Local Jewelry Business Continues to Shine

Her company is called Twins Silver Dream, but one of Susan Lavin's most treasured accessories isn't silver. It's an antique diamond ring, set in platinum, that belonged to her husband's grandmother. Lavin mixes the ring with sterling silver pieces from her own vast collection.

Lavin and her twin sister, Patti Sapp, own Twins Silver Dream, LLC, a jewelry company that presents its line of more than 1,000 sterling silver and gemstone pieces during jewelry parties at people's houses. In fact, this .

They've been in business for six years and are successful enough to keep red ink at bay. "We have a lot of repeat customers, and that helps. This isn't a living; we both have full-time jobs," said Lavin, who's worked at for 18 years as a para-educator. Sapp, of Ellicott City, is now working in hypnotherapy.

One of the ways they market their business is simply by donning the pieces. Their daughters also help in the effort. Lavin's daughter is a pastry chef in New York City and can't wear the jewelry at work, but she can after hours. Sapp's daughter, who works at a nail salon, has found that wearing Twins Silver Dream jewelry at a venue burgeoning with women has reeled in customers.

Of course, everywhere they go, the sisters wear their wares too. "Whether I'm grocery shopping, at the library, dentist's office, or local nursery, I receive compliments on my jewelry," said Lavin. "It's a daily occurrence for both of us. We keep business cards handy and, if appropriate, pass them out when we receive compliments."

Lavin also has some of her young kindergarten students at Elkridge Elementary commenting on her jewelry and asking questions about the brightly colored stones. Her personal favorite piece from the Twins Silver Dream collection is mystic topaz, with a rainbow of colors that rivals the brilliance of any classroom poster paints.

What's in the collection

There's jewelry for any occasion in the Twins Silver Dream collection. Some trinkets wax exotic, hailing from thousands of miles away: small silver chains from Italy, harmony balls from Bali and Indonesia, and a rare, hot-pink gemstone from Africa called the "Botswana agate."

"We don't sell custom-made jewelry, but 99 percent of what we sell is one-of-a-kind," explained Lavin. The sisters attend mineral and gem shows and are members of the International Gem Society. They buy stones from local artisans plus from New York and Virginia.

Though they continue to collect pieces and learn about their craft, the sisters said there are no formal presentations at their jewelry parties. Usually 12 to 25 people attend, and during the holiday season, the sisters may hold four parties a week. Most of their home shows are in Howard County, but they will travel through Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to make sure no wrists, necks, fingers or ears go unadorned.

Where money goes

Twins Silver Dream is a conduit for fundraising, as the company donates a percentage of a show's profits to charity. Recipients include the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Center, the , Tay-Sachs research, and Habitat for Humanity. "Anything to do with children is close to my heart, so we'll donate to a family with a very ill child or people who have been hit by a fire," Lavin said.

For the future, Lavin sees Twins Silver Dream continuing to prosper. "The economy has hit the business," she admitted, "[but] people are still buying." She noted customers are simply "more cautious" when spending their money.

Though she admitted they aren't making a fortune with their business, the twins' dreams of spending time together while working with customers and beautiful jewelry is still, for them, a shining success.

For more info on Twins Silver Dream, visit http://www.twinssilverdream.com
or email twinssilverdream@yahoo.com.