Cause Jewelry

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Jeweler for a Cause

Gemologists live for the fire, the sparkle, the brilliance of stones. Measured in degrees of reflection, refraction and dispersion, the effect of light on a diamond is a defining characteristic of brilliance.

Oliver North

Louisiana jeweler Anne Dale with Oliver North after she presented him with a Star of Hope pin. Anne designed the pin as a means of raising funds for military men, women and their families.

But the brilliance of one Louisiana gemologist shines brighter than any stone in her case. Anne Dale, GIA Graduate Gemologist, Professional Gemologist-Columbia School of Gemology, Fellow of the Gemological Association of Great Britain, and owner of Anne Dale Jewelry in Mandeville, LA combined her love for gemology and compassion for others to create Jeweler for a Cause – an original collection of jewelry created to raise money, awareness and the spirits of people in need. This philanthropic line not only highlights Anne’s design talents, but it also incorporates her love for the community. Add that to her Italian heritage and you’ve got a formula for brilliance beyond compare.

Jeweler for a Cause began when Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed the Gulf Coast in 2005. Anne and her husband Mike Dale watched their community fall to its knees as the flood waters destroyed everything in their path. Living through the aftermath of the 6th most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded took its toll on Anne, as she watched family, friends and community put their lives back together. Anne saw the bad, but she also found the good. Katrina survivors walked away with a greater sense of community. Anne walked away forever changed.

The emotional impact motivated her to draw from the two things she knew best – jewelry and her compassionate heart. In 2006 she established Jeweler for a Cause to focus on the many philanthropic causes she endorsed.

“Jeweler for a Cause exists for three reasons,” she said. “We seek to provide heightened awareness of the cause, funding for the cause and caring for others in need.”

For eight years Jeweler for a Cause has come alongside large and small organizations such as Catholic Charities, House of Blues, Disney Epcot, TABASCO and the Easter Seals Foundation to shine the light on those in need. And each custom designed piece comes with its own unique story that will inevitably touch your heart.

“My first collection was born out of a need for cultural healing of my hometown in the aftermath of Katrina,” says Anne. “I created the Katrina Relief Badge in sterling silver with the theme, ‘I know what it means to love New Orleans.’ I think it was inspired by God. Within 3 days we had 700 hits on our website and Dan Akroyd was asking to purchase 500 of the pins. The proceeds went to the victims of that killer hurricane.”

Autism pendant

The Facing Autism pendant, part of Anne Dale’s Jeweler for a Cause line.

Anne expanded the collection to include other New Orleans pieces like ‘Return to New Orleans’ and ‘Pray for the Gulf Coast.’ These pieces went on to raise more than $175,000 in hurricane relief.

Riding on the heels of the hurricane relief line, Anne pulled from her personal experience for the 2nd Jeweler for a Cause line. Called the ‘Self-esteem’ pendant, Anne poured her heart into creating a visual representation of the emotional pain associated with vascular birthmarks. Watching her own son, Stephen, deal with the pressure of looking different touched her heart as he struggled to find his significance outside of his external appearance.

“I believe the pressure placed on our youth today to be perfect has never been higher,” she says. “This pendant sends the message, ‘you are beautiful just the way you are.’”

It didn’t take long for Anne to realize that young girls from junior high to college struggle in this area too. The back of the sterling silver pendant is engraved with ‘Beauty Comes From Within,’ and it wasn’t long before young girls became her target audience. Like the first Jeweler for a Cause piece, a portion of the proceeds from the self-esteem piece go to charity.

Anne has since created many other custom lines for Jeweler for a Cause. The Perseverance Pin, is closely tied to the battle with cancer. The Facing Autism pendant, which moves from puzzle piece to the profile of a child, highlights the knowledge and goodness within all children. And the Star of Hope, which combines the Silver Star (3rd highest award given for valor) and the Yellow Ribbon, benefits groups helping military men, women and their families throughout the world.

“One of the most memorable moments from my Jeweler with a Cause line is when I pinned the Star of Hope on Oliver North at the New Orleans D-Day Museum event,” Anne recalls. “I created that piece after Matt Cole, a Mandeville native who was struck by a mortar round launched by insurgents, inspired me. Cole’s spinal cord and lungs were injured and, today, he works with other veterans ensuring they receive all benefits afforded them for their service to their country, and he does it from his wheelchair.”

Anne-LaPearlite-April

LaPearlite pendant designed by Anne Dale. Anne mines the stones out of Louisiana oysters and in 2011 Governor Bobby Jindal named it the official Louisiana State Gemstone.

