Jewelry for a Cause

Caliber Collection (formerly Jewelry for a Cause)[1] is an online company that was founded by Jessica Pollack Mindich, an American jewelry designer, in December 2008.[2]

Founder and CEO of the Caliber Collection, formerly known as Jewelry for a Cause.

History

In 2000, Mindich stepped down from her position as General Counsel at an internet company to raise a family.[3] With both her children in school years later, Mindich found herself desperate to get back to work. She started looking for a job based on the notion of being able to do something important to her, a lesson learned from her philanthropic parents.[4] In 2008, she launched Jewelry for a Cause, with the idea of making and selling jewelry to raise money for both foreign and domestic causes.[5]

Jewelry for a Cause became popular with public and private schools, offering an alternative to the standard school rings and sweatshirts, while also offering an additional fundraising tool next to candy bars[6] and wrapping paper. Mindich's organization has raised money for more than 300 schools and charities.[7]

Mindich attended a conference in December 2011, where the Mayor of Newark (NJ) Cory Booker,[8] was discussing the illegal gun violence affecting his city.[9] Mindich spoke with Mr. Booker, who had attended Yale Law School with Mindich's husband, about Newark's gun buyback program.[8] Together, they drew a connection to her work designing jewelry as a fundraising tool and the partnership began between the city and police department of Newark and Jewelry for a Cause.[10] In 2012, Mindich launched the Caliber Collection jewelry line two weeks before the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT.[11]

Starting with melting metals from guns that had been confiscated in old cases, the bracelets are stamped with a serial number that corresponds with one of the guns taken off the streets by the Newark Police Department. The bracelet shape is oval, representing the trigger cage of a gun.[12] 20% of the proceeds from each purchase fund a Gun buyback program in the future.[13]

In 2015, Mindich rebranded Jewelry for a Cause to the Caliber Collection.[1]

Gun Buyback

Newark

The weekend of April 27, 2013, the city of Newark, NJ the Newark Police Department[14] and Jewelry for a Cause hosted a gun buyback. Police recovered 210 weapons, including eight assault rifles. The weekend event was fully funded by Mindich's company by providing $60,000, from the sales of the Caliber Collection bracelets, in total to the cause.[15]

San Francisco

Captain Michael Perry, of the Pittsburg Police Department in California, shipped Mindich disabled guns from the department's buyback program in 2013[16] to create the Caliber San Francisco jewelry line. A privately funded buyback[17] had collected 291 weapons, including assault rifles, handguns, shotguns and rifles.[18] "San Francisco" is stamped on the inside of the bracelet to represent the Bay area as a whole. A portion of the sales goes towards future gun buybacks in Pittsburg, California.[16]

Other Products

Talismans

The Talisman necklace line[19] from the web-based company[6] includes a charm featuring a Buddha, peace sign and daisy to name a few, where part of the sales are given to online charity www.donorschoose.org.[19] Other items from this line donate to many other organizations, including the American Heart Association[7] and the American Red Cross Japanese earthquake and Pacific tsunami disaster relief efforts.[13]

In Gratitude

The In Gratitude necklace line is made from recycled newspaper, barkcloth and natural plant dye[20] by local artisans in Uganda.[21] The purchase of any necklace from this line helps the women of Uganda create a sustainable source of income for their families and community.[20]

References
  1. "The Top 4 Jewelry Companies That Give Back". The Huffington Post. 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  2. "Lawyer mixes jewelry, charity". GreenwichTime. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  3. "JESSICA MINDICH, Founder & CEO, Jewelry For A Cause, LLC". Womensconference.org. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20140209092957/http://venturemom.com/2010/11/10/jessica-mindich-jewelry-for-a-cause/. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. Tina Susman (2013-01-17). "Caliber Collection: Newark mayor plugs jewelry made from guns - latimes". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  6. "Lawyer mixes jewelry, charity". StamfordAdvocate. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  7. Schaefer, Stephanie (2012-05-30). "Jeweler Makes Charitable Statement With Line From Melted Guns - JCK". Jckonline.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  8. Abby Emlin (2013-01-28). "A Connecticut Mother Makes Bangles of Recycled Guns". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  9. Nelson, Rebecca (2013-01-29). "Jewelry Designer Jessica Mindich: Fighting Gun Violence With Bracelets | TIME.com". Style.time.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  10. "Caliber Collection fashions jewelry to take guns off the streets". CSMonitor.com. 2013-02-11. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  11. "Greenwich woman turns illegal guns into jewelry". GreenwichTime. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  12. Nelson, Rebecca. "Jewelry Designer Jessica Mindich: Fighting Gun Violence With Bracelets". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  13. "Shop Caliber Collection". Jewelryforacause.net. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  14. "Newark Police Hosting Gun Buyback". Newark, NJ Patch. 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  15. James Queally (2013-04-30). "Newark recovers more than 200 guns during buyback event". NJ.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  16. "Caliber Collection". www.diablomag.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  17. AHAlife. "Limited Edition Coal Bangle". AHAlife. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  18. "Police buy back hundreds of guns in Fremont, Pittsburg". www.mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-05-24.
  19. "TALISMANS Necklace Proceeds Benefit Jewelry for a Cause and Do Something". Seventeen.com. 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  20. "Jewelry for a Cause". Thedowntownproject.com. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  21. "Milkshake | Good Finds That Give Back | Upgrade Your Style With Jewelry For A Cause". Getmilkshake.com. 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2015-08-12.

Caliber Collection has closed due to Covid-19

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