The One Pearl logo, created by Lucas at Keiler & Co:

To my friend and renowned photographer John McDermott of Siem Reap, Cambodia for his incredibly breath-taking “beauty shots,” a huge thank you. John put much time and thought into these photos. One of my favorites, the blue topaz necklace wrapped around a banana trunk, took almost 13 hours to set up and shoot. It is an incredible photograph. John was reviewed in the New York Times, and was hailed as “the Ansel Adams of Southeast Asia.” Check out the article here.

The Lifestyle Gallery on the One Pearl site features more of his great work…

These three people gave me a chance and helped me out at a time when I needed just that. To them I am forever grateful and appreciative. Their kindness and generosity is a gift I will not soon forget.

I knew that the former Head of Watkinson School, Charley Todd, was living part time in Cambodia, but I had never met him. I got Charley’s email address and dashed off a note, asking if he would be in Siem Reap when we were scheduled to be there. Fate intervened; Charley had just arrived back in Cambodia the day before he received my email, and we were able to meet. The ensuing friendship and partnership between me, Graham, One Pearl, Charley and CLA was born in August of 2004.

Charley took us to Wat Atwea, where we saw master musicians and their students hard at work, the older generation passing the musical history of their beloved land to the younger generation. Through Charley, Graham and I came to learn more about the atrocities that occurred in Cambodia as a result of Pol Pot’s reign of terror in the 70’s. We were struck by the perseverance of the older master musicians, who had survived unimaginable horrors. We were inspired by the eagerness of the young kids, wanting to learn to play the music of their culture, which had all but been obliterated by the Khmer Rouge. Traditional Cambodian music has never been “written”, instead passing orally from one generation to the next. Because musicians, artists and the educated were targeted for execution during this time, Cambodian culture was nearing extinction. Graham and I were amazed at the tenacity and lust for life that the Cambodian people seem to possess. Their ability to forge ahead, to try and overcome the memories of that evil time, shows what the human spirit is capable of. 

Cambodian Living Arts was formed by a man I am honored to be able to call my good friend, Arn Chorn-Pond. Arn survived Pol Pot. Tragically, most of his family did not. Arn’s incredible story of escape was made into an Emmy nominated movie, “The Flute Player”, which wins accolades from all who see it. After seeing this movie, I was able to begin to understand why Arn has spent the decades since then as a human rights activist, and why he founded CLA. Arn took his wounded heart, his anger and his hope, harnessed that energy and got to work. Through his efforts and vision, CLA was born. CLA’s mission is to: “support the revival of Cambodian traditional art forms and to inspire contemporary artistic expression.” Through Arn’s tireless work, his dream is becoming reality. 

That CLA teaches young musicians the music of their forefathers is really just the tip of the iceberg of what they do. I have been to Cambodia many times over the past few years, and each time I begin to understand more and more what the freedom to learn means to those who teach and those who apprentice. At last, these gentle souls are being given a chance to be heard. To be free again, to not have to hide their talents, passions and opinions. Cambodian society is still recovering from one of its most cruel eras. Expression, through words and music, is part of that healing process. 

CLA does more than teach music, it gives young people something to look forward to and to feel proud of. These eager students also learn English, a skill that they clamor for and cannot get enough of. They are taught ways to earn money through their music, and are counseled on ways to improve their lives and that of their family. 

CLA is bringing about wonderful things for a culture and children that so deserve it. I am honored to be involved.

Over the course of years, I had been dealing with many issues concerning one of my sons, to no avail. Eventually, feeling left with no other recourse, he was sent to a wilderness therapy camp and from there to a therapeutic boarding school. In rereading that sentence, I chuckle at how simple those words sound. There is/was nothing simple about that time at all. It was one of the most, if not the most, crushing experiences of my life to date.

To have your child taken, to see him for only 11 days of his entire 16th year, to wonder how he was; when would he come home to live again; what he was thinking; how much did he hate me; would he ever forgive me; would he ever understand … why he had to go; was he warm and dry; was he homesick; did he feel utterly alone and abandoned; to continually question every decision pertaining to him made over the years; to feel so helpless, at a loss of what to do, how to act, what to say to people who asked about him, fighting tears every time his name was mentioned … all these thoughts and so many more raced through my head constantly, making life so very hard to bear. For months after he left, I could not leave my home, so tortured was I with grief over his departure and literally sick with worry. These thoughts and more roiled through my head, over and over and over. Finally one day, something snapped. I had another son at home, who needed me. I had to get up and start living again, or at least try to pretend to live again, for his sake as well as my own.

