About the Makers: Learn the story behind our goods

For Goodness Sake has a variety of goods from all over the world, many with unique stories behind them. Our new “About the Makers” series highlights the sustainable companies we work with and the goodness behind their crafts.

Let’s start with Quazi Design because we can’t keep them a secret any longer! Quazi is a sustainable design company based in Swaziland of Southern Africa. Their jewelry and home décor are all handmade by Swazi craftswomen using recycled materials.

Quazi Design first caught our attention with the craftsmanship and simple aesthetics of their products but we fell in love with them when we learned their story. By creating an environmentally friendly collection of beautiful and unique pieces, Quazi enables local women to earn a fair living wage with their craft.

Here’s the story of Zandi, one of the Quazi craftswomen:

 Zandi was forced to leave school when she was 13 to help support her family. With zero experience creating handcrafted goods, she quickly learned the trade and is now one of Quazi’s top design producers. She enjoys her work and through her crafts she is able to support her son, mother, sister and nephew.

Quazi is a sustainable design company with positive social impact, transforming recycled materials into beautiful objects and providing opportunities for local Swaziland women to succeed.

 Check out our Quazi handmade bowls.

 More from Quazi Design: quazidesign.com, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest

Pam's Picks for Father's Day

SHOP PAM'S PICKS:

1. http://www.forgoodsake.org/Search.aspx?l=00030012003000000000&a=060315_FathersDay

2. http://www.forgoodsake.org/Product.aspx?l=00070000000000000000&p=PAR01230&c=000&a=060315_FathersDay

3. http://www.forgoodsake.org/Product.aspx?l=00070000000000000000&p=WKB01230&c=000&a=060315_FathersDay

4. http://www.forgoodsake.org/Product.aspx?l=00070000000000000000&p=CCO01230&c=BRS&a=060315_FathersDay

5. http://www.forgoodsake.org/Product.aspx?l=00070000000000000000&p=BUK01270&c=000&a=060315_FathersDay

#WearingOrange for Gun Violence Awareness

On any given day in San Francisco, you’ll see fans proudly wearing orange to support our local World Series Champions. But today is different. Wearing orange today means so much more…

Today, June 2nd, is the first-annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day and For Goodness Sake is taking the pledge to “Wear Orange” – a color that symbolizes the value of human life. There are 88 Americans whose lives are cut short by gun violence EVERY DAY and by wearing orange we are honoring those lives, while pledging to do what we can to keep guns out of the wrong hands and be responsible gun owners.

Over 140 organizations, cultural influencers and elected officials have come together to raise awareness and promote anti-violence. The Caliber Foundation is one of the many Wear Orange advocates, offering support to victims, families and communities that have been devastated by illegal gun violence. Our friends at Jewelry for a Cause partnered with the Caliber Foundation to create the Caliber Collection, helping cities across the country buyback illegal guns.

Each piece in the Caliber Collection is made from bullet casings and engraved with the serial numbers of the illegal guns that were reclaimed and taken off our cities’ streets. The jewelry symbolizes a gun’s transformation from a destructive weapon into a powerful symbol of renewal and no two pieces are exactly alike. For Goodness Sake is proud to support the Caliber Foundation every day through the sale of selected pieces from the San Francisco Caliber Collection at www.forgoodsake.org. The recycled gunmetal for this collection was brought to Jewelry for a Cause after a local Bay Area police department took 291 illegal guns off the streets through a gun-buyback program, helping make our community a safer place.

To show our support for the Wear Orange campaign and amplify efforts to reduce gun violence, For Goodness Sake is giving away a Reclaimed Gunmetal Bangle and Reclaimed Gunmetal Cufflinks created by Jewelry for a Cause. To enter for a chance to win, sign up for our newsletter today at http://bit.ly/1FQrUmw and become a part of our give back community. For more ways to #GiveBack, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and like us on Facebook.

                   

Every person deserves to live a life free from gun violence and together we can make our country safer. We’re #WearingOrange today, are you?

To see how this national movement began, watch the video at http://wearorange.org/#play and support the cause at wearorange.org.

Check out more from Jewelry for a Cause or follow them Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.