Photo courtesy Paris Jewellers
An Edmonton-based Canadian-Vietnamese jewellery company is set to release a new collection with 100 per cent of the proceeds supporting groups that promote strength, equality, and solidarity.
Founded in 1987, Paris Jewellers, which has 23 retail locations in four provinces, is co-owned and operated by sisters Chau Lui and Trang Wong. As children, the two immigrated to Canada from Vietnam with their parents, settling in Alberta.
The sisters experienced racism at many points throughout their lives, Paris Jewellers reports. Most recently, the company received hate messages through its social media pages, with some posters claiming the co-owners are “not really Canadian.”
Though initially fearful of the messages, Lui has since “realized the impact, strength, and change” sharing her and her sister’s experiences may bring.
“If we can share our story and can impact one person, that will be the difference that we would have needed,” says Lui, who is also Paris Jewellers’ director of operations.
The limited-edition ‘Hope’ set consists of a necklace and pair of stud earrings, available for purchase separately. For each piece sold, 100 per cent of the net proceeds will be donated and split equally between the Canadian Asian Solidarity Fund (via canadahelps.org), which supports and celebrates Asian Canadians, and Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition addressing anti-Asian racism across the United States.
According to a release from Paris Jewellers, the jewellery set is manufactured in Thailand by a family-founded company the retailer has worked with for more than 10 years. The manufacturer, which employs over 450 workers, complies with “extremely high” workplace standards, including Disney International Labour standard for Disney character production, Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) for European jewellery standard, and Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) for the America market.
The pieces will be available for North American pre-order on May 4 at 9 a.m. MDT and will be shipped mid-May. For more, click here.
Jewellery Business recently spoke to Chau Lui as part of its ‘Catching Up’ series. Check out the video interview here.
