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My two most favorite pieces of jewelry in the world are my favorites because they were made for me and because they mean something to me. One is my mother’s ring, which RB had made for me several years ago. The other is a gold necklace bearing two engraved photo charms of my sons, which my parents had made for me several years ago. If you wear jewelry regularly, I’ll bet that there’s a story and meaning behind your favorite piece. Imagine if you had input on design of a piece of jewelry for yourself. What would be special to you? What would the story behind it be? Think about it, it’s important.
When I first learned of Black Mountain Jewelry the first thing I did was check out their website. Black Mountain Jewelry Company is a small company offering jewelry handmade by an Arizona couple named Mark and Carla Mead. What struck me the most about this company and these people, besides the beautiful handcrafted jewelry, is how much they care. About everything. Mark and Carla care what materials the jewelry is made from and where that material comes from as well as what happens during and after the jewelry is manufactured. They use recycled and reclaimed materials and only buy gems that are mined by responsible sources. It’s obvious that Fair Trade and environmentally responsible business practices are more than just buzz words for them. Mark and Carla also care about people.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, Black Mountain Jewelry has offered to present one of my readers with a custom Tree of Life Charm.
More on the Tree of Life Jewelry Collection – “Celebrate your milestones! Gifts of jewelry that honor the special people and times of your life. This collection was designed to help people find strength, feel connected and to celebrate life in a way that becomes possible when you have a tangible talisman, a physical reminder you can touch and be reminded of what touches you.”
WIN IT!
One winner will receive a custom Tree of Life Charm in Sterling Silver, 14k and Semi-Precious Stones (code TCS1) of winners choice – with up to 5 smaller accent stones to symbolize their children on 18″ sterling snake chain. The winner will choose the stones and the charm will be custom made for them. The charm will be shipped to the winner at no charge anywhere in the US.
The minimum value of this prize with the chain is $84.95 (value increases if extra stones are added). Besides the obvious immediate value, this charm will surely become a cherished family heirloom. It also provides immeasurable value to the earth and all of us because this line uses recycled metals and Fair Trade Gemstones are used in this jewelry line and 5% of each sale is donated to Jewelers for Children.
If you can’t wait to find out if you win it or simply must have it now, Mark and Carla of Black Mountain Jewelry Company are generously offering all of my readers free shipping on any order placed by 05/31/09 – just need to enter FS315 on your order form.
HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)

To enter leave me a comment telling me what the Tree of Like Design would mean to you. Please look into your heart and put thought into your answer. Carla mentioned in an email to me that she sent out a Tree of Life piece to a old dear friend. They put her stone in the roots of the tree and her three children in the branches. She’d lost one of her children, whose stone was set in the human heart in the branches – because he’s always in her heart. These pieces are so individualized and so special, and so much heart is put into making them. Make sure your heart is in your entry.
BONUS ENTRIES – LOTS OF THEM!

1 – Visit Black Mountain Jewelry Company and then leave a comment here telling me one thing you learned on the site or one thing you saw that you liked.
1 – Subscribe to my RSS feed.
1 – Follow me on Twitter AND leave your Twitter name here.
1 – Tweet this giveaway. Feel free to use this message – Let @valmg and @BlkMtnJewelryCo help you honor your favorite Mom on Mother’s Day. http://tinyurl.com/cehlkj
1 – Fave this blog at Technorati AND leave your Technorati name here.
1 – Stumble this giveaway AND leave your Stumble name here.
1 – Blog about this giveaway, including a link here.
1 – Place my button on your blog.
1 – Visit  HereAndThere.US (my Mom) and leave a comment on any post (except a giveaway post) there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
1 – Check out my iRobot Roomba Pet review series. Leave a relevant comment on any of those posts and another here telling me why you would or would not like to have one of these vacuums. Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
1 – Check out my Weight series. Leave a relevant comment on any of those posts and another here telling me one reason you are or aren’t happy with your weight. Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.
THE SMALL PRINT.
US addresses only please. This contest will end on Wednesday 05/06/09 at 11:59 pm est.  If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within two days of my email notifying them they’ve won.  Good luck to everyone!
A huge thanks to Mark and Carla of Black Mountain Jewelry for sponsoring this terrific giveaway!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
THE FOLLOWING NOTE IS TO MY READERS FROM MARK AND CARLA.
We are so grateful to have been part of this Mom Knows It All giveaway. We were touched by the readers comments and wish we could afford to send each and every one of them a Tree of Life necklace! When we meet people at our craft shows so many share their stories and why they connect with our jewelry but we never have time to document what we’ve been told – the show atmosphere is too busy. We would like to quote the readers on our website. Please e-mail Mark and Carla at info@blackmountainjewelry.com if you wouldn’t mind being quoted. We could keep anonymous with just a first name, city & state if you prefer. If you’d like to receive monthly updates just need to say Join Mailing List in the e-mail and you will be entered into the jewelry drawing – next drawing 6/30.

