Silver Roots

"Roots are not in landscape or a country, or a people, they are inside you." -Isabel Allende

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HAPPY SATURDAY! Use Promo Code :: SPRING2014 at checkout to get 15% off your order! Happy shopping and help us to continue to spread the word about what we are all about!

XO

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Artisan Spotlight - Manuel

Our newest partner artisan, Manuel, is just 20 years old and the youngest of five siblings. His family have been artisans for generations. Manuel and his family hale from Huancayo, a mountainous region of Peru known for it's artisans.

From an early age Manuel learned to craft jewelry by hand adding his own creative flair to family traditions. Manuel works with dyed seeds designing them into necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more. Acai, Achira, and Huayruro (why-euro) are just some of the native Peruvian seeds Manuel utilizes in his jewelry. 

Manuel currently lives in Lima and is studying accounting and one day hopes to own his own business. In the meantime we're excited to partner with Manuel and see what he designs next. Check out Manuel's beautiful dyed seed necklaces and bracelets in Silver Roots' 2014 Spring Collection. 

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Be Aware // Food for thought

  It's National Adoption Month?

 With every month and day having some cause or group associated with it, it's hard to keep track and it's even harder to care. National Men Make Dinner Day? Just make sure the wife doesn't find out about that one. National Donut Day? I suppose I can suffer and eat a donut...or two or three.

There are plenty of funny and ridiculous unofficial holidays however some days and months offer a chance commemorate and raise awareness about truly significant issues. November is National Adoption Month and it's a great chance to raise awareness about the need for adoption and the amazing impact adoption can have on the lives of children and adults. For us at Silver Roots Jewelry adoption has played a huge role in our stories as individuals and by extension in the story of our company.

  From Bolivia → Peru → California: A Personal Story of Adoption

Silver Roots’ founder, Julia, has her own incredible story of adoption. In the summer of 1989 a young single mother made perhaps the most difficult decision of her life. She brought her three day old daughter to a small medical clinic in the Bolivian jungle. The medical staff welcomed the tiny baby girl with open arms and began the search for an adoptive family. Only a couple of weeks later they found a young American missionary couple who had been praying for a little girl to be a part their family. Julia's biological mom and adopted parents' decision to choose adoption changed her life forever. From the jungle of Bolivia Julia and her family moved to the Lima, Peru where she found a new home and grew to love the culture and people of Peru. Today Julia is giving back to her adopted homeland by supporting Peruvian artisans through Silver Roots Jewelry.

Why Adoption Matters

In a perfect world we wouldn't need adoption. Children wouldn't loose parents and parents wouldn't face the difficult decision to give their children up for adoption. But the truth is we live in a world that is broken and filled with tragedy and difficult decisions. In the U.S. alone there are approximately 400,000 children without a permanent family. On a global scale there an estimated 151 million children living without both of their parents. The need is immense which means we have an opportunity to have a an immense impact for good.

Take Action

Tell other people about National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day (November 23rd).

Share your story about how adoption has impacted your life.

Seriously consider adoption for your family and get in contact with an adoption agency to find out more.

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Eats and Treats

"Lomo Saltado" is a popular Peruvian dish that is not only delicious but fairly easy to make.  Peruvians are known for recipes that include a good amount of potatoes and rice and this recipe includes both!

  Want to impress guest at your next dinner party? Make this dish and everyone will be!

     Lomo Saltado Recipe:

2 cups of cooked white rice

1 16oz package frozen french fries

1 lb beef tri-tip (sliced 1/8-1/4 thick)

1 large onion cut into strips

3 large tomatos peeled and sliced

1 yellow chili pepper

2 tbspoons chopped parsley

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1 dash of soy sauce

Vegetable oil as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

First, prepare the frozen french fries according to package directions.

While french fries are cooking, heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. Season the sliced meat with salt and pepper to taste. Fry the meat until just cooked, and the juices begin to release.

