Resolutions Made NOT to be Broken!

So, it's a new year, right?

You've resolved to kick your cookie & chip obsession, exercise more, turn off the TV, put out the cigarette, and feng shui your living space.  Cool.

But how about some resolutions you can actually keep (we'll help)?

Here at Real Jewels, we have this idea of "resolutions we can live with"...these will be our small ways to help the environment in 2011 and we guarantee they'll make ya feel good!  Because if we all help a little...it will amount to a lot, right?  Right!

We're curious to see what kind of eco-friendly magic tricks you have up those 100% cotton recycled sleeves of yours (just sayin')!  Leave your best ideas on our OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE!

While we're talking green, we'd like to take a moment to salute the pioneers in the following organizations and give our public support to their continued effort in educating consumers on the environmental benefits of using recycled precious metals.  We here at Real Jewels are proud to be affiliated with the following organizations and encourages all consumers to learn more about what they can do to help the environment.  We now have a choice!

NO DIRTY GOLD

EARTHWORKS

RESPONSIBLE JEWELLERY COUNCIL

MADISON DIALOGUE

We invite you to take a look at these amazing organizations and the tireless work they do to protect our precious natural resources and promote sustainability! 

At Real Jewels, we believe that "responsibly made" should be synonymous with trendy and fashionable...and that NOW is the time to embrace sustainability and promote awareness for future generations.  Real Jewels believes that one person REALLY CAN make a difference...and when you wear our jewelry, you are doing your part to make the planet a healthier place! 

Happy GREEN new year!

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

Sendin' Out an SOS!

Calling all our philanthropic fashionistas!

Although the oil spill seems to be under control, so much work still remains to be done to reverse damage done to the Gulf communities! 

 The Waterkeepers Alliance is doing an amazing job and we here at Real Jewels want to keep supporting them the best way we know how – with 100% of the profits from our eco-friendly SOS (Save Our Shores) pendant!

The SOS pendant makes a great back-to-school gift for your nature-loving high schooler or your college kid who made sure her dorm room was set to separate plastic and glass this semester!

The SOS pendant features the iconic pelican and is made of 100% recycled sterling silver.  And, at $85 and with 100% of profits going to Save Our Gulf, this is one fashion statement anyone can get behind.

Also, we’d love to give a big thank you to TreeHugger.com for giving us some props on their site!  Check out their fab article HERE. 

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

Philanthropy's Afloat at Real Jewels

Ahoy matey! 

Real Jewels has been out at sea, dreaming up a way to help fashion and the planet in unison.  And now, we are so very proud to introduce our SOS (Save Our Shores) Collection, our personal effort to save the Gulf Coast’s communities and environment from the long-term devastating impacts of the BP oil spill.

Real Jewels will be donating 100% of the profit of sales from our new SOS green jewelry collection to the Save Our Gulf, an initiative by Waterkeeper Alliance whose vast knowledge of the marshes, wetlands, beaches, and inner-coastal waters make them invaluable first responders.

The SOS Collection features the iconic symbol of the Gulf disaster – the pelican - transformed into gorgeous (and 100% recycled) sterling silver charm.  You can float away with this lovely creature on a sterling silver necklace $85!

Because you’re reading our blog, we’re guessing you know that showing respect for the environment isn’t merely a trendy tactic for Real Jewels.  Doing good by the environment and by the people who craft our pieces is kind of the Real Jewels M.O.  Since the company’s start in 2009, Real Jewels has been making pieces exclusively out of 100% recycled precious metals, alleviating the need for irresponsible and dirty mining practices.  Each Real Jewels piece is also embellished with a signature fair trade, natural green Peridot Tag, your assurance that the piece your are wearing has been made in a responsible manner.

So, what are you waiting for?  Surf over to http://www.real-jewels.com and help Save the Gulf!  Wearing a piece from the SOS Collection shows that you care, and, because the entire collection is made in a responsible, sustainable manner in New York City, you can feel good about doing your part to help save the environment in more ways than one!

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

 

Your Daily Dose of Inspiration

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you, but do so with all your heart."

 -Marcus Aurelius 

No matter what religion you follow (or if you're even religious at all), we think there's one thing we all can agree on -- we all need a little daily inspiration!

Lucky for you, we have created the Real Jewels Real Spirit green jewelry collection....a little something you can slip on to help you through whatever obstacles and challenges life throws your way!

