Taber Studio News

It may be hard to believe for parents and students alike, but commencement and graduation are almost here. If you're looking for the perfect gift for your graduate to treasure forever, here are 8 reasons to consider the Official William & Mary Bracelet, handcrafted by Taber Studios.

Photo Credit: @allyfreeland via @william_and_mary

2. A significant proportion of all sales go directly to the William & Mary Alumni Association, contributing directly to students. Robert Taber is proud to be able to give back to his alma mater via sales of the William & Mary Bracelet. If you are considering other graduation jewelry, ask if the sales directly benefit future students.

photo credit: @william_and_mary

3. The Official William & Mary Bracelet is handcrafted to perfection, with a standard and finish far superior to most similar bracelets on the market. The 2 gauge, half round, cuff bracelet contains more silver, and is therefore thicker and heavier, than cheaper bracelets on the market. It is sturdier, yet also more comfortable, finished with perfectly rounded edges so it does not catch on skin or clothing. Compare these photos of the William & Mary Bracelet, and the most common type of silver, half round, cuff bracelet on the market.

4. Each official William & Mary Bracelet is made to order, handcrafted to the highest standard of quality. It is a gift that will be cherished forever, sitting comfortably on the wrist, making it the perfect daily reminder of the love, laughs, experiences, and friendships gained at college. The high quality craftsmanship of the bracelet means it will last beyond a lifetime, making it a valuable family heirloom in years to come.

5. Taber Studios are proud members of Ethical Metalsmiths, committed to always using the most responsibly sourced materials available. The jewelry industry has a shocking history of associated environmental destruction, and avoidance of social responsibility. For example, did you know that the jewelry industry is responsible for 30% of the world's mercury poisoning? However, you can feel proud knowing that your bracelet is handcrafted in our Californian studio using only ethical materials.

There are two choices for the sterling silver used to handcraft your William & Mary Bracelet. You can choose:

• Recycled sterling silver, stamped with the Harmony Metals Insignia, from Hoover and Strong or;

• We also offer a limited option of handcrafted bracelets using only FAIRMINED sterling silver. FAIRMINED is the most proactive ethically sourceable silver currently available on the market. For more information, please visit the Alliance for Responsible Mining. These bracelets will be stamped with the FAIRMINED logo.
  
  

6. We offer your choice of font and inscription for personalized engraving inside the bracelet. A message of love, sorority symbols, or simply name and graduating year; the choice is yours!

7. Packaged beautifully in William & Mary colors, with a gold satin cloth, the bracelet is gift boxed and ready to give when it arrives at your door.

8. The William & Mary Bracelet is adjustable, and available in a range of sizes. It fits snugly over the wrist, but is completely comfortable, not restricting movement of the arm or wrist in any way. The rounded edges help to ensure its comfortable, unrestricted fit.

How to Wear Your William & Mary Bracelet Handcrafted by Taber Studios

For more information, or to order your bracelet, click here. As each bracelet is handcrafted to order, place your order by May 4th to ensure delivery by graduation!

An Open Letter to Attendees at the Jewelry Industry Summit
New York, NY - March 10-13, 2016

The following ideas represent some of the questions I struggle with as an independent artisan jeweler and an active member of Ethical Metalsmiths since June of 2010. I introduce them here as one business person’s experience facing the complexities rife within our current business environment. I raise these questions not as critique but as incentive for us all to strive towards excellence. Wishing you all well and sharing my support for the ongoing explorations of new and creative paths towards sustainability and success!

What is the intention in coming together at this Summit, as leaders within our industry? Are we here seeking only to limit the reputational risk to our individual concerns? Or are we ready to truly embrace meaningful and substantive change?

We have the opportunity to do something historic as an industry. But it will require leaders of true integrity and substance. Are we, as entrepreneurs and visionaries, prepared to lead not only the industry but the rest of the world to expect and demand more responsible materials sourcing and labor practices?

Ask yourself...

Are we in this business only to consume as much of the earth's natural resources as possible?
Or are we here to celebrate the rare and unique natural beauty that is the earth’s heritage?

Are we selling our work as commodities, only to squeeze as much money from our customers as possible?
Or are we invested in celebrating the lives and accomplishments of our customers with talismans of true beauty and meaning?

Are we as concerned about the long-term integrity of our businesses and the social/ecological impacts our decisions have as we are with maximizing profits for our own personal gain?

Are we just building our businesses for personal satisfaction and self engrandizement? Or are we creating safe and secure workplaces in which comaraderie and collaborative artistic expression fuel a thriving sense of shared purpose and creativity?

These are the questions we should be asking on a daily basis with the same rigor and regularity that we question the purity of our alloys, or the clarity of the diamonds that go into the jewelry we sell.

A diamond is forever.

So is the legacy of how that diamond was acquired, processed, and creatively used. If it is not up to us to change and redefine that legacy, then who? If we're not doing it now, then when?