But perhaps her most significant contribution to date has been her creation of LaPearlite, the state gem of Louisiana. Born out of the Gulf oil spill, Anne’s commitment to her local seafood industry triggered those creative juices. While shucking oysters in her back yard the beautiful pearl-coated shells caught her eye. That led her to try and mine the stone out of this very specific type of oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) that is native to the Gulf Coast. The result was a beautiful organic gemstone from the oyster shell that has luster and differing shades of white and mother of pearl look that swirl throughout each gemstone. In 2011 the LaPearlite became the official Louisiana State Gemstone when it was signed into law by Governor Bobby Jindal.

Like the brilliant stones that surround her, Anne Dale reflects the love and generosity she has toward her neighbors and her community. The many facets of her philanthropic line highlight not only her caring nature, but also her gemological and design talents. If we measured brilliance in the lives of those around us, Anne Dale’s would be classified as a Super Ideal Make.

Be sure to check out Anne’s many contributions at Annedale.com, Jewelerforacause.com, Lapearlite.com and at Southern Jewelry News.

Hometown New Orleans

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Master Jeweler

Louisiana Jeweler Shows Love 

(MANDEVILLE, La.) – A noted motivational speaker and author once observed that “most crisis situations are opportunities to either advance or stay the same.” With her beloved Louisiana homeland brought to its knees by Hurricane Katrina, native daughter Anne Dale showed her true character.

While it would have been perfectly acceptable and certainly understandable to wallow in her own woes – a house without electricity, water or phone with downed pine trees everywhere and a houseful of people – she “felt compelled to do something rather than nothing… a flop or a hit.” And that “something” turned out to be a hit. In fact, she hit a home run.

Reacting on instinct and as a labor of love, Anne has designed a commemorative jewelry pin, with the proceeds going to benefit the victims of the killer hurricane. Called the Katrina Relief Badge, the classic, sterling silver design, about the size of a nickel, features a theme of “I know what it means to love New Orleans.” “I think God inspired me,” said the New Orleans-born retail jeweler, who owns Anne-Dale Jeweller located in Mandeville, 35 miles north of New Orleans on the Northern shore of Lake Pontchartrain. “The idea just came to me. Sometimes you get a gut feeling. This is a ‘meant-to-be’ project. Within three days, we had 700 hits on our website. We’ve been overwhelmed.

Anne said besides her divine intervention, another source of inspiration has been the police and their commitment to duty. “I saw their badges and when you think of a badge, you think of courage. A badge tells a lot about a person.

“The first week after Katrina was tremendously stressful. It’s been a hardship to so many people,” she said. “The saddest thing is the middle class, the elderly and the sick. But no matter what income level or status, it’s affected everyone.” To help promote the sale of the badges, Anne’s been on a media circuit that would be the envy of rock stars and politicians. She’s been interviewed by most local news outlets and with all the publicity, she’s managed a 500-pin order from movie and TV star Dan Ackroyd. Louisiana-born musicians Marc Broussard and Charmaine Neville also have badges.

Through Anne’s political involvement, a badge has also made its way to the White House.

The compelling design is topped by a crest, symbolic of the great Mississippi River which has brought Louisianans centuries of joy as well as tragedy. In the center is a heart containing the familiar symbol “fleur-de-lis,” long associated with Louisiana’s rich French culture and strong religious heritage. On the bottom of the badge are the words “New Orleans” with “Katrina 2005 Anne-Dale” on the back.

After producing her own badges for the initial run of 24 pieces, Anne took a giant step toward the big time. She contracted a large U.S. jewelry manufacturer to produce the badges.

Within a matter of a few days the idea from “art to part,” with the badges scheduled to be shipped the week of Oct. 10. Although the initial pieces were in sterling there will also be a gold version.

“Anne is a very highly-respected gemologist and in that capacity she’s on our faculty when we have our annual workshop,” said a spokesman for the manufacturer. “When the hurricane crisis came, her part of the world was very much affected. She was born and raised there, and that’s why she was moved to do what she did.

Anne is also executive director of Gem-A USA, the American branch of the Gemological Association of Great Britain. Gem-A USA promotes gemological education, teaches gemology at trade shows and schools, and implements courses in colleges, universities, public and private schools.

She is the daughter of New Orleans famed jazz drummer Paul Ferrara, who performed with the likes of the Dukes of Dixieland, as well as New Orleans legends Al Hirt, Pete Fountain, Louie Prima and Harry Connick, Sr.

Source – Southern Jewelry News