The Bumble Bee Lapel Pin

Did you know that Mary Kay Ash, creator of Mary Kay Cosmetics, always wore a bumble bee lapel pin? Her signature lapel pin was a symbol for her achievements and the accomplishments of all of the women who made up her sales force.

Mary Kay used to tell the story of how scientists had proven that based on their anatomical construction, there are many reasons why bumbles should not be able to fly. Their bodies, for example, are too large in proportion to their wings. Yet, fly they do!

Mary Kay wanted to create a company that could offer women unlimited opportunities for personal and financial success. Many naysayers thought her ideas were too idealistic and that they would never work.

In 1963, at the age of 45, and with only $5,000 in savings, she opened her dream cosmetics business with her son Richard Rogers.  She had used furniture, homemade drapes and a single metal shelf from Sears to furnish her small Dallas storefront.

Her initial team of salespeople, or beauty consultants, as she called them, made nearly $200,000 in profits in their first year of operation. Today there are more than 1.7 million Mary Kay salespeople around the world, generating billions of dollars in sales.

Cue the bumblebee lapel pin. Mary Kay said, The bumble bee is “just like our women, who didn’t know they could fly to the top, but they did.” In 1970, at an annual seminar, Mary Kay started awarding the diamond bumblebee pin  to her top-performing sales consultants, telling the can-do story of the humble bumble bee. Her lapel pin message: If the bumble bee can fly, you can too!

“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.” - Mary Kay Ash

World’s Most Expensive Pin

The Cartier Panther Brooch just may be the most expensive of its kind.  Made of 18-karat white gold and platinum, it boasts 868 brilliant diamonds totaling 16.4 carats. The panther’s eyes are emeralds totaling 1.1 carats, and those blue panther spots are 102 Cabochon sapphires totaling 10.7 carats. Suspended from the panther’s front paws is an enormous 65.9 Ceylon sapphire. This elegant brooch is part of Cartier’s High Jewelry Collection and sells for $1.1 million. Now that’s what I call one expensive lapel pin!

Looking for more reasonably priced lapel pins? Unlike the rare jewels at Cartier, our rates for promotional lapel pins are very competitive.

Pining for Pins in the Movies

This weekend, the movie Eat, Pray, Love  opens.  If the success of the book has anything to do with it (over 155 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List), I’m sure the theaters will be packed! 

Last summer’s blockbuster book-turned-movie was Julie and Julia  featuring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams as Julia Child and blogger Julie Powell, respectively.

The film was indeed a feast for the eyes, with scenic shots of Paris and a bounty of butter-laden delights: gooey chocolate cakes, fish swing in buttery sauces, and towering soufflés, to name a few.

Another thing that caught my eye: the vintage pins and brooches that both Julie and Julia wear throughout the film—everything from whimsical pins like a Scottie Dog to a gorgeous initial pin that appeared to be rhinestones. You can see some of the visually stunning images from the film (and even make them wallpaper on your computer) here:

The New York Times reported that as a direct result of the movie, almost 48 years after it was first published, Mastering the Art of French Cooking  by Julia Child hit the top of the best-seller list.  It sold more copies than were sold in any full year since the book’s appearance. The books on which the movie is based was also in high demand: Julie and Julia  is in its 13th printing this year, and My Life in France, the book that chronicles Julia Child’s years there, is in its 9th printing.

But mark my words: books weren’t the only thing that were selling as a result of the film. The movie has lots of people pining for pins. Vintage-inspired brooches and initial pins were hot sellers as a result of the movie’s charming aesthetic.

I wonder what fashion trends Eat, Pray, Love will inspire….  We’ll be finding out soon!

Real Men Wear Lapel Pins

Real men may not eat quiche, but they do wear lapel pins! Many thanks to Lizzie Garrett, DesignWatcher.com blogger, for creating this wonderful photo collection of male celebrities sporting lapel pins.

If you’re a man who wears a lapel pin, you might be glad to know that you’re in the company of Jay Z, Will Smith, Prince Charles, Stephen Colbert (left), and Peter O’ Toole.  Even French President Nicolas Sarkozy wears a lapel pin that denotes his membership in France’s most prestigious society: the Légion d’Honneur. The French government awards membership to  those who have somehow contributed to the glory of France.