Valerie Gray

0 Comments

  1. I love these pieces. My favorite piece of jewelry ia a necklace my husband ordered for my with our daughter’s birth info engraved on it. This would surely be added to my favorites. I would love to own this pendant because no matter where I am, I will have something that symbolizes my family being with me! I would love the bottom stone to be an emerald symbolizing the month my husband and I got married and the stones in the tree to be my daughter,s birthstones. Thanks so much!
    Michelles last blog post..Thirsty Thursday #2 Berry, Berry Smoothie

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  7. WOW how beautiful the tree and stones are. I would love to carry my kids stones and the tree of love close to my heart to show the love I have for the best things that ever happened to me. My two girls are so beautiful and loving I cherish all my days with them. I can’t even remember what life was like before they were born. I waited 40 years before having them and I wish I started 20 years earlier to spend as much time with them as I could.
    Thanks for the chance to win this beautiful prize.

    Reply

  8. Both of my children are miracle babies. They mean the world to me. Owning a piece of jewelry like this would mean that I could carry them with me wherever I go. Not that I don’t already but this would just be so special to have. My favorite necklace is a mother’s love charm necklace that my DH got for me when I had our first child. A mother’s love is something so magical that nothing can compare to it besides the love of Jesus.
    Thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply

  15. I wuold love to have something symbolizing the birth of my daughter-I don’t wear much jewelry, but a special piece with her birthstone on it would be worn for sure. It took us almost 5 years to conceive her, so she may well be an only child, and this would just be a very special piece for me to wear keeping her close to my heart all the time. thanks!
    Jill Ws last blog post..Win a $150 Gift Certificate to Merry Maids!! ends 5/2

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  22. The Tree of Life symbol is very meaningful to our family. When my husband and I got married, dear friends gave us a Tree of Life menorah. We light it each year as part of our Hanukkah celebration to remember the small tree we planted on our wedding day that has become the Tree of Life that is our family. On May 7, we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. We have four beautiful children, including a set of very premature twins who are now big and healthy. We remember each day how lucky we are. This beautiful piece seems like a lovely tribute to our family tree that I could have with me always.
    Susan @ 2kops last blog post..Oh Curses, Foiled Again*

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  25. Thank you for the great giveaway. I’d love to win this piece because, it would symbolize my 2 living children and my daughter who passed away in 99. I would hold and cherish this around my neck, next to my heart always.
    Thank you for the generous giveaway

    Reply

  26. I would actually have this made for a friend who recently lost her baby, so she could have her memory with her- she is in a better place as she was in such pain thru her short life

    Reply

  27. Mark has 34 years in the jewelry industry and Carla has 18 years experience in art and jewelry business.

    Reply

  29. What a beautiful pendant! The tree of life would mean very much to me. My son the love of my life. My daughter who I lost when she was just a week old. My mother, who was disabled from childhood but who taught me much and was a great inspiration and my beloved Cheyenne, my dog, who was a very special part of our family. To sum it up, it would mean love.

    Reply

  30. I was drawn to this story because of the tree of life theme and then the more I read, the more I fell in love with this necklace. It would truly be an heirloom with special meaning in my family.
    My daughter is adopted and because she doesn’t have the biological ties of similar eyes or similar hair etc. I am very conscious of emphasizing family any time I can. We do things like have hands in for a “go! team!” or wear similar colors. Biological children will bond to their mom while their in the womb and through their similar physical characteristics. Because we don’t have those opportunities, I do as many things as possible to integrate my daughter closely into our family.
    In the adoption community we say that our children were “born in our hearts”. I think it would be so beautiful to have a necklace that has birthstones representing my husband and me at the roots of the tree and then at the top have birthstones for her two grandmas and one grandpa. Then one for Maya herself either in the “heart” of the tree or in a heart somewhere on the tree. Those are the people we ask God to bless every night – maya, mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa and grandma carpenter in heaven. That would be six stones – I would gladly pay for an extra one if I’m lucky enough to win this!
    I love jewelry that tells a story or has a special meaning to the wearer. Jewelry naturally warms to your body temp when you wear it….often you wear a necklace close to your heart. It can be so much more than just a decoration.
    Thank you for sharing this wonderful jeweler and thank you to black mountain jewelry for so generous a giveaway.
    Janet Carpenters last blog post..saturday0502