These eco jewelry pieces act as touchstones, talismans of sorts...giving us strength and constantly reminding us what's really important in life...like...

FAMILY

Keep the Tree of Life pendant close to your heart when loved ones can't be by your side

PEACE

Our Peace Sign pendant will remind you and those around you to take a breath before irrationally acting on things both big and small

HAMSA

We don't know about you, but we can never have enough protection and guidance through the journey of life!

HEART

Wearing our Heart pendant can act as a simple reminder of love and the fact that we all have the ability to give...

Each piece of eco friendly jewelry comes on a unique quotation card (a different quotation for each motif), is made from 100% recycled post consumer product, and printed with soy based ink.

These cards fit neatly into our signature origami inspired envelope which makes them the perfect present!

And what better gift is there than one of clarity and tranquility?

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

Make an Eco Statement!

Been scratching your head trying to figure out what to get your daughter for her Sweet 16?

Spending late nights brainstorming what to buy your grad?

Tired of surfing the web to get an idea for a wedding attendant gift?

Fingers sore from paging through magazines for something that would delight Mom this Mother's Day?

Have no fear, Real Jewels eco friendly jewelry is here...and we've brought our best-selling recycled sterling silver and gold initial pendants with us!

Our small single initial pendants in sterling silver ($75) are in stock at all times, but we encourage you to be creative!

Here are some descriptions of special orders we've just made...

- A beautiful large Real Me sterling silver initial pendant for a customer with two children -- the first initial of each child's name flanks the middle initial which is the first initial of the family's last name! ($125)

- A necklace for a Mother's birthday with three of the smaller sterling silver initial pendants ($75 each) to represent each of her three children!

But, we can create whatever kind of green gift you'd like! Special dates can also be made into disks to represent a wedding anniversary, birth of a child, graduation from high school or college, or anything that might be significant to the wearer!

Please allow 2 weeks for all special orders and remember that small single initial pendants in sterling silver ($75) are in stock at all times and should ship 24 hours after you place your order!

The only thing better than a gift that's beautiful is a gift that's beautiful, thoughtful, and responsible!

Challenge your imagination and create your perfect Real Jewels green gift today at http://www.real-jewels.com!

Stay real,
The Real Jewels team

Cool Moms Picked Us!

Mother Earth, Meet Mother...

Below article from http://www.coolmompicks.com:

Most people imagine Mother Earth being all Birkenstocky and granola eating, but me? I think Mother Earth has got it going on. And if she wore earrings, she might very well be wearing the Real Light collection from Real Jewels, a company with a conscience that designs jewelry to have minimal impact on the environment, while having maximum impact on the wearer.

The light, airy designs are made from recycled sterling silver, and gold to protect Mother Earth's precious resources, and the 18-karat gold plating is completely nickel-free. Even the gemstones in the Real Gems collection are all fair-trade, including conflict-free diamonds. 

There's a big range of prices -- some pieces are under $40, some over $400, so chances are you can find something that you love at a price you can deal with. With Earth Day coming up on April 22nd, besides Mother Earth, I can think of at least one other mother who might love a pair of dangle-y new earrings. I'll give you a hint, Honey: It rhymes with "shme."--Betsy 

Check out the recycled gold and silver Real Light collection, the fair-trade precious stoneReal Gems collection, and other lines of eco-friendly, totally gorgeous jewelry at Real Jewels.

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team 

Annual Spring Sale (just in time for Earth Day)

Whoever said having great taste wasn't a talent? Not us!

We admire you, our loyal friends and fans, so much that we want to reward you for your impeccable taste and commitment to being a responsible fashionista!

Starting tomorrow (Tuesday), when you Tell A Friend about Real Jewels (using our fancy shmancy Tell A Friend option on the home page of real-jewels.com) you will receive a discount code that entitles you to 30% off anything you purchase...oh yeah, and your friend can also get 30% off by telling a friend of theirs and so on and so on!  We're determined to create a recycled chain of eco jewelry lovers! 

Remember, this sale starts TOMORROW, Tuesday, March 9th and only lasts through Tuesday March 16th...so you've got ONE WEEK to cure those Winter blues with our fabulous eco jewelry collections featuring recycled Sterling silver and gold!