From mine to market to home, jewelry should not be a tool of economic warfare but a talisman in the ongoing celebration of life.

by
Martin Taber
Taber Studios - Owner/Designer/Jeweler
Ethical Metalsmiths member since 2010

When I first told friends I would be going to Italy in May with my mom they all said, "Wow, you're going to have an amazing time!" They weren't wrong. But usually they talked about the artistic inspirations, or the wonderful foods, or the beautiful architecture, or the World's Expo in Milan. While all of these contributed to the deeply moving time I had while I was there, I think the more lasting experience for me came about much more subtly. One friend in particular on my return asked if it had been as life altering as they had expected, if I had enjoyed a totally "WOW" experience. In trying to explain it to them, I said it had been more like the deep detonation of explosions underground; a heavy rrruuuummmble and THUD, rather than bright fireworks in the sky. It hit me right at my core.

I'm still trying to find the words to clearly explain exactly what the shift was, but I think this simple picture from our apartment on our first night in Florence (and our first night in Italy) gives some indication. This simple post at the top of the stairs (as well as the well-worn stone stairs themselves) is somewhere between 500 and 700 years old. Everywhere we went I watched my mom walk up to stone walls, doorways, and public statues to lay her hand on their cool antiquity. Always with a bit of awe and reverence to be touching something someone had made and put in place over half a millennia ago. The more time we spent walking around Florence and Venice and Rome, in the mad crush of people, cars, bicycles, scooters and buses, the more I realized how isolated we in the United States have become. Not only from our past, but from each other, from ourselves, and from life. We have locked ourselves away in cubicles of space and time, in antiseptic notions of propriety, and sterile laws that tell us how we SHOULD live. We've forgotten how to ACTUALLY live and how to be responsible for our small plot of land on this glorious, blue planet.

It was a deep reminder to me that the impact of our actions IN EVERYTHING WE DO is our own personal responsibility. At the end of the day we have only ourselves to answer to. Future generations will reach down to touch the echoes of antiquity we have left behind for them. Let's try and make it something vibrant and alive and special. In that vein I would like to invite you to join me in signing the Milan Charter, a document designed to celebrate food justice, conservation of species, and cultural heritage.

Towards the end of our trip we had the great privilege of attending the World's Expo in Milan. For me the World's Fair Columbia Exposition in Chicago has always been the archetype of a World's Fair as the expression of cultural evolution and technological advances for the betterment of humanity. And to be honest my first impressions of the Milan Expo were somewhat underwhelming. I mean Coke and McDonald's and a number of other big ag corporations had been allowed to help sponsor this event whose stated mission of "Feeding the Planet" seemed pretty much wide open to interpretation. But though many of the pavilions did have some sense of agritourism to them, the overwhelming sense I felt, from the unfinished Nepalese pavilion, to the simple elegance of Bharain's white marble walls and citrus gardens, to the UK pavilions honeybee theme, was one of humility and deep respect for our interdependence with nature for everything we do.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the 3 story tall Italian pavilion which overlooked the awe-inspiring Tree-of-Life fountain at the heart of the fair. Amongst many high tech and low tech exhibits designed to immerse and educate participants in both the natural and architectural world, about two-thirds of the way through the pavilion, was a room in which we were asked to sign the Milan Charter. My mother stood and read the pages of the charter scrolling across the digital screen, and this woman who put herself on the front lines of the civil rights movement, and over the last forty years has dedicated her life as a cardiologist to the service of others, stood there and wept soft, silent tears.

It is time for us to begin building a planet for future generations, and the greatest, most technologically advanced resource we have is the earth itself. Our biggest challenge will be getting out of our own way and allowing life to happen. As an artist and an entrepreneur, I feel incredibly blessed that I have the freedom to steer my own craft and to help lead by example, charting a course that I can honestly say represents the best of who I think I can be. It's time for every person to commit to being a steward of their small (or large) strand of this tapestry we call life.

Our final stop on our Italian tour was Venice. It is tempting to use an image of what was once the world's richest and most powerful city, slowly succumbing to the rising waters of the Adriatic, as a metaphor for the impending demise of culture and civilization in the face of extreme climate change. However, I am more inclined to focus on a less obvious, but more hopeful memory; that of a young man from Norway we met with his parents over dinner at St. Marks Square. In spite of, or perhaps because of, a life threatening ailment, this notable 15 year old was able to talk on an extremely heartfelt, but also very intelligent level, about being a minority in his school in Oslo. There, the immigrant Sudanese population is forcing this model, socialist society to look deeply into issues of cultural heritage, and economic and political self-determination. The honest and empathic way in which he spoke about his fellow students gave me great hope for the future.

Mostly it reminded me of how I want to be in the world: humble, amazed, curious, mischievous, alive!!! Thank you to all the wonderful friends, old and new, as well as the interesting strangers and fellow seekers we met along the way. But mostly thank you to my mom for making this trip so vibrant and full of life. I love you and cherish these memories we have built together.