Months before my son was taken, we took a trip of a lifetime together, just the two of us. It was during this trip that I began to design some jewelry, and had success. I decided to try and make this business of designing/selling jewelry an income source for donating money to organizations that support causes that I believe in. Having risen from “the dead,” I was energized and ready to go – deciding to pour myself into this business.

The first non-profit that I became affiliated with was STICC. I met John through word of mouth, found out that he had received his 501 (c) 3 status just a month before we first talked. I called him immediately, he drove down from his home in Massachusetts and we met at Rein’s Deli in Vernon, CT. We clicked upon meeting. I knew that he felt the same way that I did about these kids who need help, but cannot get it because their family/they cannot afford the treatment needed. I found my first non-profit that I wanted to help through my business.

It felt so good, to have something positive to work for, to be able to turn this anguish, hurt, sadness and sense of loss into something productive. My son, and I, were/are so fortunate that we were able to get him the help that he needed. These types of programs are expensive and the vast majority of the costs are not covered by insurance. Therefore, many who desperately need help, will never get help. These kids will end up being labeled “bad”, they get into trouble, go to jail and possibly die, simply because they were not as fortunate as we were, being able to give him this help. I could not imagine knowing how to help my son and not be able to afford it. That would have been a living nightmare. I want to make sure that no parent has to feel that. Ever.

A few days after I met John, the analogy of the pearl and my son popped into my head. An epiphany. The perfect metaphor. The pearl. An object placed in a foreign environment, nurtured and coated with nacre, emerging a beautiful and unique gem. My son, placed in a foreign environment, cut off from the rest of the world, nurtured and coated with therapy, emerging a beautiful and unique gem. Perfect. My Pearl. After that idea came to me, I had to figure out how to market it, how to make people notice it. It was then that I decided to put one contrasting pearl on every piece of jewelry to symbolize the transformation of someone, if only given the chance. A black or white pearl, on every piece, with the hope that someone will ask why is that one pearl there? To then be given the chance to say, this pearl represents a child who has been transformed with my help, through the purchase of this necklace/bracelet. BAM! One Pearl was born.

STICC provides funding for kids who need treatment in a therapeutic setting, but whose families cannot afford the costs involved. John founded STICC in 2005 and has been working tirelessly over the years to raise funds to continue to help kids and their families in crisis. John and I both have very personal reasons for being involved, as we both have had kids go through this and know exactly how parents feel when faced with such circumstances. It is crushing. We never want any family to feel helpless when faced with such issues.

Funding for emotional and substance abuse issues is almost non-existent, mainly because our society has become one which expects a “quick fix” for every situation. There is no such thing when it comes to these issues, it takes time, lots of time. STICC generally funds kids for 18 – 24 months, the “usual” length of time that these programs take in order to have a positive outcome. Remember the old adage …good things come to those who wait? It is so true in these cases.

My son is home. He is doing well. He is happy. I wake up every morning, elated that I can now see him every day, hug him and tell him I love him. I take great delight in being able to cook his favorite foods, to talk to him in the evening about his day at work/school. I relish every moment with him. His brother is glad that he is home. Hearing the two of them laughing together and seeing them work together when helping me with chores is my reward. Even though the past years have been excruciatingly difficult, the end result makes it all worthwhile. My son is home. My two boys are with me. Nothing in life is ever perfect, but having my two boys, my two pearls, at home with me is pretty close…

For these reasons, One Pearl contributes a portion of sales to STICC, a non-profit that does a world of good for kids and families who need help. We even sell a “STICC lariat,” with a beautiful gold tag featuring STICC’s logo, sales of which directly support their organization.

At six years old i witnessed poverty that was unfathomable, from inside our huge compound with servants and all the food and clean water we wanted. From my bedroom window i witnessed men bathing and drinking from the gutter, children begging, with stomachs swollen from hunger and mothers scavenging for any item that could be used for shelter, eaten or sold. 