We want to make as many people aware of our beautiful Green jewelry as possible and we want to thank you for your support of a healthier, happier, and more stylish planet!

And, don't forget that Mother's Day and graduation are right around the corner...how special would a piece of Real Jewels be for Mom or your high schooler heading off to college?

Or maybe you've got a Spring 2010 wedding?

Remember, Real Sweet necklaces make an awesome Bridemaid's gift!

And, of course, what kind of an eco jewelry brand would we be if we didn't mention that EARTH DAY is coming up on April 22nd?  We can't think of a better tribute to Mother Earth than rocking some jewelry that's as responsible as you are!

There's a Real Jewel right for all the special people in your life...and a unique piece of jewelry for any occasion!

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

FASHION WEEK GOES GREEN (with some help from us!)

Exciting news, Real Jewels fans!  On Monday, February 15^th, we had our first press event during New York City’s world famous FASHION WEEK!

It was an amazing debut and we thank everyone who came out to be dazzled by our eco-jewelry.

Check out the pics below!

In the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about NO DIRTY GOLD and the fact that we’ve taken the NO DIRTY GOLD pledge, but, really, what does that mean?

Well, in short, we pledged to work towards sourcing precious metals that would not make them complicit in the destructive impacts of mining.

This commitment means working to ensure that our suppliers of precious metals use RESPONSIBLE practices including:

-respecting basic human rights as outlined in international conventions and laws;

-obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of affected communities;

-respecting workers’ rights and labor standards, including safe working conditions;

-not operating in areas of armed of militarized conflict;

-not forcing communities off their lands;

-not dumping mine waste into oceans, rivers, lakes, or streams;

-not operating in protected areas, fragile ecosystems, or other areas of high conservation or ecological value;

-not contaminating water, soil, or air with sulfuric acid drainage or other toxic chemicals;

-covering all costs of closing down and cleaning up mine sites;

-allowing independent verification of practices. 

In addition, we also committed to auditing our current sources, to inform our suppliers of this Golden Rules sourcing commitment, and to increase recycled content in our products.

Sounds like a big commitment, huh?

Absolutely!  But we owe it to the Earth, to the people making the jewelry, and to you, the responsible customers who have chosen to wear green jewelry! 

And…just to give you that extra little bit of assurance that your jewelry has been made in a responsible manner, Real Jewels eco jewelry comes with our signature Peridot tag.   No one else has one!  I mean, after all, we did receive an A rating for our responsible practices so why not brag with a tag? 

When you see our Peridot tag, you know your jewelry has been created in a responsible manner. Fair trade, recycled precious metals, now that’s Green Jewelry! So when you are looking for sterling silver jewelry or gold jewelry and you want it to be green, think Real Jewels! 

‘Cause really, why would anyone want to hurt another human being or Mother Earth for the sake of jewelry? 

Need more reason to shop REAL?  Well, our mailers are made from 100% recycled post consumer product...so are our gift boxes and envelopes!  And oh yeah, we use soy-based inks as well!

Listen, we know our product is good...but we want EVERYONE to know it's good!

Spread the word on GREEN -- tell your friends about Real Jewels via our Tell A Friend feature at REAL-JEWELS.COM and you'll get 10% off your first Real Jewels online order!  With free shipping on top of that, how can you say no?

REAL JEWELS. BEAUTIFUL. SUSTAINABLE . REAL.

 

Stay real,

 

The Real Jewels Team

Valentine's Day? OK!

“Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.”

-John Lennon

Love our website, but wanna see Real Jewels in print?  Your wish has been granted -- look for Real Jewels in OK! Magazine's Valentine's Day guide on newsstands tomorrow!

Speaking of Valentine's Day, you have less than two weeks to find something that special for that special someone!  Thank goodness we thought ahead to make some beautiful, Earth friendly pieces:

Mini Heart Disk Pendant made of 100% recycled sterling silver $38

Matching earrings (not shown) $42

Solid Heart Pendant on chain made of 100% recycled sterling silver $70

Looking for something else?  Well then you'll have to check out REAL-JEWELS.COM to see our entire collection of responsibly made jewelry!

Remember, no matter who your Valentine is this February 14th, don't forget to love the planet by shopping responsibly, too!

Real Jewels.  Beautiful.  Responsible.  Real.

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

Responsible + Chic = Real Jewels

So, you wanna accessorize responsibly, but you don't wanna look like your jewelry was crafted from old aluminum cans...?

