St. Ann's Vintage and Handmade Jewelry Dazzles - Bay View Compass
By Sheila Julson
The vintage brooches displayed on the blazer are examples of the scores of pieces donated to the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care and offered for sale at their annual jewelry sales. Photo Jennifer Kresse
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care is a mission of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. It offers intergenerational, community-based care for all ages and abilities at its two campuses in St. Francis and in Milwaukee’s Lindsey Heights neighborhood. Many creative fundraising efforts help support its programs. One of those is the popular biannual cash raffle and the Dream Together Gala.
And then there’s the jewelry. The Vintage Jewelry Mission offers thousands of pieces that appeal to a wide range of tastes.
The other mission, Sr. Edna’s Jewelry Creations, features unique items crafted by St. Ann Center founder Sr. Edna Lonergan. Both missions have become popular with jewelry lovers seeking a socially conscious way to jazz up their wardrobes, and with artists seeking unique materials for their work.
Vintage Jewelry Mission
In a small side room at St. Ann Center, 2801 E. Morgan Ave., volunteers Betty Glisch and Marguerite Woodfill are seated at a table where they sort through piles of donated jewelry — necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches, pins, rings, cufflinks, watches and more. St. Ann Center receives jewelry donations from convents and parishes throughout the country. There’s also a donation box near the front desk at St. Ann Center. Glisch and Woodfill attend rummage and estate sales whose organizers occasionally donate items, and they ask friends and relatives for old jewelry.
They accept items in any condition, even if they’re broken. Woodfill pointed to a repurposed cat litter bucket on the floor filled with tangled chains and miscellaneous faux gemstones. “Those don’t make the grade,” she said. The “junk jewelry” items that can’t be cleaned or repaired are packaged into five-pound shoeboxes and sold for $10 per box.
“People know it’s broken or discolored, but some parts are good,” Glisch said.
Local artists purchase the junk jewelry boxes, including one who uses the jewelry to cover old bowling balls designed as yard ornaments. Jewelry pieces with plastic beads go to the St. Ann Center’s art department for classes and activities. Smaller pieces are sold at the dollar table that is set up by volunteer Nancy Macek every Friday in the atrium.
Jewelry that does make the grade — items in good condition or in need of a minor cleaning — is sold at the biannual Chili & Jewelry Sale, held the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and again in March. This year’s fall sale is Nov. 23.
Glisch, Woodfill, and other volunteers also sell jewelry at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Milwaukee City Hall, and the Marcia Coggs Center. In 2019, jewelry sales were held three times at the courthouse, twice at city hall, and three times at the Coggs Center. The sales are open to anyone and usually advertised on flyers posted in the buildings where the sales are held. They are also publicized on a card that’s distributed by members of St. Ann’s marketing staff and displayed at its booths at community events and health fairs.
They also hold a yearly sale at St. Ann Center’s Bucyrus Campus, 2450 W. North Ave.
The Bucyrus campus has a boutique with clothing and accessories and Glisch and Woodfill also send items there. One hundred percent of the proceeds from all jewelry sales go toward St. Ann Center’s programs at both campuses. Glisch said the vintage jewelry sales bring in $15,000 to $20,000 annually; their best total being $32,000. “That’s amazing, considering how reasonably things are priced,” she said. Earrings generally sell for $1 a pair.
Volunteers Betty Glisch and Marguerite Woodfill sort and repair thousands of pieces of donated jewelry each year at St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care in St. Francis, Wis. The jewelry is sold at annual sales staged by St. Ann volunteers and the proceeds benefit the center. Photo Jennifer Kresse
A gamut of donations
Glisch and Woodfill said they receive all types of jewelry. “We never know what we’re going to get. It’s like Christmas every week,” Woodfill enthused. They start by separating the jewelry by type and color. Glitzy and holiday jewelry is set aside for the fall sales. Fine jewelry is designated for the Milwaukee County Courthouse sale, which Glisch said is popular with many legal professionals, judges, and lawyers.
