturing conditions. No Certified Fair Trade standards currently exist for the jewelry industry, but Lori Bonn Design is partnering with its colleagues to establish one for gold and diamonds.

To view Lori Bonn’s Clear Conscience jewelry, Chrysalis, available from Jewelry Crossings, please click here.

Lori Bonn Birthstone Collection

A birthday is a very special occasion. Whether it is a piece of strawberry birthday cake or a beautifully wrapped present with ribbons and bows, there are time-honored traditions designed to help celebrate “the day.” Lori Bonn has introduced a collection of birthstone jewelry using a colored palate of cubic zirconia to replicate the gemstones as a tribute to the birth months of our loved ones. Choose from square cut pendants and matching earrings, detachable heart shaped charms and stackable brilliant rings to represent a unique collaboration of the birth months of friends and family. The rich colors and intricate designs of these pieces are sure to become a fun new way for you and your family to celebrate birthdays.

The cubic zirconia simulated gemstones for each month in the Lori Bonn birthstone collection are as follows:

January – “Garnet”
February – “Amethyst”
March – “Aqua Marine”
April – “Diamond”
May – “Emerald”
June – “Alexandrite”
July – “Ruby”
August – “Peridot”
September – “Sapphire”
October – “Pink Tourmaline”
November – “Citrine”
December – “Sky Blue Topez”

There are endless possibilities for ways to combine pieces from the Lori Bonn birthstone collection. For example, a grandmother would be able to create a custom charm bracelet complete with the birthstone charms of each of her grandchildren. A new bride can stack her own birthstone ring with her husband’s. A new mother can start a necklace with the birthstone pendant of her baby and then add to it in the future. These pieces are affordable and personalized and make great gifts for the holidays.

To view the complete Lori Bonn birthstone collection, please visit http://www.jewelrycrossings.com/.

Introducing Sol from Lori Bonn!

Lori Bonn has captured the essence of summer in her newest collection, Sol. By combining brushed gold quartz with white, whisky and champagne quartz, this newest line from Lori Bonn radiates with beauty and elegance to complement any style. As in her other collections, each piece of Lori Bonn jewelry is carefully crafted from genuine precious metals and semiprecious gemstones. You are sure to fall in love with all the pieces in this collection from the chic cocktail rings to the charming drop pendants.
Keeping with the tradition of all Lori Bonn jewelry, the Sol collection is only available for a limited time. Once the items from the Sol collection are sold out, the designs become retired, making Lori Bonn jewelry imminently collectible and all the more special in its exclusivity. Be sure to get your favorites from this brand new timeless collection before they are gone. Visit www.JewelryCrossings.com to see the full collection.

Eco-Chic: Lori Bonn Jewlery (& Sneak Peak!)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Look What I Found!
Article from Grechen's Closet
http://www.grechenscloset.com/?entry=entry080723-122328

During Eco-Month here at Grechen's Closet, I received A LOT of e-mails from designers letting me know about their eco-friendly lines (keep them coming guys!!). One of my very favorites was from Lori Bonn Jewelry. Honestly at first glance, many of the current pieces didn't appeal to me, they are a little too John Hardy/David Yurman-esque for my taste, but still absolutely gorgeous and exquisitely made. But I loved Lori's "Clear Conscience" initiative and ethical standard. AND, now that I've seen a sneak-peak of the new Chrysalis collection, I'm sold on the jewelry too.

Basically, Lori Bonn's Clear Conscience jewelry combines verified gemstones, partially recycled sterling silver and ethical manufacturing practices. "Lori’s ultimate goal is to create exquisite, signature pieces that tread lightly on the planet while respecting every person along the supply chain – jewelry you can wear with a clear conscience." And since there are no Fair Trade standards for gold and diamonds at the moment, Lori's working with her colleagues to establish one, but in the meantime, she makes every effort to source her gemstones from the most ethical suppliers she can find.

Again, like I said before, I was sold on the eco-initiatives, but what about the jewelry? I have had a chance to look at the new Chrysalis Collection (launching soon on the website) and truly love almost every piece. They are more simple, natural, organic, and understated than many of her other collections. And I'm not the only one to take notice...pieces from the collection are showing up everywhere: TV segments with Lucky Magazine, In Store Magazine and Ritz Carlton's in-room luxury magazine. So, without further ado, some of my favorites from the collection:

To see more Lori Bonn jewelry please visit: http://www.jewelrycrossings.com/

To view the complete article in its original context please click here.