MeritMade Stones - Lapis

Author: Amanda Watson

Photo credit: James E. Petts via Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Say hello to beautiful, striking, celestial Lapis Lazuli, or more commonly called, Lapis. This stone has been around for a surprisingly long time and has been prized since ancient times for its shockingly gorgeous blue color. Let's take a look at its unique place in history.

Lapis comes originally from northeastern Afghanistan, and can be traced back to as early as the 7th millennium BC (I told you it was old). It was even used in the funeral mask of King Tut himself.  Not only was this stone sought after for its beauty as a stone, but also for its place in the world of art. After being exported to Europe, it began to be ground into a powder that was used to make ultramarine, the most expensive of all blue pigments. After this discovery, some of the finest painters of the Baroque and Renaissance period incorporated this color into some of their most famous paintings. It was often reserved for figures of importance, most notably the Virgin Mary. The use of lapis for this purpose ended in the 19th century after an identical synthetic version was discovered.

Photo credit: Mark Fischer via Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Now, lets take a more spiritual look at this mesmerizing stone. It is commonly accepted as a symbol of royalty and honor, gods and power, spirit and vision. Lapis has many uses for a variety of different professions. As a stone of truth, it encourages honesty of the spirit, and  is also known to activate the higher mind thereby stimulating intellectual ability. It powers a desire for knowledge, truth, and understanding as well as being a catalyst for the learning process. Lapis has a great purpose for those wanting to enhance memory. Wearing lapis aids in all forms of deep communication. It is a stone of friendship and brings harmony in all relationships. Lapis also has many healing properties, both physical and emotional. 

Here at MeritMade, we have been incorporating Lapis into several different wearable pieces. We want you to experience all of the benefits it has to offer, and look GREAT while doing so!

Take a look at what we currently have in the shop!

Happy shopping, Amanda

MeritMade Stories - Alison

I asked one of my all time favorite clients, Alison, 5 questions about her MeritMade experience.  Read below her responses.

What is your MeritMade story?

I didn't have any custom pieces made, but love to buy the one-of- a-kind pieces Kelly has been making. In the future, I'd love to order something custom!

Why did you choose to work with MeritMade?

I love to support crafts and tradespeople in their art, and after meeting Kelly, I wanted to support her endeavor. When I got my first piece, I was hooked! I consider each piece of MeritMade jewelry to be a wearable work of art.

How does working with MeritMade compare to buying jewelry in the past?

Compared to other jewelry I've bought in the past, I love that the MeritMade pieces are so simply, yet elegantly crafted and versatile. They can easily be incorporated into daily wear, or worn as an accent to a dressier outfit and are what I'd consider to be timeless, to be shared with friends or passed down through family.

If you could get another piece of MeritMade jewelry for free, what would you want?

Maybe a really simple, lightweight ring. I don't usually wear jewelry on my hands, but I'd like to!

What is the best movie quote ever, and what movie is it from?

"I carried a watermelon" from Dirty Dancing.

Anything else you would like to add?

MeritMade is the bees knees!

MeitMade Commentaries - I Got Married!!

Hi Friends! I'm so excited to share with you that I got married last month. It was a heck of a roller coaster ride. That said, it was wonderful!!!!!!

As you can guess, I made Brad's ring. It is a simple band with both 14K white gold and 18K yellow gold. What you might not have guessed is that Brad made my wedding band. He spent a whole afternoon with me in the studio filing, sanding, forming, and soldering. I'm so proud of him and am super happy that the rings where made by us, for us.

I want to send out a giant thank you to all of you who sent love and words of encouragement our way. The photos of the wedding that I posted on social media received the most likes and comments of any photo I have ever posted. I am so truly overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation. You all, my MeritMade family, are the best. Thank you!! - Kelly

MeritMade Lessons - Shop Small

It's shopping season and everyone is saying "shop small" or "shop local". Maybe you are kinda tired of hearing about ALL of the events, pop-ups, and shows. If you are like me, you are likely a bit confused. Which event was that one? Who shared that on facebook? Why is that local store only open for 2 days! Really, I don't want to leave the house; I think I'll do all my shopping online.

The task of shopping small may seem a bit overwhelming, but I promise you it is worth it! Check out this awesome infographic about why it is so important to shop small/local.

As you can see, shopping local and small can have a huge impact on the economy and environment. "If every family in the US spent an extra $10 a month at a locally owned, independent business instead of a national chain, over $9.3 billion would be directly returned to our economy." THAT'S HUGE! That means more jobs and more money for all of us! 

But on the road to shopping euphoria there can be a lot of potholes. So lets look at some of these arguments head on. 

1. I want to shop online. 
What do you think etsy.com is for? Many of your local makers and business have shops there, as well as hundreds and thousands of other people. These people may not be in your exact local community, but if you pay attention to where they are from you can easily support small business across the country (not a bad thing). Not into etsy? Be sure to check out your favorite business or maker's website, you can often purchase directly from them.

2. The item I want is only carried in big box chain stores.
First, check and see if there is an alternative. Could this item be made better by someone else? If it isn't, consider buying it from a local distributor. For example, I love the lodge cast iron products. Instead of buying them at a big box store, I can instead buy them from my local Mack Hardware. I know the owner, and I know his local business will get a cut of the item I'm purchasing. 

3. I'm not buying products.
That's cool. Services like photography or massage, local restaurants or coffee shops, dance lessons, etc are all SUPER great ways to support your local economy. 

4. Shopping small is more expense.
It's not. Seriously, if you are buying quality goods and services the prices will often be comparable or even cheaper. I'm not saying that the crap is not cheaper. Buying crap and not buying quality is a whole other discussion. Don't believe me that buying small and/or local is cheaper? Read THIS Forbes article. 

5. It takes effort to look up who is local or to go to a local event.
Good things are worth the little bit of extra work! Is it really that much easier to drive to one of the big box stores as it is to drive to farmers market or local shop? 

Do I have you convinced yet? Well, I hope I do. Once you catch the bug, you will find all kinds of ways to shop small and local all year long. Farmers Market vs Grocery Store. Local Restaurant vs Chain Restaurant. Small Maker vs Big Box Store.  I think you get the point. :)

Shameless Plug: If you are interested in supporting me, a very small business who uses recycled materials and puts as much money as possible back into the local community, you can visit me at an in-person event, and of course, you can always see what is in the Shop. 

xo - Kelly