What's Love.

Quite a pair.

It's never too late for true love. Ask my grandma. Sometimes I'd catch my 90-something year old grandparents flirting. Sometimes it was hard to remember that their 16 year marriage started when they were in their late 70's/early 80's.

My "real grandfather", and my grandma's first husband, died in a car accident 32 years into their marriage. They owned a nightclub and bowling alley in rural Ohio and had 5 children, one who died at birth. Of the remaining 4, one has Multiple Sclerosis, one has battled Brain Cancer (twice), one has Multiple Myeloma (form of bone marrow cancer) and the the fourth, my mother, is the "caretaker". At 96, after seeing her family through every hardship, there's still one thing that consistently puts a smile on her face- Muxie.

My grandma "Sito" and Muxie, dancing on my wedding day.

After my grandma's first and second husband's passed away, she reconnected with a man she'd known from her days in the nightclub. Muxie had been the owner of Budweiser's midwest distributing company and was the one who delivered beer to her bar so many years prior. It didn't take long for him to pick up and move to California to be with my grandmother. Together at last, they were each others' true love. I've never seen her glow and giggle as much as she has with him.

Muxie is the only grandfather I really ever knew. He felt like a grandfather. In typical grandparent fashion, he'd always have cash appearing out of his pockets when we'd visit, insisting we put it in ours. Everyday, without fail, his signature lunch was a fried bologna sandwich and a Budweiser. Ordering anything but a Budweiser when we were out to dinner was a no-no. At 98, he was still 'sneaking' potato chips and cookies, hiding them from my grandmother. He was goofy in his own quiet way and caring in a sweet and subtle way. When his sight started to fail him and he could no longer drive, he plucked flowers from the backyard to give to my grandma on her birthday. He was a giver his entire life, involved with his community, even putting kids through college who weren't his own.

A couple days before he died, my grandmother (who, may I remind you, is pushing 100 years old) told me these have been the best 16 years of her life. What an interesting perspective to consider-- No matter how you feel today, whatever you are struggling with or whatever paths in life didn't seem to turn your way- you can be 50/60/70 years old and you just never know- the best may be yet to come.

Loved by so many, he will be missed. I know he'd want us to munch on some potato chips and toast him with a Budweiser in his honor.

Love you, Muxie.

Bruno "Muxie" Paolina 1913-2011

Gold WHAT?

 
When asked what my gold jewelry is made of, nine times out of ten, I get one of two responses to my answer of "gold filled"- Either a look of utter confusion or the response- "Oh it's plated" (not true!) I thought I'd address it here, since it can be confusing and seeing that the difference between GOLD PLATED and GOLD FILL is tremendous! Here is the actual breakdown:

Gold Filled:  Gold filled is an actual layer of gold-pressure bonded to another metal.  Gold filled is not to be confused with gold plating as filled literally has 100% more gold than gold plating.  Gold filled is much more valuable and tarnish resistant.  It does not flake off, rub off or turn colors.  Anyone who can wear gold can wear gold filled without worries of any allergic reaction to the jewelry.

Gold-plated: A base metal such as steel or brass is dipped into a bath of electroplating solution, with a lump of solid gold. When an electric current is applied, a thin layer of gold is deposited on the metal. Since the plating is quite thin, the plate (and hence the color) on findings can wear off if not cared for properly.

Vermeil: (Pronounced: Vermay) is sterling silver that has been gold-plated. Most vermeil is plated with 22K-24K gold. This is a good combination for those with allergy to normal, plated jewelry items. The difference between vermeil, and gold-filled, is in the thickness of the gold and the base metal used. In vermeil, the base is sterling silver. 

Government Regulation:  Gold filled items are regulated by the government versus gold plate which is not regulated at all.   In the jewelry industry the quantity of gold must be at least 1/20th by weight of the total product.

 Lifetime Products:  Gold-Filled items are generally considered lifetime products, and the gold layer will not wear off, as it will in electroplated products.  

Love connector is plated with a matte gold

Most Mimi & Lu jewelry is Gold filled. I do incorparate pieces that are vermeil or plated and that is always noted in their descriptions. Sometimes it's because I think it's a special piece that is not available in gold fill or it's because I want to offer some budget friendly pieces in my line.  My recommendation with anything plated is to take extra precaution when it comes to care. Don't wear in the shower (or ocean!), put on after you apply lotions or perfumes and store in an airtight container or baggie. 

Now that we have that cleared up, I want to quickly address the rising price of Gold and Silver.  To give you a good idea of how much it's risen, in June of 1999 the price was at a low of $252.90/oz.(troy ounce) In January of 2008, it hit $865.35/oz. In March 2011 it hit $1432.57/oz. Since April 2001 the gold price has more than tripled in value against the US dollar. Silver has seen similar jumps.

Melissa Cuff is made from a very heavy gauge of Gold fill wire

Ive tried to keep Mimi & Lu's prices constant and always consider the price of metal when designing a piece. It has not been easy to adjust to the rising cost of these metals. I think it helps for the customer to know the value of the metals in order to understand the price of a piece.(and can therefore have a greater appreciation for the piece they purchase) If there is a long gold filled chain or if the wire used is a thick gauge, the price will likely jump.

I welcome any questions about this and I hope it's help clear up any questions about what metals I use, why and their value.