Design Inspiration: Sarcoma Awareness Bracelet

How can it be July already?! I know I'm a couple days early, but this year is the slowest but also the fastest year I've ever experienced. With another month, comes a new Cause of the Month. July is Sarcoma Awareness month and I've been working on this idea with the Sarcoma Alliance for quite a while. Keep reading for the jewelry REVEAL, and to hear the inspiration behind the design and how the funds we raise will help people with Sarcoma. 

Partnership: Sarcoma Alliance

Last May, I participated in a local outdoor market. You never know who you're gonna meet during these events, which makes it really fun. Toward the later part of the day a nice lady named Mishell approached my table. I told her that my jewelry was based on cellular images of disease & then I donate 10% to an associated charity to find a cure. Immediately her eyes began to fill with tears. She was so touched by the concept and sentiment of the jewelry. She told me she had a specific person in mind who would like my jewelry & took one of my business cards to pass it along. 

Usually, that's when the story would end- cards are easily lost or forgotten and even the best intentions might be pushed to the wayside to take care of more pressing things- so I didn't expect anything to come of it. But, I was very wrong...

Pin it for Later

About a week later I received a message from Susan of the Sarcoma Alliance. She's Mishell's neighbor and just happens to be a Sarcoma survivor & now helps Sarcoma Alliance with their marketing and PR efforts. At the time, I didn't know anything about Sarcoma- a very rare cancer that affects bones and soft tissue, mainly around the joints- but Susan educated me. It's not clear what causes Sarcoma, so there's still a lot of work to be done in figuring that out. Once I heard about the Sarcoma Alliance mission, I knew this Change Making community would want to help raise money for their research.

Sarcoma Alliance Mission

The Sarcoma Alliance provides guidance, education and support to everyone affected by sarcoma. Their programs include financial assistance, support groups, peer-to-peer support, information on sarcoma and individual guidance.

They also partner with a bunch of other non-profits to support research for better treatments and discoveries that will hopefully lead to a cure. 

Design Evolution 

After I had the initial conversation with Susan, we did a group call with Alyssa, the Executive Director of Sarcoma Alliance to discuss the details of the partnership and the fun part- my design ideas :) 

Synovial Sarcoma histology slide

Since the awareness color for Sarcoma is yellow, we were hoping to find imagery that would stay in that color range. Due to copyright restrictions, the only available image I could find was in purple tones. So, we decided that we would use this for the first round of designs & see how everyone liked it. But we always wanted to come back to yellow in the future.

July Cause of the Month

Fast forward to 2020 quarantine. I've had some extra time believe it or not- ha! So, when it came time to honor Sarcoma for the month of July, I set out to make our yellow design dream a reality. 

I started by breaking out Photoshop and playing around with the different color and exposure settings. I kept tweaking it until I had transformed it in to a beautiful yellow masterpiece.

The new yellow version of the original Synovial Sarcoma histology slide image.

Now for the fun part- the designing! I took this image and cut a small round portion out & set it under resin in a sterling silver bezel. 

Three Awareness Bracelets being made- there's a style for each cause, but the Sarcoma cause comes in 2 colors!

How it's Made

Once I have the pendant made (watch that process here, scroll down), it's time to make the stretch bracelet. Here's a time lapse video so you can see that process:

As you saw in the video, the bracelet is finished with a specially tied and very secure square knot. I add a couple drops of glue to make sure it'll hold together for a very long time. The glue has to dry for 24 hours before the ends of the elastic can be clipped & finished off.

Drying patiently for 24 hours before I can finish it off with a custom Revive Jewelry tag.

Introducing the Sarcoma Awareness Stretch Bracelet 

Wear your Sarcoma Awareness Bracelet to celebrate your own journey, to remember a loved one, to create change and a better future, or to spread hope. It's the perfect way to show your support every where you go.

This bracelet features faceted Yellow Opal, which is said to have an uplifting & revitalizing affect. The stones are natural and each have a slightly different yellow tone.

It's available in sterling silver or 14k gold filled metals. Because each one is made by hand and the curing process, it takes about 3-5 days from when you order for them to ship. 

Benefit Sarcoma Alliance

For every Sarcoma Awareness Bracelet you buy, 10% of gross profit is donated to the Sarcoma Alliance. Your purchase directly helps people and families battling Sarcoma. Plus you get the extra bonus of a beautiful piece of jewelry to commemorate your part in the fight for a cure!

The official launch date for this bracelet is July 8th. But because you're reading this today, you can pre-order yours now by clicking below!

Interested in Supporting More Causes?

Shop the full Awareness Bracelet Collection:

If you or a loved one needs help with your Sarcoma diagnosis, visit the Sarcoma Alliance here.