Teens in Crisis

November 5th, 2008 by Theresa | Posted in One Pearl Story | 1 Comment »

So, this is my third attempt at writing this blog – about why One Pearl supports Saving Teens in Crisis Collaborative (STICC) – and I am finding it very difficult to know where to begin or what to say. It is because of an “event” in my family that I came to know of John Reuben and STICC. So here goes …

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.

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Why One Pearl Supports Global Studies Education

October 29th, 2008 by Theresa | Posted in One Pearl Story | 5 Comments »

Of my life experiences, travel has probably had the biggest impact on me. At a very young age, my father, mother, sister and I moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). We lived there for 2 and a half years.

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.

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The One Pearl Story…in Video

October 22nd, 2008 by Theresa | Posted in One Pearl Story | 3 Comments »

One of the most exciting projects that we’ve worked on recently was the One Pearl video. I can honestly say that I never imagined a “real live” movie crew would be setting up shop and filming at my home and my neighbors’ as well.

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.

One Pearl Launches New Webstore

October 17th, 2008 by Theresa | Posted in Jewelry | 4 Comments »

After much deliberation and even more hard work, Brian and I are pleased and proud to announce that the new One Pearl site is up and running. As beautiful and elegant as the “old” site was, we found that it was not easy to navigate and the jewelry was not shown at its optimum. Hence, the idea for a new and better functioning site.

Brian has been working non-stop on all aspects of this beautiful new site. The words “thank you” cannot adequately convey my appreciation for all that he has done, and continues to do. I always laugh and say that I am the visual/design/creative one and Brian is everything else. Brian is responsible for all that you see on-line. Without him, I am not sure I could have gotten as far as I have.

Through much research, Brian put together an extraordinary team for One Pearl’s re-birth. The folks at Horizon Associates, Moving Pix, Williams and House and Zerilli Studios were incredibly knowledgeable, professional and helpful throughout this endeavor. During this arduous process, we both learned to stick with what “you” do best, then find others to do the rest, thereby ensuring a terrific outcome. A very good lesson to have under our belt(s) indeed.

I am so pleased with the new site because it is very easy to navigate. The new product photography is absolutely beautiful, so elegant and crisp. What I am most pleased about though, is our Giving Index. The Giving Index reminds you of what your purchase will do – how you are changing the life of a child – which is really what One Pearl is all about.

In closing, I’d like to give thanks to my pearls, my sons Graham and Ian, for putting up with their Mom being so busy lately and really stepping up and helping out. But most of all – I’d like to applaud them for being such strong, kind and resilient young men with hearts of gold – my pearls – my beautiful boys.

Sincerely,

Theresa

One Pearl’s Silk Jewelry Pouches

October 5th, 2008 by Brian | Posted in silk | No Comments »

Each piece of One Pearl jewelry comes with a beautiful silk jewelry pouch.

But these aren’t made from just any silk: 

All One Pearl silk ties and jewelry bags are made by a Cambodian women’s foundation that empowers the people it is dedicated to serving.  Training women in the ancient Cambodian tradition of silk weaving provides them the opportunity to learn tangible skills.  Women are trained at one of three training centers.  After completing their training, the women’s products are purchased by the foundation for future sale.

The foundation is reviving the ancient tradition of silk weaving and simultaneously creating job opportunities for women in Cambodia.  All of the proceeds from the sale of the exquisite handmade silk products fund social initiatives.

The Opportunities the Silk Creates

Sales of the silk fund a scholarship program for young girls from destitute families.  The scholarship includes allowances for school supplies, snacks and uniforms, as well as supplementing the low salary of female teachers.

It is nearly impossible to imagine life as one of Cambodia’s four million rural residents without access to proper healthcare.  Poor roads and a lack of transportation make traveling from a remote village to a regional health clinic almost out of the question.  Those that are able to make the trek often discover they cannot afford the medicine they desperately need.

During their monthly visits, the foundation’s all-volunteer Medical and Health Team provide free health care, including medicine, to the rural poor.  Among the volunteers are trained doctors, dentists and medical workers who have dedicated themselves to assisting those who cannot access healthcare.  

In addition, throughout each visit volunteers provide instructional training in personal health and hygiene.  Basic supplies, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap are dispensed to residents. 

It’s incredible to see how such a beautiful product comes from such humble origins:

One Pearl’s First Video Shoot

October 3rd, 2008 by Brian | Posted in One Pearl Story | No Comments »

We at One Pearl have been busy these past several weeks putting together our first piece of video to present the One Pearl concept and jewelry. We were fortunate enough to find an excellent director, have a professional crew, and work with a no-nonsense editor that was able to turn hours of footage and some photographs into a compelling video.

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…

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The Original One Pearl Woman

September 23rd, 2008 by Brian | Posted in One Pearl Story | No Comments »

Theresa, One Pearl’s founder, was born in the Midwest and at a young age moved with her family to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Extensive travel throughout Asia and Africa during childhood shaped her life and view of the world. Theresa eventually moved back to the US, earned a degree in marketing and settled in Connecticut, where she has spent the past 19 years raising two sons.

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.

Welcome to the One Pearl Jewelry Blog!

September 22nd, 2008 by Brian | Posted in Jewelry | No Comments »

One Pearl is a story not just of jewelry, but of helping children learn and grow through the work our profits help bring about. While we recently launched a beautiful website for our jewelry, we want to use this blog to share more about One Pearl with you. There is much more to each piece of jewelry than stones and pearls. Through this blog, we will share these stories with you…

Microfaceted Blue Topaz Necklace