Jewelry-Making for a Cause: Ways to Give Back

Are you interested in supporting a charitable cause through jewelry-making? You're in good company! Fire Mountain Gems and Beads and the jewelry-making community have joined forces to "Change the World One Bead at a Time®" by giving back to our communities. We are inspired by the number of jewelry artists who are making a difference through their handmade creations, and we're moved by their stories. Here are some ways that jewelry artists are giving back:

1. Donate Handmade Jewelry

Get involved by contacting local charities and offering to donate a jewelry piece to their live, silent or Internet auctions. Be sure to include the "suggested retail value" of the piece, based on your time and materials, and a description of the piece and materials used.

2. Give Time, Expertise or Supplies

Many jewelry artists give back by sharing their knowledge and expertise. For example, you can volunteer to teach jewelry-making classes for different groups such as retirement homes and women's crisis centers or donate your time to a local art or community education program. This is a gratifying way to make a tangible difference, as you can immediately see the benefit from your generosity. Additionally, many organizations and programs can benefit from the donation of jewelry-making supplies as well, as they make jewelry to sell or offer jewelry-making activities. You'd be surprised at how far a donation of beads, beading wire, and jewelry-making tools can go in making a difference.

• Regina Perdomo donates her time to lead a beading group for the Family Partnership Center, an organization that supports caregivers and parents of children with special needs.
• Susy McAlvin generously donates her jewelry-making knowledge and time to teach beading to girls in a Teen Challenge Women's Home.
• Cynthia Smith makes a difference with The Akha Women's Foundation by teaching beading to women to help improve their standard of living.

3. Donate a Portion of Sales

Donate a portion of the proceeds from handmade jewelry sales, designating a particular jewelry line or piece, to a chosen charity or cause. For example, "5% of all proceeds from the sale of birthstone bracelets will be donated to…" Make sure to advertise this. Many customers will see this as a benefit of purchasing from you, as they will be a part of giving back.

• Tamela Burgess donates proceeds from the sales of a specially designed pendant to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, an organization providing lifetime quality care for formerly abused or exploited chimpanzees, while advocating for great apes through education and collaboration.
• Ronda Krauss makes and sells a line of jewelry that helps to raise money for the Animal Refuge Foundation, a no-kill refuge for animals.

4. Support Others and Share Your Cause

If you have a storefront or a website, consider helping to promote a charity event or passing along information about it to your customers. By sharing information about a charity event, you can help support a particular cause.

You can also visit firemountaingems.com/resources/charities to view hundreds of charity stories that our customers have shared with us. This can be a great source of inspiration for your own charitable efforts. By learning about the causes that other jewelry artists are passionate about, you may discover a new way to give back or a new organization to support.So, don't hesitate to support others and share your cause. Together, we can make a positive impact on the world through our jewelry-making efforts.

Join us!

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads supports many different charities and causes within our local, national and worldwide communities. We are proud to support a local Rotary Club Student of the Year Program, we raise both awareness and money in the jewelry-making community for the campaign against breast cancer and continue the mission of "Changing the world one bead at a time®" with donations that make a difference. Learn more about how beads and jewelry creation can make a difference in our featured articles section.