Remove the meat from the frying pan, then cook the onions, with additional oil if needed, until they are transparent. Stir in the tomato and yellow chili pepper; cook until the tomato softens. Pour in the vinegar and soy sauce, add the French fries, cover, and cook until the beef is done, about 3 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve. Add rice to serve on the side!  

You've just brought a little bit of Peru straight to your kitchen and to your table. Enjoy! 

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3 Must Have Attitudes of an Entrepreneur

Never Leave the Comfort of Your Day Job Without...

Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Be your own boss? Be the next overnight success story? Nine months into our e-commerce start-up here are three attitudes that we've found critical to our success.

Perseverance

We've all heard it before, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again". While this should be taken with a grain of salt (you might be trying something really stupid) it rings true in the world of business start-ups. The fact of the matter is that most businesses don't make a profit for 1-2 years. The first couple of years will probably be pretty brutal. The temptation to give up will be strong and there will be discouraging days, maybe even weeks. That makes perseverance, that stick-to-it-ness, a must for any would be entrepreneur.

Over the course of the last nine months we've experienced this for ourselves. One of our first big challenges came when we participated in a local outdoor market. Our goal was to build brand recognition and market our handcrafted jewelry. Out of the couple hundred visitors (hundreds more were expected) only a few stopped by our booth. Of those who stopped fewer still showed genuine interest in our products. Needless to say we were disappointed. Weeks of preparation seemed wasted.

Was our handmade jewelry unique enough to interest consumers? Was our marketing strategy on point? Should we just give up? These questions and more were prompted by this "failure". They were valid questions that needed to be addressed. But in order to address them we had to keep going. We had to persevere. We had to try, try, try again.

A Critical Eye

In business and in particular in start-ups you have to be critical. You can't be satisfied with the status quo. You literally have to never stop improving. With a critical eye failures become opportunities for improvement instead of dream killing catastrophes (Sorry for the hyperbole but you get the point).

Let's go back to the outdoor market gone wrong. The disappointing return from the market had us asking a lot of questions and asking tough questions is the start of critiquing your business. Was it the right venue for our jewelry? Was it a good venue at all? How could we better present our brand and our brand? In this case it turned out the venue was the major factors in our "failure" and not long afterward the outdoor market shutdown. Nonetheless critiquing our failures and our successes has been vital in growing Silver Roots.

Teachableness 

When you're an entrepreneur you have to be eager and willing to learn. You can't afford to assume you know it all or that you have the greatest ideas ever. You don't know it all and chances are your ideas could use some refining. You must have the attitude of a leaner. Seek advice, direction, and training at every turn.  Professors, books, blogs, webinars, and classes can all be great resources. However, at the end of the days you have to choose to utilize those resources and be willing to learn from them. 

Our resolve to be learners has helped us determine the best e-commerce platform for our website, improve our search engine optimization, and more. As we move forward we are committed to continuing to having a teachable attitude.

What's Your Perspective? 

There's no doubt that there are many more attitudes that every entrepreneur should cultivate. That's why we'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Comment on this post and let us know what three attitudes you think are critical to an entrepreneur's success.

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Meet our Partner Artisan, Norma!

¡Hola from Peru

Meet our partner artisan, Norma! She handcrafts all of our jewelry from Peruvian stones, shells, and silver. Norma lives in Peru’s capital, Lima, and is an extremely talented and motivated entrepreneur in addition to being a loving wife and a new mom.  

Hear from the Source

We recently spoke with Norma about her journey and the impact that Silver Roots’ customers are having. Here are a few excerpts from our conversation with Norma. 

How did you begin designing and making jewelry? What’s your story?

"I started as a salesman, working long hours on my feet all day. I was 17 and I didn’t know anything about this business.  I always paid close attention to everything to learn all I could and I set high goals for myself to be become a business woman.  I tried many different businesses and I failed in many. But I’ve always been an optimistic person and I never gave up. I always expected to succeed.

I opened this business 4 years ago. It didn’t start so well, the economy was bad.  The cost of silver went sky high but I say there’s no perfect time to start a business.  I just kept working, looking for the best loans, etc, but what helped me the most was having friends and being friendly.  I started out doing concessions until I could buy my own material and begin to produce my own products. I had many friends so they were willing to work with me and trust me.