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  31. I have had four children only three are with my my third was still born four years ago. I have a picture of her in my purse. because she is my child and i like to carry her with me. I would love all four of my children to be together on this pieces of jewelry . that would be so jewelry
    jessica cs last blog post..Chicken Soup For The Soul giveaway 5/8

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  32. I would love this for my mom. She really is the roots in our family. She keeps everyone together and strong. We’ve had a lot of surgeries and illness in our family lately and she is the one who takes care of everyone.
    I think it would be wonderful to create a design with all the birthstones. The necklaces look amazing!
    Staci As last blog post..Small Talk Six: School Days

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  36. I went to the black mountain site and learned about Chalcedony. I had never heard of it before. “This stone has been worn for 75,000 years in its various forms. This translucent material ranges from blue and gray to orange and red – with the most sought after colors being blue and purple. Agates and Chalcedony are found in many parts of the world but the most prized are from India, Madagascar, Burma, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.”
    “Currently we feature Gem Chrysocolla from Globe, Arizona and Holly Blue Agate from Sweet Home, Oregon. Neither stone is color enhanced – colors are natural – from the earth. Both sources mined the rough stone over thirty years ago – there is no current mining – this material is extremely rare and extraordinary.”
    How cool!
    Janet Carpenters last blog post..saturday0502

    Reply

  44. These are incredibly original and stunning pieces! I would love to have a tree to honor my experience adopting my only daughter from China. I would include stones to represent my huband’s birthmonth, my daughter’s birthmonth, as well as one to symbolize the month we adopted her. The tree would represent the vibrant child she has grown into from being an impoverished orphan, showing that proper nurturing can make each of us grow into a strong tree.
    Cathy Dohenys last blog post..CCAA statement regarding adoption travel during swine flu outbreak

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  46. i had my three kids when we lived in a different city, and we planted something when each one was born. now we have moved away from that home with the three plants. it would be great to have a necklace like this with a tree that could never be uprooted and that can move with us wherever we end up next…
    melanies last blog post..wardrobe wednesday

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  50. I really like this idea. —We do not create status symbols nor do we seek our fortune in mass-produced, meaningless collections. Instead, we strive to create living art that embodies your unique human experience.—It shows that they are out there to make what the customer wants and not what some status group says to make. Like the hello kitty tattoo syndrome..and so on. Thank you for the giveaway.

    Reply

  51. That necklace would mean a lot to me, because it would represent my family tree that I have continued by having my own children. I never thought I could have children due to an illness that I have. But God blessed me with 3 beautiful and healthy children.
    I have also always loved climbing trees as a little girl, so this necklace would also remind me of those wonderful memories.
    Thanks for offering the great giveaway!
    DAWN
    Dawn@PainterMommy.com
    Dawn (Painter Mommy)s last blog post..Speak Now For Kids Campaign

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  55. I would so love to win this piece. I’m LDS, and in the Book of Mormon, there’s a wonderful allegory about Lehi’s dream and the tree of life. It represents the love of God. I have 5 children, and I would put their birthstones in the necklace as well. Thank you!
    Paiges last blog post..Wicked!

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  56. I enjoyed your review of the Roomba. We have an older model of the Roomba and have loved it. I love setting it down and having it go to work vacuuming a room.
    Paiges last blog post..Wicked!

    Reply

  58. I left a comment on the hear and there blog. I’m amazed that she could drive from Jersey to Utah. Maybe in an RV it wouldn’t be so bad as in a car. I just can’t imagine such a long long drive!
    Paiges last blog post..Wicked!

    Reply

  65. I would love one just like you wrote about in the story. I too lost a child and would love the idea of always keeping them close at heart. I have two other children whose stones I would like in it also. What a special giveaway!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

    Reply

  66. I have two beautiful children, one is my biological son who is 7, the other is my 9 month old adopted daughter. To me, this necklace, with their birthstones would symbolize to me the fact that we are and will always be a family. It doesn’t matter if we all look the same or how exactly we came to be a family. All that matters is that we love each other and that we are a family.
    Alices last blog post..My Little Fashionista

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  68. The Tree would represent to me to strive each day to walk toward the tree (meaning a heavenly place), holding on to the rod that will lead me there if I make good choices in my life.

