Unique Breast Cancer Pins Promote Awareness (dateline May 18, 2000)

Live Wire Jewelry

At age 40, Julie Charles started a business called Live Wire Jewelry. Ten years later, she is still making jewelry, and some of her most popular items are her breast cancer awareness pins. The pins are hand-made by Charles, and 10% of each order goes to help support breast cancer awareness and research.

"The breast cancer awareness pins are close to my heart," Charles told Imaginis.com. Her aunt is a breast cancer survivor who struggled twice with the disease. Charles makes hundreds of pins for breast cancer organizations such as Y-ME and the AMC Cancer Research Center in Colorado. She has also made pins for staff members of oncology offices and GE mammography educators.

"One [pin] was given as a gift to Bill Bradley’s wife when she spoke at a breast cancer function," said Charles. A member of Y-ME also gave talk-show host Rosie O’Donnell a live wire breast cancer pin which O’Donnell wore on her show the following day.

"And folk singer Christine Lavin wears one on one of her guitar straps," said Charles. Charles likes to add a new style of pins each year. "I’ve done some pins that read ‘survivor’ and ‘2 X survivor" and a pocket watch with a pink ribbon hanging from it called ‘time for a cure.’"

Charles makes the majority of the jewelry herself, though recently she has had some part-time help. In addition to breast cancer awareness pins, Charles also makes AIDS awareness pins, Alzheimer’s disease awareness pins, and a variety of other pins and earrings.

To learn more about live wire jewelry or to place an order, please visit http://www.livewirejewelry.com/ Orders may also be placed by calling 1.800.487.6303.