Welcome to the Jewelry page!

Below you can see our upcoming shows, how a librarian got started in the jewelry business, the good we try and do, answers to some frequently asked questions, and some photos of our most popular jewelry.

 

Upcoming Jewelry Shows

Saturday, June 1,    8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, June 8,  8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, June 15,  8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, June 22,  8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, June 29,      8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Thursday, July 4,       9am – 3pm, Coal Creek Canyon, Coal Creek Canyon Improvement Association,
31528 HWY. 72, Coal Creek Canyon
Saturday, July 6,      8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, July 13,    8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, July 20,    8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday July 27,    8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, August 3, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, August 10, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, August 17, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, August 24, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, August 31, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, September 7, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, September 14, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, September 21, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, September 28, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday, October 5, 8am – 1pm, Golden Farmer’s Market, next to Golden Library
Saturday/Sunday, November 23-24, Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 9am-3pm, First Universalist Church, 4101 East Hampden Ave, Denver
Friday/Saturday, December 6-7, Sat. 9am-9pm, Sun. 9am-4pm, Jefferson Unitarian Church, 14350 W. 32nd Ave., Golden

Where our jewelry comes from
We have been buying and importing jewelry since the late 1990s.  During our early trips to Bulgaria in 1995-1996, I fell in love with Bulgaria jewelry artists.  I bought a little and put it on a card table at a craft fair.  It was gone in an hour. So the next year, I bought more and then more and then more.   At first, we only imported from Bulgaria but over time we expanded to buying jewelry from any country we visit.

We buy from the original artist whenever we can so that the artist benefits rather than a middle person. Most of our jewelry and crafts are one-of-a-kind, distinctive, and not available elsewhere in the US. Because we travel to the countries where we buy, we can find jewelry and crafts at street markets and local markets and, once we get to know the artist, we often visit their homes.

On our recent trip to Bulgaria, two of the artists (Mariana and Lyuba) reminded us that we have been buying from them for over 15 years.   And people still love their jewelry.  We typically have jewelry from 16 or 17 countries; always from Bulgaria, Hawaii, and Guatemala and from other countries depending on our travels that year.  See the bottom of this page for some of our popular jewelry and artists.

Our Artists

Our Artists

Nancy and tour participant Sally Davis with  Vendi and Hristina at the Kazanluk International Rose Festival.   Vendi and Hristina sell beautiful macramé jewelry at the craft fair at the Festival.   They also make stunning stone and metal bracelets.   Vendi and Hristina sell beautiful macramé jewelry at the craft fair at the Festival.   They also make stunning stone and metal bracelets.

 

Nancy with Lyuba and her son in Nessebur, Bulgaria.  Lyuba sells distinctive copper jewelry made by an elderly Bulgarian.  Lyuba spends her summers in Nessebur and winters in Bulgaria’s capitol, Sofia.   I’ve been buying jewelry from Lybua for about 15 years!

 


Nancy with Marianna Mitova at her home in Sofia.  Marianna makes stunning leaves and wrapped stone necklaces.   When we had dinner with her this year she pointed out that I have been buying her leaves from her for 15 years.

 

Artist at the Kazanluk International Rose Festival.   I never learned her name.

 

Support for the International Library Project
Support for the International Library Project

One commitment we haven’t changed is to donate part of the proceeds of every sale to the Colorado Association of Libraries (CAL), International Library and Cultural Exchange (ILCE) Interest Group for activities that support cultural awareness and understanding.   CAL ILCE uses the funds to make grants for to enhance such awareness and understanding of cultures in the US or between a US library and a library in another country.  For more information about CAL, go to www.cal-webs.org and about ILCE, go to https://ilceig.wordpress.com/

To expand the international value of what we do, we also try and buy jewelry and crafts from other international non-profits.  For example, we buy our jewelry from Guatemala from  Enchanted Imports, who supports women collectives in three rural communities and we buy our beach bags from A Mark on the World, support a women’s collective in Indonesia.

 

Our Jewelry Is Unique

We have American buyers that return year after year, and we love to hear how many compliments they get from our unique jewelry.  Because we buy directly from the artist, no factories, most of our items are one-of-a-kind.

​So stop by where we are exhibiting and:

Buy unique jewelry

Support international libraries

             And dazzle your friends

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Jewelry
Do you sell online?

Not at this time.  We are still working on that.  However, if you see something at a show or a photo of some of my jewelry, you can always email and I can tell you if it’s still available.

Is your jewelry fair trade?

We try and buy from the original artist whenever we can.  We estimate that about 80% – 85% of the jewelry is fair trade. We do NOT order blindly from international websites. We pay a fair price to artists; we buy in quantity at a discount the artist sets; and we pass those good prices on to you.

Who selects the jewelry?

My husband and I select all of the jewelry we sell, personally.  We try and choose jewelry and crafts that you won’t see everywhere else. 

If I sign up for your mailing list, how many emails will I get?

We only send a message to people on our mailing list when we are in driving distance of your zip code or we think you will be attending a conference we will be at.  When we exhibit at the Wyoming Library Association, only people in Wyoming will get a message from us.  When we exhibit in Golden, Colorado, only Golden and surrounding communities will get message from us.

What is the price range of your jewelry?

We have small beaded bracelets from Guatemala for $3.00 and silver necklaces with semi-precious stones for $80.  There are some Native American exquisite necklaces that cost over $100.    We try and have jewelry for every price range.  You can buy a beautiful necklace/earring set for under $30.

Some of our more popular jewelry.

Maria makes and sells her necklaces from a card table in and outdoor market next to Nevski Cathedral.  She makes beaded necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and broaches.