Shop for a Cause: Jewelry

Noonday Collection is a website focused on empowering and providing jobs for over 1000 artisans all over the world. After finding this organization on Pinterest, I browsed the site and saw their slogan “Wear their story, share their story”. This being the first charity shopping website I found, I wanted to know their story so I could share their story. I then looked into the world of shopping for a cause, and found a door into this time-consuming, expensive world. I can now credit Noonday for beginning the hours of scrolling through necklaces and dollars spent on the experience. Noonday is a great website to start off with because of the popular style. It is a nice compromise between typical “Charming Charlie” jewelry and extravagant African collar necklaces. Simply put, Noonday is quintessentially cute.

“Meet Harriet Onoba” was the first thing I saw when I opened the box from Light Gives Heat. The card told the story of a 27 year old woman from Northern Uganda who made the rainbow, paper bead necklace that I bought for my friend’s birthday. Opening the package was just as exciting as seeing the necklace itself; the Light Gives Heat label was handwritten and the package included the card about Onoba and cards explaining the organization. Go to their website, read their story, watch their videos and tell me you are not excited.

As one of the more established organizations, 31 Bits sells their products at Mardels and Altar’d State in Kansas City and many stores around the country. They are also based out of Uganda and use mostly paper beads, but their designs are more rustic than bright. I would consider the jewelry similar to the feel of Anthropologie and their products are slightly expensive, with necklaces ranging from $30-$70. In considering the job stability that the group is providing in Uganda, the prices are reasonable. Go to their website.