I design my own ideas but I also always look for other ideas in other places. But if my design looks similar, I’ve added something unique.  And many others have copied my ideas because there isn’t control (copyright) here.”

  What are some of the challenges of being an artisan in Peru?

"There are many people who try to have this kind of business but most don’t succeed.  Many open but most close because it is hard to maintain the business.  For me it requires much perseverance but it also requires quality of product and customer care.  You have to work hard every day without fail."

Has your partnership with Silver Roots benefited you and your business?

"Of course! Because we’ve done business for a long time I’m able to increase the amount of material I buy so this helps me produce more to sell. Before, I could only produce one piece at a time now I can produce multiples of each design. 

With your purchases I’m able to expand. Now my products are in USA and Europe. Another point I’d like to make is that I’m now able to employ more people. Before, I only had one or two people, now I have three people working.”

  What message would you like to send to Silver Roots’ customers?

"Keep trusting me to come up with beautiful designs and trust me to be the vanguard in design and quality.  I’ll always do my best to fulfill your requests with quality and care."

Silver Roots’ Purpose  

With your help we hope to impact the lives of many other artisans like Norma in the future. Our mission is simple:

     1. Provide Peruvian artisans with sustainable income to support their families and grow their businesses.

     2. Share Peruvian artisan’s stories and jewelry with people around the world.

How can you help?  

You may not know it but each of you can make a big difference in the lives of Peruvian artisans. That’s because with each purchase from Silver Roots Jewelry you provide artisans with sustainable income and share their art (jewelry) with the world. Partner with us today! 

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Welcome to our new blog!

Hello Folks! It's been way to long since our last post. Just wanted to let you know that we have a new blog. However if you're on Tumblr you can still find us at www.silverrootsjewelry.tumblr.com. See you around the blogosphere!

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We are still alive!

Sorry for the hiatus from blogging but we've been crazy busy! 

If you didn't see it on our Facebook page, this past weekend we participated in the Norco Trading Post, a new outdoor market in Norco, CA.

It was exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. For a business owner I feel like one of the scariest times is when you put your business out there for the public to see. The rejection can be hard but when people are excited about what you have to offer it makes it all worth it. We met a lot of great people and showcased Silver Roots to all who attended. We are both glad we got to experience Norco Trading Post and would love to participate in a marketplace event again.

We are always looking for new ways to get our name out so if you have any ideas we'd love to hear from you! 

Thank you to everyone who has supported us! Whether you've made a purchase, let your friends know about us, or just given us an encouraging word we really appreciate it. 

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Customize

As special holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays approach we want to help you give your "someone special" a one of a kind gift!

Step 1: Choose your desired silver pendant or stone pendant set.

Step 2: Choose a silver chain or color cord to go with your pendant set. We offer four different intricate silver chains and a variety of color cords of different lengths. The choice is yours!

Step 3: Check out! 

It's just that easy! Check out how customizing your jewelry can change your look. If you're looking to customize a gift for Mother's Day let us know by April 28th so we can get it to you on time!

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I love you mom!!

As Mothers's Day approaches I've been reminiscing about good times with my mom. She is not only an amazing mom but a great listener and friend. My bond with my mom is something special to me especially since I was adopted when I was 3 weeks old. Being adopted never made me less her daughter in any way and my bond with her is only stronger because of all that we've been through.

I know I wasn't always the easiest kid to raise and I know I was quite rebellious but my parents loved me and prayed for me through it. My mom's love and trust in God is amazing and I am thankful to have her example to look up to. I love you mom! 

My relationship with my mom has continued to grow and as Jon and I have started Silver Roots Jewelry, she and my dad were the first ones to be excited and support us and they continue to play a big part in making this dream happen. We really could not do this without them and in particular my mom's taste in jewelry! 

So as you're thinking about your mom and the memories you have with her make sure you give her something special and memorable this Mother's Day. Of course we hope you choose to spoil her with some of Silver Roots' handcrafted jewelry.

