JCKstyle - April 27, 2007
It's a development best described as … organic. ABC Home, the forward-thinking, socially conscious New York retailer of furniture, jewelry, and all things beautiful, is introducing the Home Grounded Jewel Collection—an environmentally friendly line of precious pieces set to debut this month.
Always thorough in its product development, the company is attending to a handful of green aspects in the new collection, including recycled gold, sustainable materials, local designers (to minimize material transportation costs), and ethical compensation and treatment of workers. All these factors work to both lessen the company's ecological footprint and help to improve the lives of individuals and the welfare of communities. Though it seems like ABC Home has been doing its saintlike thing for decades, its development of the Home Grounded Jewel Collection is part of a fairly recent transformation. Under the direction of CEO Paulette Cole, the past three years have seen the company shift from aesthetic paradise to "socially responsible, mission-driven" aesthetic paradise, director of social responsibility Amy Chender tells JCKstyle. The existence of Chender's position in itself (really, what other company has a director of social responsibility?) symbolizes this change and has catalyzed it as well. Designer Sarah Perlis worked with the ABC Home team in designing the first line. And there's more to come from other "cutting edge, local" designers, Chender says. Just another reason to stop by our favorite store and confirm the life-changing ability of good design.Weekly Gem
Robots are afoot, and one model in particular will interest jewelers. Robotic jeweler VDK 1000 was developed by engineer Dr. Vojislav Kalanovic at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. VDK 1000 grinds and polishes rings, a process typically done by hand, and the robot completes the task up to three times faster than living beings at a bench. Unlike many robots, VDK 1000 operates via a patented technology called Flexible Robotic Environment, not (for you Saturday Night Live fans out there) by eating senior citizens' medicine for fuel.
