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Bario Neal Fuses Organic Style with Environmental Impact

Published

8 years ago

August 31, 2015

Trace Shelton

Bario Neal Fuses Organic Style with Environmental Impact

TODAY’S JEWELRY CUSTOMER cares about gem and metal sourcing and how those things affect the land and the people they come from – but they also care about style. When a jewelry collection is beautiful and edgy while also using 100% reclaimed precious metals, Fairmined gold, and ethically sourced gemstones, you have a hit on your hands.

Such is the case with Bario Neal, a line created by designers Anna Bario and Page Neal in 2007. The two joined forces after discovering a common interest in the sculptural possibilities of jewelry and its potential for cultural resonance. The company promotes traceability, transparency and marriage equality, even donating a percentage of the profits to many environmental and social justice organizations, both local and global, including Delaware Riverkeeper, Ethical Metalsmiths, EarthWorks, Freedom to Marry, Human Rights Campaign, and Planned Parenthood.

It’s the type of story that resonates with consumers. But the story alone won’t do it – the look of the jewelry has to be fashionable as well, and it is. Most of the pieces included some asymmetrical element and have a rough, organic look, yet there’s also a precious, feminine quality in each one.

Bario Neal manufactures its pieces in Philadelphia and also has a showroom on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.

Bario Neal Fuses Organic Style with Environmental Impact

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”