In 2007, Paige Jansen-Nichols was diagnosed with two kinds of cancer, with a 20% chance of survival. Rather than dwelling on the worst news anyone could be given, Paige dedicated herself to helping others and set about creating an eco-friendly jewelry collection, Saint Vintage, as a means to raise funds to find a cure.
The jewelry is resonant with history as Paige uses recycled antiques, taking pieces of the past and turning them into mini treasures. Each hand-crafted design in the collection combines vintage, antique, and new embellishments, including semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystals, antique glass, vintage beads and antique pearls. « People sometimes think, oh antique, oh vintage—that’s got a certain look and feel to it. But not Saint Vintage, not my jewelry,” says Paige. “I think it’s got a little bit of magic to it. »
Paige’s carefully curated collections include bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, each piece designed “with the intention that someone will wear it and remember to live and love every day”. With the sale of each Saint Vintage design, 50% of proceeds are donated back to cancer research organizations, including Stand Up 2 Cancer. And Saint Vintage has garnered an impressive following, including celebrities such as Bryce Dallas Howard, Lacey Chabert, Rachel Bilson, and Jaime King, who are all contributing in the name of finding a cure.
Meanwhile, Paige has won her own battle against three different cancer diagnoses and has been honored for her philanthropic endeavors (including an invitation to speak at Variety’s Power of Women luncheon in 2014 – for the second time in a row!) « Maybe it’s the sale of that one piece that will actually help find a cure for cancer,” she says. “So that kind of gets me excited when I make it. That’s really my motivating factor behind doing this.”