As for odd items, they found a religious relic likely tossed in by a well-meaning donor or someone who had just cleaned out grandma’s drawers. Occasionally they’ll receive donations of real gold, or a spectacular piece of value. They work with a jeweler at Robert Haack Diamonds who appraises the pieces. Those items are auctioned at the annual Dream Together Gala.
“Someone once donated diamond earrings,” Woodfill recalled. “The jeweler reset the stones and they were appraised for $1,700.” Those were auctioned at the gala. Woodfill and Glisch have a guide posted in their work area that helps identify common markings on jewelry; if the letters GP follow an 18k stamp that indicates the item is gold plated, not solid gold.
Glisch and Woodfill both live within walking distance of St. Ann Center and donate four to eight hours per week; more if they receive a large donation or have an event coming up. There are several others who volunteer for the jewelry mission, helping with tasks such as packaging and pricing.
At one time, Glisch sold jewelry in a shop at the former Southgate Mall on South 27th Street, where a Walmart store is now located. She has volunteered at St. Ann Center for 30 years and also helped in the café. She began working in the jewelry trade 20 years ago. She’s retired from Northwestern Mutual Life (NML).
Woodfill learned about St. Ann Center through a friend who volunteered there. Since she began volunteering, she’s become good at identifying pearls and confirmed that the “tooth trick” — lightly rubbing a pearl against your front tooth to see if it feels gritty — is indeed a genuine way to test if a pearl is real.
Sister Edna Lonergan is a self-taught jewelry maker. She picks up different techniques for her hobby from magazines and bead shows. She is the founder and president of the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care. Photo Jennifer Kresse
Sr. Edna’s Jewelry Creations
Separate from the Vintage Jewelry Mission is handmade jewelry made by Edna Lonergan and known as Sr. Edna’s Jewelry Creations. Those who have been to St. Ann Center might have noticed the attractive jewelry boutique inside the main entrance, with stylish displays of necklaces, bracelets, rings, and more.
Lonergan is self-taught in the craft of jewelry making. She developed an interest in it when she attended a conference in Washington, D.C. about 15 years ago. “I walked past this store that had a Y-necklace in the window. I went in to ask about it, but I thought, I’m in Washington and probably couldn’t afford it!” she laughed.
The store clerk, who was also the shop owner, told her that the necklace wasn’t for sale. Since it was a quiet night at the store, she offered to teach Sr. Edna how to make the necklace. Before leaving, Sister Edna bought the supplies from the store. She acquired wire, beads, clasps, and the tools to make three Y-necklaces. “I went back to my hotel and worked half the night making jewelry,” she said. “They turned out really nice.”
Jewelry making soon became a hobby for Lonergan and she picked up different techniques from magazines and bead shows. She stepped away from jewelry making for a couple of years due to other demands, but she later saw some creative pieces that rekindled her interest in the art. “I got the bug again and it never left me. I keep challenging myself with more complex pieces,” she said.
She noted the Y-necklace is a good necklace for beginners, and it’s a flattering style on most people. “They’re very contemporary and keep circling back in style,” she said. She makes things that would appeal to different age groups, to businesswomen, to those who love glitz, as well as smaller, dainty pieces or items with large, bold stones.
Lonergan also uses precious and semi-precious stones like sapphire, as well as crystals, and black pearls. All jewelry is gold-filled or sterling silver. She also does custom orders. Lonergan said the most intricate part of the jewelry making is thinking the design through and finding colors that complement each other. She has a large workroom filled with beads and materials that are sorted by color and type.
People can purchase the jewelry at the boutique, which is open Monday through Friday from 6am to 4pm. Every $20 spent on a Sr. Edna’s Creations piece provides a bath for someone in need. Lonergan said St. Ann Center gives more than 600 baths per month.
The center provides a wheelchair-accessible whirlpool tub and assistance for bathing. The service offers private, personalized bathing care to people living with aging or disability challenges.
People can book a jewelry party at their home or have a party at Ann Center. “There’s no pressure, and you just bring the wine and cheese,” she said.
For more information, visit stanncenter.org.
Sister Edna’s Jewelry: sisterednajewelry.com, Facebook: SEJewelry