Have no fear!  Here at Real Jewels, we know there is a common misconception of what "green jewelry" is...and we're happy to report that it's not twigs and leaves glued together!

In fact, eco jewelry can and should be chic.  No matter what your style, you can be a responsible consumer and fashionista!  It's up to you to demand sustainable jewelry of a certain standard (and, thankfully, we hold ourselves to these same high standards as well).

Every time you put on a pair of earrings or clasp a necklace, you probably don't think about where it came from or who made it, but it's our job to do just that!

Because of this, we can guarantee that any piece you choose from any of our collections (like, say, maybe the Real Light Domed Pear Earring in 100% recycled sterling silver shown below) was created under sustainable business practices and fair labor standards.  

As nice as it would be to believe that jewels are in unlimited supply, nature's resources are running out and by creating sustainable pieces, we hope to eventually assist in reversing this.

We always say, why choose between fabulous fashion and your conscience?

Stick with Real Jewels and you can have both!

Beautiful.  Sustainable.  Real.

Stay Real,

The Real Jewels Team

We've been shot by Cupid's eco-friendly, recycled arrow!

This Valentine's Day, show your sweetheart you don't only adore her, you adore this beautiful planet of ours, too!

With so many romantic, eco-friendly pieces to choose from...all of her friends will be green with envy of her totally green accessories!

Here are just a few LOVE-ly gift ideas from our collections:

Heart Charm on solid bangle bracelet made of 100% recycled Sterling Silver/$210


Real Love Heart Pendant made of 100% recycled Sterling Silver on 17" Chain/$70

Engraved Heart Pendant made of 100% recycled Sterling Silver on 17" chain/$85


Single initial Disks made of 100% recycled Sterling Silver on 17" chain/$75



Real Sweet petite Disks on made of 100% recycled Sterling Silver on 16" chain/$38
And no need to worry about presentation, all our Real Jewels come in 100% recycled paper gift packaging or in our origami-inspired green vine envelope!

It's not smart to recycle love, but it's surely smart to buy jewelry made out of recycled materials!

We know that special someone in your life will love our green pieces!

Confused about what eco piece to get this Valentine's Day? Feel free to E-mail a member of the Real Jewels team at info@real-jewels.com for some shopping advice!

There are just so many REAL ways to say I love you on February 14th...

Stay Real,
The Real Jewels Team

The Green Bride

Are you planning on getting married this Spring or Summer?

Why not get a head start on gifts for those amazing bridesmaids of yours?


The REAL ME collection of 100% recycled sterling silver initial pendants make perfect personal attendant's gifts...and at $75 each, they're perfectly priced, too! Start the recycled jewelry trend at your wedding and pretty soon all your friends will be walking down the aisle planet-friendly!






We also offer the REAL SPIRIT collection -- including the Hamsa, Heart, and Tree of Life!

The Tree of Life is a wonderful gift for the Mother of the Bride (And, if she'd prefer 14 Karat Gold, fear not! Contact us for pricing.) What better way to show Mom thanks for the support than with some green jewelry? The earth will thank you, too!

(Pendants on chain are $85/each and matching earrings are $125. Hamsa, Heart, and Tree of Life pendants and Heart earrings pictured below.)







Looking for something for yourself on your special day?

The REAL LIGHT "Y" necklace with pearls is a beautiful complement to any wedding dress. Try pairing it with the Blossom and Pearl or Organic Pod and pearl earrings! Because in 2010, no bride should enter married life without some eco jewelry!






To help you weed through the jungle of wedding websites out there, we have compiled a list of great blogs and sites to visit to inspire you and your green wedding!

THE WELL BRIDE
Yoona Hawkins' blog (of Brilliant Eco Events) that offers up great green wedding tips. Yoona is a local green wedding event planner.

ECO CHIK
A blog with some Canadian flavor. This blog features sustainability for all aspects of your life with a modern flair.


TALEN EVENTS
A Canadian event planning service with great ideas for sustainable weddings.

GREEN WEDDING SHOES
Follow Green Wedding Shoes to view spotlights on vintage, green and very creative weddings.

ERIN.EVER.AFTER.
A blog great for wedding ideas (it focuses on design). The weddings featured here are very unique and simply lovely.

