<![CDATA[MARY WONG DESIGN - News]]>Thu, 23 May 2024 22:08:52 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[November 26th, 2022]]>Sun, 27 Nov 2022 06:14:26 GMThttp://marywongdesign.com/news/november-26th-2022<![CDATA[A NEW BEGINNING]]>Sun, 27 Nov 2022 05:38:56 GMThttp://marywongdesign.com/news/a-new-beginningDeborah Spencer, Kathe Mai and I closed our much loved store, Trios Studio, a year into the Pandemic. However, It was as much a response to the need to take care of our respective elderly mothers as it was anything else. Debbie's and Kathe's mothers both passed this year. My mom is ninety years old and requires much more of my time than ever. So it truly was time for the next chapter.

I find I still enjoy the art of creating jewelry, especially since the pressures of the retail environment are no longer there. I am continuing the creation of jewelry making videos and have re-involved myself with the Creative Metal Arts Guild. Overall, I am finding my way through this new phase and look forward to taking on a limited amount of custom design work. I meet with clients in Multnomah Village at Magpie Metals, a lovely jewelry and gift gallery.

So pull out that box of family jewelry you've been putting off dealing with and let's see what we can come up with together!

See you in the Village!
Mary M. Wong
]]><![CDATA[FAIR TRADE GEMS]]>Tue, 26 Nov 2019 05:04:38 GMThttp://marywongdesign.com/news/fair-trade-gems​When Eric started the idea for Fair Trade Gems not many people would listen. "The first time I spoke on the topic at a jewelry conference there were only three people in attendance and two left before I finished", Eric said when I interviewed him in Chicago at the Responsible Jewelry Conference last year. That's how far it has come - now there are entire conferences devoted to responsible sourcing!  However, it is still a fledgling movement with much, seemingly impossible, work to do.
 
With the Chicago Conference upon us in October, Trios Studio has helped Eric sponsor a participant from a gem source country to attend the conference. This is the way we can help, by spreading the word about responsible sourcing and educating our clients about the choices they have in the products they buy from us.  Here is a letter Eric wrote that illustrates what Fair Trade means in the jewelry industry and how it makes a real difference in peoples lives.
Thank you, Eric, for all that you do. Keep fighting the good fight!

A letter from ERIC BRAUNWART

There are two words that Columbia Gem House is defined by, and they’re something we take seriously: fair trade. Since 2001, we’ve been the lead in how we source our gemstones. We trace the origins and production methods in both mining and cutting gemstones. We consider the people who produce our gemstones to be an important part of our business, and our workers are our top priority. This includes all workers possible in the process, overseas or not: From the cutting workshops all the way to the miners who deal with the gems at the very beginning. It’s a hard job, but we’re not complaining. After all, every worker in the process –whether overseas or in the US—should be treated with the respect they deserve.


First, we work to identify all the workers in each stage of the supply chain. Those are the miners, gemstone cutters and exporters. Then, we make sure individuals are treated fairly, whether directly or through our partners. No matter the country, social status, gender, or ethnicity. That, we believe, is a true fair deal.


We condemn child labor and work hard to assure work environments are safe and healthy. After all, the workplace, no matter where in the world, should be as safe as it can be. And while mines are not guaranteed to be the safest working spaces, we make sure we work with ones that hold safety as a main priority. We work directly or through partners to provide our workers benefits like offering bonuses, promotions, health insurance. As an example, the workers at our Chinese cutting workshop are provided with room and boarding, food allowance, paid vacation, overtime pay, insurance, and annual bonuses.


One of the biggest concerns we have for our workers in our gem cutting facilities is silicosis. Silicosis is a lung disease that involves silica scarring the lung tissue, making it hard for those with it to breathe. In many cases silicosis is lethal, even if treated. We and our partners take extra care in managing the amounts of silica dust produced when cutting gemstones so that workers are not exposed to the deadly disease. As a result, our gem cutting workshops have some of the best air quality in the industry.


Columbia Gem house has also worked hard with our Malawi partners to support community projects near the areas of the Nyala ruby and sapphire mine. We have helped to build and staff the local primary school, with over 900 students now in attendance. We also helped fund and build teacher housing, wells, and made improvements to the local clinic. We even established a tree nursery, which will help replant the forests that once covered the area surrounding the mine and community. Unfortunately, our Malawian partners have lost the government lease to mine these gems, but we both are still proud of what we were able to do for the community.


What we remember here at Columbia Gem House is that all of our workers are human, no matter what. And having the opportunity to live a healthy and comfortable life, as well as having a safe work environment is essential to doing good work. More than that, we pride ourselves in working hard to assure this for all the individuals along our supply chain.


And it’s thanks to buyers like you for supporting these efforts to take care of our workers and the environment. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to continue to support families at home and overseas and stay true to our goals of this fair-trade.


From all of us at Columbia Gem House, Thank You for all the support.
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