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  69. Well… It would mean that life is like a tree. Branches Grow and Separate over time! And I would get my daughter’s Birthstone on it, which is great because if I have more children My Birthstone is the same So it would remain special because it would mean MY birthday then and not just my daughter’s (That way other children aren’t left out)

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  71. This is amazing. I have looked at the birthstone babies charms, but this is so much classier. I just had my second child 8 months ago, and my girls are truly my life. I want to make sure that they grow up to be smart and amazing women, and hope that I can be a great role model for them. My favorite jewelry is a pair of earrings my hubby gave me for my first Mother’s Day. This would be even better because it would include both of my girls. Even thought I don’t wear much jewelry as a SAHM, I would probably wear this every day. The whole concept behind the jewelry is beautiful–especially when you think about your own roots with your parents and how that makes you who you are now.
    Saras last blog post..TV time

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  73. Left a comment on the post about the chocolate cake. That cake looks really good–if my birthday wasn’t two weeks ago, I would have make it for my birthday! then again, maybe i’ll make it for myself for mother’s day!
    Saras last blog post..TV time

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  82. I love that they use recycled materials/fair trade stones…we must begin thinking of our children, and THEIR children. I LOVE this – I have 2 (grown) children and a Grandchild – since we almost lost my son several times, the fact that he is healthy and now has a son of his own is so wonderful!!! I would reflect this on my tree of life, as well as adding my fabulous daughter-in-law and my wonderful husband!!!
    1955nursehjc4me@myway.com

    Reply

  83. I would really like to win this prize. A necklace with the birthstones of my children would be a great treasure. It is something I would love to own, but it’s an expense we can’t afford. Gifts lately are inexpensive or homemade(though they can sometimes be the best ones!). Thanks for the chance.
    alsdgravenhof@hotmail.com

    Reply

  87. This pendant is beautiful. It would symbolize to me the importance of a good family life and that when you wear it you can always be reminded of the family bond. The stone just adds to the beauty of it all.Thanks for the great giveaway.

    Reply

  90. I love this piece and it would remind me of a time when all my childrn were here with me. I lost two sons and have a son and daughter alive,I also love the heart that is in the tree because on hearing of my 2nd sons death I had a heart attack. I would have all their birthstones and mine. On the back I would put “for my broken heart”
    Thanks
    matternu@aol.com

    Reply

  95. I would like to win the Tree of Life neckless for my daughter. Her husband died in a car accident, and in that same accident, all three children were hurt. The children are doing great now, but the neckless would be a great keepsake my daughter could hand down to her daughter as she gets older. The stone in the root of the tree would be her husbands birthstone, with the three children and my daughters, in the branch’s to show the growth we all go through. This neckless tells the story, life goes on and we will always be together.

    Reply

  96. That is a tender story! The Tree of Life piece would be a symbol of family to me, reaching back to my roots and including myself and the new branches–my new baby boys–that I’ve waited so long for. I love that there is a heart present in the design because it is a subtle reminder of life and love, which is what family is all about for me. Thank you!

    Reply

  98. My daughter-in-law recently lost her husband while pregnant due to an accident. She has since had a beautiful baby boy who looks like dad. She just got a tattoo of the tree of life (the leave representing her husband with his initials and the roots representing her new baby boy with his initials). This necklace represents their family still intact. It’s beutiful.

    Reply

  99. I thought I was going to be single forever and never imagined I’d have kids- now I’m expecting my second child with my beloved husband. I’d love a necklace to celebrate this family that I never thought I’d have.

    Reply

  101. I would love to have this necklace because every time I wore it, I would think of my family. I would get my husband’s stone and son’s stone in the tree because they are the two most important men in my life. When I go somewhere without them, they would still be with me. I would also love to have it if anything ever happened to me, my son could have it. It is a beautiful necklace and I would love to show it off. Thank you for the chance to win this gorgeous piece.

    Reply

  102. The Tree Of Life would be a heartfelt gift for my daughter who is growing up all too fast. She will be going away to college before too long. To have her birthstones and her siblings and parents stones on there would be a keepsake for her. Hopefully, it would help her to remember what she has been taught; her foundation, nuturing and what the future holds for her as she branches out toward the future.

    Reply

  105. I like the Sonora Star Charm Bracelets (especially the Autumn stones as that is my favorite season).

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  106. I would love to have the main stone (at the root of the tree) to symbolized the month that my husband and I was united in matrimony. And the smaller birthstones will symbolized the birth of my 3 children. This will mean alot to me to have, because my children (2-teens, 1-adult) would be branching out in different directions (college, jobs, family of their own, etc..) in life soon and I would love to have the The Tree of Life Charm to have them close to my heart.
    Naddezs last blog post..Win a $50 Red Lobster Gift Card!

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  111. I like the Sonora Star Charm Bracelet in Autumn. Thanks!
    coriwestphal at netzero dot com

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  117. What a beautiful Piece, all of their jewelry is so lovely!!I would love to get my hubby and my birthstone .It would mean our commitment together is true and strong just like the pretty tree:)

    Reply

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