Jewelry and wine seem to be a match made in heaven, which is exactly what Ponte Vedra Beach-based nonprofit Chemo Noir was thinking when it developed a partnership with Diamonds Direct.
The two organizations teamed up in conjunction with Diamonds Direct’s summer sale to host the Jewelry and Wine Pairings for a Cause event at the St. Johns Town Center location in Jacksonville.
“We used to do cocktail parties with our sales, but we thought it would be fun to add on and tie in one of our nonprofit partners,” Diamonds Direct Marketing Manager Kasey Bubb said.
There were also certain designated jewelry and wine pairings where if someone purchased any of them, all the proceeds would go toward Chemo Noir.
“I’ve kind of always had this idea to do jewelry and wine pairings,” Bubb said. “I just figured it would be a fun evening for people and a good way for us to utilize a successful sale by giving back.”
As part of the partnership, Diamonds Direct offered to donate a portion of all sales during the two-hour showcase to help in Chemo Noir’s mission to help those who are fighting cancer locally.
“Everybody you know is affected by cancer in some way, shape or form,” said Nicole Bickford, director of partners and sponsors with Chemo Noir.
Bickford and her husband were founding members of Chemo Noir and saw her role increase over the past couple of years since taking over as director of partners and sponsors.
“It’s been really fun seeing the organization grow to the point where it is at today,” Bickford said. “With all the different events that we’re doing, it’s just a really exciting time.”
Bubb had brought up her idea before and it had previously been looked at to possibly tie something on to Chemo Noir’s annual gala.
However, she was happy with the turn out and thought that having it during the summer sale was a perfect fit.
“We hope we can do a pop-up like this at the gala as well,” Bubb said.
Chemo Noir is always trying to find new and creative ways to get the community involved and excited about supporting their cause.
Guests were able to sip on a variety of wine while they looked over the selection of jewelry.
“It is unique and it’s our first time doing something like this,” Bickford said. “We’re super excited about it.”
It has been a busy last month for Chemo Noir with the Chemo Noir 1 Mile race and Wine Tasting event in late June and the return of cyclist Greg Taylor from his cross-country bike ride to raise funding for the nonprofit on July 17.
Although Diamonds Direct hosted the event, Bickford was quick to point out that to put on a public event like that it takes contributions from several partners to make it happen.
“The great thing about this is that there are a lot of partners involved,” Bickford said. “We have an event company, a floral company, a cheese company. It is definitely a group effort, which makes it even more fun for us.”
