Bead Devil
Bead Devil #1
Jan 30, 2005, 10:45 AM
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Censored: This message about beaders & Tsunmai was censored 2x
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This message about the way beaders can really help Tsunami/Indonesian victims was censored 2x by the About.com forums.
Below is my message, that was deleted the second time:
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This message is from Beadwork. It was forwarded to you by BADBOYOFBEAD.
You can view it in the context of the entire discussion by going to:
http://forums.about.com/ab-beadwork/messages/?msg=.
=======================Forwarded Message=======================
I was asked to repost this for PUGDOG, as his posts are deleted by the forum adminstrators. His words follow:
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I haven't been here in awhile, tired of my posts being deleted per usual, but the Tsunami in Indonesia brings up some very important points to the beading community at large.
There are a lot of charities popping up, a lot of scams, and you are being blitzed by ads all over to donate, help out, or other wise join in to help Indonesia recover. You never know how many of the dollars you give to charity actually go to help the people. And, charity is like the proverb about the fish (see below).
To really recover, Bali/Indonesia need to have a stable economy, and help while they rebuild their infrastructure. That comes from FAIR TRADE, and dealing with businesses on a long term basis.
A lot of beads, especially silver, come from Bali, and Indonesia, and there are a lot of "bali-like" and imitators that do not come from anywhere near that area. Those imitators are cheaper, less labor intensive, and are often sold as "BALI" (the -like being left off).
When you buy real BALI silver, and INDONESIAN art and products, you are directly helping the area, and 100% of your dollars (even the shipping dollars go to maintaining the infrastructure) go to help Indonesians in all ways. Most of the silver used in their bead manufacturing comes from Indonesia, as does almost all the other go-withs they need. When you buy real Bali, you are helping an entire supply chain from the miners on down. (In 2003, Indonesia was ranked 13th silver producer, with over 9.5 million ounces.)
Below is a post I made to our http://beadbanter.com forum, which has been well received. It's something to think about, when you are looking to "help out" or "do the right thing." What you may not realize, is that sometimes, the 1-2 cents more you pay for a product, is what keeps people employed and fed. Remember that "30 cents a day to feed a child" ??
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Many of you received our mailing, about our Bali supplier post tsunami. They are fine, most of Bali had little damage, but that is not the same for other parts of Indonesia. That part of the world will be recovering for years. They already had a tenuous infra structure, and most of it was shattered. Getting products in and out -- even from areas not directly hit -- will be affected by the relief and repair efforts for a long time.
While immediate charity relief and aid is essential, what any developing and/or recovering nation or region really needs is long-term economic investment, and outlets for their products. They need regular, repeat business, a steady income, and a means to grow. One-shot charity may start them off, or get them back on their feet, but it won't keep them there.
We, and you, are doing our parts in helping this region recover by purchasing REAL BALI sterling and beads.
Avoid imitations, and "Bali-like" beads. Make sure your supplier is buying from legitimate Balinese shops, with proper conditions. "Bali-like" does not go to support the Indonesian area, and help rebuild. That money goes to often large "sweat shops" in India, China, and other areas, and has pushed the effective prices of real Bali silver down, at a time when costs are going up. Purchasing imitation cast beads purpetuates the sweat shop model of business, and does little if anything to improve the lives of the people working, or living, in the area.
If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. If Bali sterling is selling for $.99 a gram wholesale in most places, a place with it for $.60 or the unbelievable $0.34 per gram, should be suspect.
When shopping for prices, look at the average prices across sellers. If a few seem way off, there is probably a reason. Yes, there will always be variability, but if 70% of all sellers have one price +/- a few pennies, and 20% are within 5 or 10 cents of that, if the other 5-10% are really skewd, you should ask "WHY?"
We import other items from Bali -- wood carvings, artwork, and such. We try to go through direct exporters, and buy from as close to the artists as we can.
Your support of these products from us, and other direct importers, does go to helping the region recover and grow, and give them long-term stability.
The few pennies more you spend on REAL BALI does more to help the region grow, than that $100 check you sent off to the red cross.
Both are needed now, but as the old wisdom imparts "Give a man a fish, and he eats today. Teach the man to fish and he eats every day. Buy the man's fish and he has a business and means to support his family."
In the long run, where and how you spend your dollars, or those few extra pennies, is what counts.
It counts for developing and recovering nations, and it counts for your Local Bead and Hobby shops.
As a parting thought... if you are willing to send that $50 or $100 check for disaster relief, isn't it worth an extra 10 cents per gram to actually really support that area develop economically so they don't need more charity?
Just some things to think about.
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The Bead Devil
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