All the homeless dogs and cats of Whidbey Island will have a better chance because of two 10-year-old girls.
Before Margeaux Scholz and Vienna Canright head into the fifth grade at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School, they’ve got some jewelry to sell for the Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation.
These savvy island girls began their philanthropic jewelry empire at the Bayview Farmers Market in April after they began making gemstone necklaces, bracelets and earrings this past winter. Margeaux’s grandmother, Ginger Schmidt, had provided her granddaughter and friend with some gem and glass beads to encourage a fun jewelry-making hobby. But then Margeaux told Schmidt she would like to sell what they were making at the market this summer and donate the proceeds to WAIF.
“Being a life-long volunteer, I was thrilled to help her start,” Schmidt said. “She and Vienna started working, came up with their name, and I started buying the supplies.”
The name is “Mar-Vie Jewels” (named after the young artisans) and to date the enterprise has collected $583 for the nonprofit foundation.
The girls’ products range in price from about $5 to $30 and contain no plastic beads.
Their design ideas are mainly spontaneous, but they do look for influences as well.
“We mostly make things up as we go,” Margeaux said. “But we do get some ideas from catalogs, too.”
They combine amethyst, garnet, carnelian, quartz crystal, jade, peridot, coral, turquoise and colorful glass beads to create an array of Mar-Vie designed pieces. Their line is tastefully colorful and attracts customers of all ages.
The beads are bought at Music for the Eyes in Langley and at Bead World in Seattle, and however many pieces the girls sell each Saturday is the amount they know they’ll have to replace for the following week.
“That’s so we always have the same amount to sell,” Vienna said.
Recently, the Mar-Vie Jewels contingent were treated to a tour of the WAIF shelter after making their donation at the Coupeville facility.
“We petted the dogs and cats and it was fun,” Margeaux said.
After every market day, the girls count the money they make and write a note to WAIF with the day’s proceeds. They keep $10 each for themselves each week as an allowance.
“I’m saving up for Greece,” Margeaux said, referring to a trip she is planning.
A visit to the Mar-Vie booth this past week revealed a steady stream of customers who sometimes tell the sellers who will be wearing their jewels. One woman said a necklace will go back to Iceland with her, and another told the girls it was a gift.
“They tell us they are giving them to their granddaughters and stuff,” Vienna said.
Although the business is going well, neither Vienna nor Margeaux has any set plans to become the next Cartier. Vienna is a horse lover and will someday probably have something to do with animals. Margeaux pictures a life as an actress.
But, for now, the girls said they want to encourage people to stop by Mar-Vie Jewels at the market because WAIF is just a good place, they said.
Find Mar-Vie Jewels from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at Bayview Corner in Langley.