BRIDE CHIC
An inspirational blog for today's bride!

ECO CHIC
This local Green Lifestyle website will not only address your wedding needs, but your day-to-day life, too!

ECO CHIC WEDDINGS
Ideas and inspirations that are ethical, thrifty, & chic!

THE GREEN BRIDE GUIDE
Check out this website for green wedding photos, stories from past prides, and tips on how to create your own green dream wedding!

INDIE WEDDING GUIDE
A guide to recycling, reusing, and reducing for today's weddings!

ONCE WED
We heart this site for the inspirational ideas we see! The Real Jewels Team is planning on showcasing a lot of DIY wedding ideas at the wedding fair! (Details to come!)

GREAT GREEN WEDDING
The name of the site says it all -- great tips for a great green wedding!

Phew!

Well, if you didn't already have wedding fever, we're pretty sure you have it now!!

Join us this week on Facebook and Twitter as we celebrate the beauty of matrimony! Yup, it's wedding week here at Real Jewels!

Stay real,
The Real Jewels Team

Showing our thanks the best way we know how...

“Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.”
-E.P. Powell

With Thanksgiving upon us, we here at Real Jewels wanted to take a moment to THANK YOU, our loyal customers. In the days to come, we hope to get to know you better through this blog and our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

But, we didn’t just want to TELL you how thankful we are, we wanted to SHOW you! So, right now, when you tell a friend about Real-Jewels.com, we’ll thank you by giving you 10% off your first purchase (and we have a pretty funny feeling there are a lot of people you could show your gratitude to with a beautiful piece of jewelry).

Not the online shopping type? Come say hello to us in person at the Eco Holiday Marketplace! We’ll be there this coming Friday (11/27), Saturday (11/28), and Sunday (11/29) from 12PM-7PM. The marketplace is located at 2 Great Jones Street NYC between Broadway and Lafayette and features lots of wonderful green companies showing their wares in a great space.



Please stop by the marketplace…we’d love to meet you! And, as an added incentive (hey, we never claimed to be above bribery!), if you tell us you heard about us on this blog, Facebook, or Twitter, you’ll get 10% off your first Real Jewels marketplace purchase! Just our way of saying thanks!

Real Jewels wants to know what YOU’RE thankful for! E-mail us this week at us at RealJewelsBlogger@gmail.com with whatever you’re most thankful for this holiday season. We’ll feature our favorites on this blog next week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

A little bit about us...

“We create the world in which we live; if that world becomes unfit for human life; it is because we tire of our responsibility.”
-Cyril Connolly

Now that the blog is up and running, we here at Real Jewels think it only fair to tell you a little bit about our company!

While one of our goals is to, of course, create unique pieces for you to enjoy, what you may not realize is that our jewels are just as beautiful “on the inside” as they are on the outside.

All of our jewelry is “responsibly made” exclusively from recycled precious metals and fair trade sustainable gems. In addition, you can have the assurance that the person who made your necklace, bracelet, or earrings was paid fairly and crafted your jewelry in a healthy, safe work environment here in the USA. We do not outsource any of our manufacturing to large, offshore factories. Instead, we manufacture our jewelry in small, family-run shops.

And, we don’t just talk about our moral, eco-friendly way of doing things…we also participate in the following organizations:

No Dirty Gold: http://www.nodirtygold.com

Green America: http://www.coopamerica.org

Madison Dialogue: http://www.madisondialogue.org

Now that you know some more about us…we’d love to get to know more about YOU! E-mail us at RealJewelsBlogger@gmail.com and let us know what you’d like to read on this very blog!

Until next time…

Stay real,

The Real Jewels Team

Welcome to the official REAL JEWELS blog!

Each week, we’ll be posting an article that delves into different facets of our company!

Check back frequently to learn about where you can find our jewelry, who’s been wearing our pieces, special promotions happening on our website, and eco-friendly facts about Real Jewels!

Remember, Real Jewels are not only beautiful, they’re also GREEN -- we’re a responsible addition to your wardrobe with no green washing! Each of our gorgeous pieces is embellished with a signature Green Peridot tag to remind you (and the world) that you’re not only fashion conscious…you’re environmentally conscious, too!

Real Jewels. Beautiful. Sustainable. Real.

Is a once-a-week dose of Real Jewels not enough for you?

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Stay real,
The Real Jewels Team