My parents made sure that we learned about life outside of our compound. My father’s students and the other professors from the university he taught at became friends. We learned about their way of life, traditions, religion and food. We learned what they wanted for their family and country. That was the most important lesson of all – i learned that nearly everyone wants the same thing, but they “go about it” in many different ways. I think that most people are frightened by things that are different. But different does not equate to “bad.” It’s just different, something that is foreign to what we are accustomed to. 

We traveled throughout Asia and Africa, by plane, train, automobile and boat, my parents making sure we saw the “real” world. In doing so, we had incredible adventures that i remember to this day. I am not afraid to go to some far away place. I know that when i get there, i will meet and make new friends, who have the same intrinsic needs and wants as i do. This is the tie that binds all of us together in this incredible world.

It drives me crazy, when people make decisions based upon preconceived notions/stereotypes about another country, race, religion, etc. To me this is where travel and immersion come into play. By being thrust into a totally foreign environment, you are forced to look at and deal with things that you never would have seen, had you not left the comfortable and safe confines of your home. It is so easy to stay within your comfort zone, never leaving, never experiencing that which makes this world so incredibly fascinating – differences. 

The differences in culture can be frightening, until you discover that there is really nothing to fear. Once you become aware of the fact that every person really wants the same thing, to be safe, happy and healthy, that fear dissipates. People go about life in many different ways – but all with the same goal. Does it really matter how we/they achieve it? No. Do we need to dictate or inflect our ways upon them? No. 

It is because of this experience, that i support the Global Studies Program at Watkinson School,  in Hartford, CT. I believe that if we can get kids out into the world, out of their comfort zone to see a different side of life, that they too will realize what a varied world we live in. I want them to be able to go beyond their own confines in the future. I want them to pass the word, that this huge world we live in is not so scary after all. I want them to realize that all of us want the same things, but we just go about it in many different ways, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In this sense, the kids who participate in the Global Studies Service Learning Program at Watkinson are also pearls. They are thrust into a foreign environment, nurtured and cared for in a different manner than they have been accustomed to, and come back transformed, like a pearl.

The experience was exciting, nerve wracking, intense, hard work and fun. If I had to describe it in one word, that word would be “adventure.” Those who know me, know my motto … life is an adventure, you never know where it will lead you or what you will end up doing, but take each adventure in stride, have fun and learn from it.

The filming began at about 8:00 am and lasted until 7:00 pm. We then had to cut about 10 or 11 hours of video and interviews down to the 5 minute video that became our final product. That was the hardest part of all. Our team spent over 25 hours over 3 days editing and re-editing.

This initial piece summarizes One Pearl: our jewelry, our mission, and the organizations we love being involved with. We will have more clips from the interviews in the future, as well as footage from some of the great projects that the non-profits we support are doing.

The YouTube version is below, but there’s a higher resolution version at www.onepearl.com. Take a look and let me know what you think. I’m pretty proud of it.

We spent a day filming, with two shoots going on simultaneously at neighboring houses. A chroma key green screen was set up in the garage for interviews, while lifestyle shots were filmed elsewhere. With several hours of video, we now have footage for web clips and a variety of longer pieces.

After a few long days of editing this week at Moving Pix in Middletown, we finished a five-minute piece that introduces Theresa, the One Pearl concept, and our jewelry. Despite our exhaustion, Theresa was obsessing over the final touches. We’ve only had a few hours to appreciate the final result, but we are all very happy with it. We will be streaming the piece from our upcoming new website when it launches shortly…

Here are a few more photos from the day of filming, which were taken by Graham, Theresa’s son:

Theresa started One Pearl in 2004 to give life to her jewelry designs. She decided then to donate as much revenue as possible to charitable organizations close to her heart. The idea behind One Pearl came to her one day during a painful period in her life. She realized that the way a pearl is formed can also symbolize human transformation; a pearl begins as a small particle in a foreign environment, but emerges as a beautiful gem, coated with layers and layers of nacre. This process parallels the changes made possible by effective educational, health, and therapeutic programs. Each piece of One Pearl jewelry features a contrasting pearl to represent the human transformations made possible by One Pearl purchases.

Besides donating a large percentage of sales to charity, Theresa has found another way to involve One Pearl in charitable activities. The custom One Pearl silk jewelry pouches are made in Cambodia by a non-profit organization that trains women to weave, and whose profits fund education and medical care in many parts of Cambodia.