About Us

Litwins Global Consciousness Statement

Think beautiful, think globally. Have a conscience.

Our Litwin ancestors began in this trade half a world away and almost a century ago. So much has changed in our world, both culturally and atmospherically, economically, and politically, both inside the US and around the world. Jewelers have always had their eyes on political issues, as gemstones are found at far-flung locations and have been a magnet for violence. Such are the facts for commodities so small, portable, concealable and valuable.

Today's jewelers worry about gems stemming from African atrocities and Burmese oppression. We worry about certain countries that foster low-priced labor, which more and more have gobbled up the manufacturing sector of our industry. Who can produce as cheaply as these factories, the jeweler asks.

We at Litwins think that  sometimes in life, cheaper isn't better. The situation with mass-manufactured jewelry in poor countries is anything but better, we think. And, we're doing something about it. We're applying the acid test to our suppliers. Where is it made? We've begun to ask them. Not that we're against globalism, it's just that we have an opportunity to make our own jewels. We purchase gemstones from all over the world. Lately though, we've stipulated that we don't want Burmese goods, or blood diamonds.

More and more, we are going to individual American artists, commissioning them to make our one-off pieces. This is what we want to be known for now. If someone wants a look in the least expensive way, we send them to a mass marketer--the grocery stores are carrying that sort of jewelry.

We've never been about that. And we're not about to start now.

BJ Foreman , President
5 November, 2007