31Bits Jewelry: Fashion Benefiting Everyone

Usually when we purchase jewelry we're thinking about ourselves or whoever we plan on giving the jewelry to. However, with 31Bits jewelry, the focus for most customers is much deeper than simply satisfying their desires as consumers. The prices of 31Bits jewelry reflect the fact that they are selling through fair market trade values; all jewelry pieces are carefully handcrafted by Ugandan women and sold through 31Bits to consumers across the world for fair prices.

Started by college students from Southern California who realized the need for a bridge between the Ugandan women and the rest of the world (to sell their handmade jewelry for competitive prices), 31Bits has expanded incredibly in the few years since its inception. Today, 31Bits is partnering with thirty-five Northern Ugandan women-compared with to the original six women whom the program was founded to support. Expansion of the program is planned for future years. Through their increased income from 31Bits, these women are better able to support the financial needs of their families, with the ultimate goal for these women to be able to provide for the school fees, medication costs, food, and shelter needs of their families. The Ugandan women who are working with 31Bits jewelry also receives valuable financial and savings training to help them best utilize their income.

The 31Bits line of jewelry is made up of all recycled paper rolled into beads by the Ugandan women. The colors and sizes of the beads all depends upon the style of the necklace or bracelet; all necklaces are extremely fashionable with some featuring bright blue chunky beads, thick green beads, or smaller seed like blue beads. The necklaces sell for anywhere between $26-$40 and can be purchased from the 31Bits website; while these prices may seem quite high for jewelry, they truly reflect fair trade values that allow the women who make the jewelry to live better lives. Much of the cheap jewelry sold in stores today is not made in quality working conditions or sold with the makers of the jewelry in mind. Fair market jewelry will always be more expensive than cheaper jewelry made in questionable working conditions, and those who purchase jewelry from sources such as 31Bits realize this crucial difference. The bracelets sold by 31Bits are cheaper than the necklaces by far, with prices ranging from $8-$16 depending upon the design. Finally, more recently Reef has partnered up with 31Bits to expand the merchandise section to include two different styles of "Ugandals" (sandals decorated with beads from 31Bits) that are available through Reef stores.

Through organizations such as 31Bits, everyone wins. The makers of the jewelry enjoy fair trade wages that can help their families. The consumers of the jewelry enjoy beautifully crafted accessories and the knowledge that they spent their money in a responsible fashion. The earth benefits through the recycling of the paper to create the beads.

For more information on 31Bits, please check out their website at http://www.31bits.com/.