Green is the undisputed buzzword of the moment. Businesses from automotive to plumbing to, of course, fashion and jewelry, are "going green"—working to create a culture of environmental responsibility—in an effort to safeguard the earth. Some members of the latter industries teamed up in New York this past week, hosting the Go Green Launch cocktail party and silent auction, to raise money and awareness for ecological causes.

Seven socially responsible firms, including GeoArt by Cynthia Gale (JCK Luxury's cover girl for the fall 2007 issue), 360 Eco Luxury Vodka, John Curry Studio, and om aroma & co., convened with many of their customers at Gale's Midtown studio. All firms "go green" in appropriate ways, such as using recycled packaging, eco-friendly manufacturing, nontoxic components, and more. Gale does her part through recycling dated silver jewelry inventory to make her Go Green collections; some 10 percent of her other lines don't sell, and it's this material that she melts and repurposes into a green-theme line. Ten percent of sale proceeds from this jewelry benefit local environmental initiatives, such as the Council on the Environment of New York City. Some 100 percent of auction revenues from the event aim to aid the same group.

"We have choices [with regard to] our leftovers," Gale told JCKstyle. "I'd rather remake [old silver jewelry] into something new that benefits the environment than sell it to a discounter."

Weekly Gem
The Internet video advertisement "Rock Her World," from online jeweler Szul (see JCKstyle, Nov. 30, 2007), left the starring model less than satisfied. The 37-year-old filed a $5 million lawsuit against the jeweler, claiming her "wholesome" image is tarnished. The model, who in the ad wears lingerie and a diamond necklace while feigning an orgasm, says she didn't agree to produce a sexually explicit commercial.