(California Baptist University Graduation May 2010)

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Thoughts from our very first customers

Our very first customers, Nathan and Angi, shared their thoughts about working with us. Nathan surprised his wife Angi with one of our jewelry sets for Valentine's day (Well done Nathan!).  

Nathan:

"I love Silver Roots Jewelry. The customer service was second to none. I was able to custom order the pieces I wanted and the delivery was phenomenal. I especially liked the authentic Peruvian sachet that the jewelry came in. I am sure to purchase something for my wife again."  

Angi:

"My husband gave me a Silver Roots necklace and earring set as a gift. When he gave it to me, the first thing I noticed was the adorable little bag that held the jewelry. When I pulled the jewelry out, I remember how great the jewelry felt. It felt delicate yet strong all at the same time. My necklace and earrings contain Red Spondylus surrounded by silver. The Red Spondylus is neutral enough that I can wear it with most anything."

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Hmmm very pinteresting...

I (Julia) have always been a big fan of Pinterest. The concept, sources, and categories are endless fun and always have great ideas. Recently I've also discovered that it's a great way to get the word out about our business. 

Just PIN IT!

Today my goal was to PIN as many pictures of our jewelry as possible from my Pinterest account (Follow me: Julia Pickard) that link back to our Etsy shop. So if you see Silver Roots' jewelry on Pinterest we hope you PIN it to your board!

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Peru is home to the largest works of art in the world! Known as Nazca (or Nasca) lines they are geoglyphs etched into the surface of the Peruvian desert. The Nazca lines are still influencing Peruvian art even today. Click here and see for yourself.  

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Peru

As you look at our jewelry, like our Facebook page and check out our Etsy shop, I wanted to share a little more about where our jewelry comes from.

Where is Peru?

Peru is located on the western coast of South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Columbia, on the east by Brazil and Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Fun Facts about Peru:

-Contains one of the new 7 wonders of the world: Machu Picchu

-Primary Languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara

-Home of Sofia Mulanovich, the first Peruvian surfer to be inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame

-Once the center of the Inca Empire

-Rank's among the world's top producers of silver, copper, lead, and zinc

  Peru has a rich history and culture as showcased in it's art, music, dance, and jewelry. Many Peruvians learn trades such as jewelry making in order to provide a sustainable income for their families and express their cultural heritage.

We have partnered with one such artisan named Norma who designs and handcrafts the jewelry you see on our Etsy shop and Facebook page. Norma is a soon to be mother running her own business and supporting her family through her art. We are excited to get to know her more and share her story with all of you. 

Remember that when purchase from Silver Roots Jewelry you not only get a beautiful piece of jewelry but a piece Peruvian culture.

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Starting a company isn't an easy thing which is why we need to stay organized and motivated!

Even though we don't have a fancy conference room or office we still have to talk through things and set goals for our business. We recently had a business meeting in our own way, over dinner at Macaroni Grill. Our conversation and dinner were great and now we feel geared up to get even more stuff done. We will continue to work hard to make Silver Roots happen!

-Julia

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WELCOME TO OUR BLOG

    Jon and I are embarking on a new journey. We have launched Silver Roots Jewelry and now we want to document as we go. This is exciting, scary, and overwhelming but we are so ready to do this. We want to write down our thoughts, share our life, share stories, share news, share our artisans' stories and we want you to follow us on this journey.

This all started out as a thought; a project for a college business class. I (Julia) grew up in Peru and will always love the country and my idea came from my home. Growing up seeing Peru's culture and the beauty in the art of their jewelry I was inspired to share it with the world. Their silver and stones is not something you see everyday. They are very unique, every detail carefully thought out and beautifully displayed. Not every artist gets a chance for others outside of Peru to see their handcrafted jewelry but I wanted to be able to shows others what the people of Peru can do and so we started Silver Roots Jewelry.

God has truly blessed us with opportunities and has opened doors we never imagined. We are so thankful for all of this and are excited to see what the future brings.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and we hope you continue to follow us on this new adventure.