Price Change 6/1/08 -  We have continually worked to keep our costs down and our prices low.  All of our expenses have increased from insurance to postage.  The explosion of silver prices has been difficult for the small, independent jewelers like ourselves.  Effective June 1, we will have a 5-10% price increase.  In fairness, we welcome you to place an order before June 1 using our old prices!

You may order on our website or if you have any questions please feel free to call us toll free at 1-888-386-ART-5.  Hope to hear from you again soon!

This issue of our newsletter reminds us that being an artists we wear many hats.  One is knowing our rights and the rights of others.  We have ran into a lot of issues working with recycled materials.  It seems so simple on the surface, but steeped in complexity.

Recycled Works and Trademark - It seems crazy for most people... Every so often we get a letter from a multinational company expressing their displeasure in our recycled bottle cap jewelry.  Recently, we were reminded that a red five pointed star is the trademark and intellectual property of someone else.  In researching the issues, I found this 2007 research paper  "Trademark Extortion: The End of Trademark Law" interesting.
 
We have created our business around using post consumer waste products to keep them out of our landfills.  We take pride in transforming recycled items to a new beauty to spark the imaginations of others.  The jewelry we make is from actual bottle caps. We have acquired the bottle caps or product that the bottle caps came off of from independent sources. The brands we use are trademarked and owned by those brands. No bottle caps, logos or graphics have been reproduced. Our intentions are to recycle the waste of others and we are not associated or have any affiliations with any of these brands. 

Featured Artist - Stephanie Lindsey  - Her Baby Jane jewelry is created using American linen postcards from the 1940s, sterling silver, and epoxy resin. Each piece is handcrafted from start to finish: from the soldering to the paper cutting to the engraved signature and date. The metalwork is achieved by casting the original master designs in silver. Epoxy resin finishes each piece, giving it a waterproof, glassy surface. Because the subject matter, vibrancy, color, and nostalgia of cards of that era are so unique and charming, and they provide an endless source of inspiration.
 

Find Stephanie and many more artists on our Art Links page

Orphan Works Act - It started simple enough.  This was a bill introduced to help libraries and museums preserve disintegrating works by duplication when the copyright owner can not be found.  After years bouncing around congress, it has become a monster.  Currently, copyright is granted the moment a work is created. This new Orphan Works legislation proposes a change in U.S. copyright that would (indirectly) require artists, illustrators, photographers, and any creative individual to actively maintain and defend their copyright by registering each and every work with privatized registrars. Failure to do so would leave everything you’ve ever created as an artist up for grabs by anyone who wanted to copy, reproduce, create derivative works of, or flat out steal your work.  This only hurts the little guy and the large corporations love it.  Get informed!  A great explanation can be found on YouTube