From a Betta fish brooch to a “dragon’s trove” of zircon eggs, here are seven pieces that’ve stuck with Associate Editor Lauren McLemore.
Jewelry contest to take winner on safari
Fair trade gift and clothing company Dsenyo is hosting a jewelry competition for college students that will afford one grand-prize winner an all-expenses paid safari in Zambia.
In addition, the winning piece will included as part of Dsenyo’s spring collection.
The deadline for submissions is Nov. 15.
Colorado-based Dsenyo, an online-only company that sells fair trade goods, is using the “Design for Change” competition to raise awareness about the poaching crisis in Zambia’s South Luangwa Valley.
All jewelry entries in the contest will be sold in an online auction on the site, and 100 percent of the funds raised will support the South Luangwa Conservation Society and the Zambian Carnivore Programme, two non-profit organizations that are “leading the fight against poaching,” Dsenyo said.
The winning piece will become part of the Dsenyo 2015 collection, to be marketed in North America, and $5 of every piece sold will go to the nonprofit organizations.
Entrants must create jewelry using wire, a nod to the snare wire used to trap so many animals in the wild, semi-precious stones, bone and organic materials including guinea owl feathers, hand-carved wooden beads and seeds. All design parameters and a list of acceptable materials will be sent to participants after they have pre-registered.
The winning design will be put into production using actual confiscated snare wire. Money raised from sales of this piece will help to further map areas of high-snare density, fund anti-poaching patrols and removal of wire from ensnared animals, Dsenyo said.
Pre-registration is available on the Dsenyo website to university students who are 18 or older and enrolled in a design course. Finished pieces must be submitted by Nov. 15 and the winner will be notified by Dec. 1.
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