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“LUXURY WITH A CONSCIENCE” SETS MJ CHRISTENSEN APART | July 25, 2012 (0 comments)
Las Vegas, NV—Paper jewelry is something most people would associate with a kindergarten art project, not a fine jewelry store. Likewise, doing good isn't the first thought that pops into mind when thinking of the town nicknamed "Sin City." Luxury, yes, but in Las Vegas it's more often associated with lavish self-indulgence than doing good for the less fortunate. Yet doing good is exactly what MJ Christensen Diamonds wants to be known for most. Even as global luxury brands have established outposts in Las Vegas to capture both high-rolling winners and high-spending tourists, this local jeweler carved its niche with locals by focusing on giving back. And yes, that includes selling jewelry made from recycled paper beads, which is given the same elegant lighting and sleek merchandising as any precious gem in the firm's four stores.
The paper jewelry both comes from and benefits BeadforLife, a nonprofit organization that teaches impoverished women from Uganda how to be entrepreneurs. They learn how to roll beads from recycled paper, and also learn literacy and numeracy skills, along with skills necessary to grow a business, says Jennifer Miller, director of marketing for MJ Christensen. The organization—a member of the Fair Trade Federation—also now teaches women to gather and press shea nuts into shea butter to make skincare products.
Left, a BeadforLife necklace; right, some of its shea butter skin care products.
The jeweler has been carrying BeadforLife products since 2010, and to date has raised $100,000 for the organization. All proceeds from bead sales are donated back to the women in Uganda; indeed, says Miller, all beads are purchased upfront, so the women have the money in hand immediately to use for education, food, medication, or income to invest in the business. Miller is an advocate of BeadforLife outside the store—she goes to speak everywhere from Tupperware parties to farmers’ markets—and she’s brought Cliff Miller, her father-in-law and owner of the firm, onto the organization’s advisory board. Cliff Miller also spoke during the 2012 American Gem Society Conclave about his passion for making a difference.
BeadforLife's website shows models wearing some of the Ugandan workers' creations.
Jennifer Miller is turning her passion for Africa into a mission for the store, hopefully to not only resonate with consumers but also cement its reputation as Las Vegas’s luxury jeweler with a conscience. MJ Christensen’s website already features blogs that talk about its philanthropic programs, but it recently bought the domain name www.ethicalaffair.com to build a new micro-site that will play off its fall ad campaign and focus on the Africa story, including BeadforLife and introducing two new industry charity partners.
At the JCK Show in June, Miller met with representatives of both the Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) and Diamond Development International (DDI), and has pledged MJ Christensen’s support for both. DEF’s mission is to fund education initiatives in African diamond-producing nations; DDI works to improve the lives of artisanal diamond miners and diggers. Links to all organizations will be prominent on MJ Christensen’s site for consumers who are interested in learning more about each organization’s mission and beneficiaries.
“We have such a responsibility! How can we keep going [selling precious jewelry mined in Africa] and not feel an obligation to give something back?” she asks.
Give back it has. But Miller doesn’t take the credit for the $100,000 the jeweler has raised so far. “It’s bigger than us. We didn’t raise a hundred thousand dollars, our customers’ caring did!” The beads have been a central focus of MJ Christensen’s annual Runway For Life fashion show—set for November 7 and 8 this year—but after the tremendous success of the first event in 2010, the jeweler decided to carry the beads in the stores, where, says Miller, there’s at least one bead sale every day.
The women making the beads in Uganda have seen videos of Runway For Life fashion show, and it’s inspired them to be even more quality conscious “for Las Vegas,” says Miller. This video shows the women in Uganda thanking MJ Christensen by name.This fall’s Runway For Life event will up the ante, going upscale to include diamonds. The Diamond Empowerment Fund has introduced a line of DEF-benefit products, including both its iconic green malachite bead bracelet with a diamond, a charm, and a new line of luxurious diamond jewelry from Royal Asscher, called “Stars of Africa.” MJ Christensen also plans to design an exclusive custom piece to sell for the benefit of DEF. The store also was just named a “friend of DDI” at the Millennium Star level.
DEF's iconic green bracelet, above, and its new Stars of Africa collection by Royal Asscher, below, features floating diamonds. A portion of proceeds from both collections, as well as DEF's new charm, help to fund education in African diamond-producing nations.
Of course the Runway for Life fashion event will be Africa-themed, with a troupe of African drummers and African foods served as hors d’ouvres. Miller plans to feature couture bridal gowns from renowned designers such as Vera Wang—complemented with diamond jewelry, of course—and Tommy Bahama for honeymoon fashion, also complemented with fine jewelry. Other than the DEF-benefit jewelry, the diamond jewelry featured probably will be Hearts on Fire, as MJ Christensen is not only a Hearts on Fire store but also is the partner jeweler in the brand’s new Las Vegas retail outpost.
“The message is that consumption of diamonds is ok,” says Miller. “Knowing that kids are getting educated and they’re helping diggers out of poverty makes people feel good [about their purchase]. They know they’re doing good for others.”
The staff has a lot of homework to do before a big training event on August 17. Their assignment is to learn about Africa and diamond beneficiation, and also to be ready to talk about both conflict diamonds and diamonds for good. An AGS store, MJ Christensen is focused on educating consumers as well, emphasizes Miller. “We want consumers to learn to ask [every jeweler], ‘what is your chain of supply?’”
An Ethical Affair With a Silver Lady. The store’s fall advertising campaign theme is “Ethical Affair.”
The spread for MJ Christensen's fall print advertising campaign features its renowned "silver lady", this time "consuming" diamonds. The message is that it's ok to consume ethically. Logos for the three partner charities--BeadForLIfe, DDI, and DEF, appear in the ad at bottom right.
“It’s a catchy phrase that we hope will intrigue people and make them want to look further. Just what is an ethical affair? An illicit affair isn’t ethical, but a social affair is, and can be beneficial.” The silver lady pictured in the ad is a recurring theme for the jeweler; she’s appeared in all their major ad campaigns for years. The campaign will kick off in September and run through December, in local luxury print publications, in the Playbill magazine for the full 2012-2013 season at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, and possibly on billboards around the city. Miller also hopes to have an interview slot on KNPR, the Nevada Public Radio station.
“I hope to get in to discuss [ethical consumerism] with a discerning audience,” she says. “We believe our unique selling proposition is that we do sell to ethical consumers. We reassure them, ‘you’ve come to the right place [to buy jewelry]. To that end, the store also has hosted events for numerous other charities, including International Women’s Day 2012, and a Bling & Bullies fashion show to raise funds for Foreclosed Upon Pets Inc.
BeadforLife also reaches a new, younger audience, helping the next generation get to know the store and what it stands for, says Miller. Now, she says, with the DEF products, it’s come full circle from paper beads to diamonds.
“We may not solve all the world’s problems, but at least we can be part of the solution.”