The Rogue desk went shopping last week after getting a tip that some jewelry at the
downtown Made in Oregon store wasn't actually "made in Oregon."
Reader Ric Balfour had emailed us that he'd noticed the cardboard backing for Siskiyou-brand pewter bracelets he recently bought had been cut at a slant across the bottom. It was only when he looked closer that he saw the top half of a "Made in China" label above the slanted cut on one of the packages.
When WW visited the store at 921 SW Morrison St., we also found Siskiyou jewelry with the backings cut so that you couldn't see the "Made in China" labels. And we found Siskiyou money clips with "Made in Oregon" price tags placed over "Made in China" labels.
Made in Oregon general manager Candace Vincent says the company didn't mean to mislead and that it was Siskiyou that accidentally used backings with "Made in China" labels. Siskiyou owner Ken Stringer confirmed that account, saying the backings for Siskiyou's jewelry line made in China (but not ordinarily sold in Made in Oregon stores) were inadvertently used for all Siskiyou jewelry, most of which is made in Ashland. The company has since fixed its mistake.
But that still leaves the question of why the "Made in China" labels on the mistakenly labeled products were so hard to spot at the Made in Oregon shop. Vincent says the downtown store manager cut the Siskiyou cards so they would fit better on the display rack.
Yet the larger money-clip backings with the Made in Oregon tags managed to fit on the rack next to the pewter bracelet backings that had been trimmed.
Look, not all Made in Oregon items (such as college team sweatshirts) are actually made in-state. But selling jewelry made in China, and making it harder for consumers like Balfour to know their origin, makes the Rogue cut because customers who think they're supporting Oregon artisans shouldn't have to sleuth out the truth.
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Greetings! I am Molly Rahe of Elizabeth Jewelry. ( Elizabeth is my daughter she is the prettiest thing I ever made so I had to name my line after her!) I have gratefully enjoyed selling my Sterling silver beaded jewelry at Made In Oregon stores for nearly ten years. They have a red coral necklace I make in their 2006 cateloge.
I wish to asure customers that I make all the jewelry here in my Lake Oswego Home. I am inviting a W.W. staff member to come over and see the fun! This is the first year that demand has reached so high ( about 700 peices a month for all my clients) that I have hired two freinds to help me keep up. Today is the first day for all three of us working together, really enjoying ourselves and working very hard too. I opened my email and a freind sent me a link to this article. We had a really good laugh over where we were-sitting in my home in Oregon, or are we really in China! Nan went and teased me, showing me her favorite pair of earrings I made that on it she placed a sticker on the back that said "Made In India". "He! He!".
I really can not make any comments about other jewelry venders, They are all very delightful when I meet them in person and I am not privy as to how they operate their business. However I like to think the best of them, most likely this is a simple missunderstanding.
I really appreciate the wonderful opportunities Made In Oregon has given me. Three years ago I was newely divorced and suddenly stuggeling financially. I prayed to the Lord, and He Answered. Miraculously, My business that year grew so that I could support my family. The Jewelry buyer at Made In Oregon now tells me I am now their best selling line of jewelry. That to me is amazing and wonderful. I am far from rich, but the blessings abound from the joy I recieve from people actually wanting to wear things I have designed and created. I am so very fortunate to be able to do what I love.
And so Yes, all of Elizabeth Jewelry is truly Made In Oregon.
Thank you, Molly Rahe