Consumers increasingly expect the brands they support to align with their personal values. Many jewelry companies focus entirely on aesthetics, leaving a gap for buyers who want their purchases to drive meaningful change. This creates a strong demand for a business model that successfully combines personal style with direct philanthropic action.
Joan Hornig, Founder of Pavé The Way® and Joan Hornig Jewelry, provides a direct solution. For 26 years, her company has used fine jewelry to support charitable causes through a unique social enterprise model. This interview explores the brand’s expansion from bespoke designs to accessible tools for change, demonstrating how jewelry can empower people to make a meaningful difference.
Q: Your business started 26 years ago focusing on one-of-a-kind pieces. What inspired you to launch the Pavé The Way® line and shift toward a more accessible, storytelling-focused collection?
Joan Hornig: The Pavé The Way® collection was an intentional move on my part to engage more people, of all ages, in paying it forward. The pieces are highly accurate miniature representations of real objects that traditionally aren’t associated with jewelry. My goal has always been to underscore that our personal style tells a story about who we are, what we value, and what matters to us. Jewelry can say far more than simply reflecting our aesthetic preferences or our budget.
A talisman with a personal message, worn every day, can have just as much – or even more -meaning than a major statement piece. Through our social enterprise model, in which I donate 100% of my profit to the charity of the purchaser’s choice, I realized these smaller, more accessible pieces could extend that mission to a much broader audience.
I wouldn’t describe Pavé The Way® as a shift away from my bespoke business so much as an expansion of it. My original Philanthropy Is Beautiful® collection, which was carried at Bergdorf Goodman for 17 years, has always operated under the same philanthropic model. Pavé The Way® is also fine jewelry, crafted in 18k gold and repurposed sterling silver with ethically mined diamonds. The original Philanthropy Is Beautiful® collection continues to be sold through select retailers, including museum shops. Today, both collections live together under Pavé The Way® Jewelry (PTW Jewelry) by Joan Hornig.
The inspiration for Pavé The Way® came when I realized that women in the United States are more likely than men to earn college degrees, work multiple jobs, and shoulder the responsibilities of single parenting, while still earning less on average. I wanted to create a microphone necklace that could retail for $365 and symbolize something powerful: that every day we all have the opportunity to speak about what matters most to us.
Q: The Pavé The Way® line relies heavily on conversation starters. How do items in your Empowerment Tools and Tool Bits collections help wearers share their values and spark discussions?
Joan Hornig: Unlike a traditional charm bracelet, a necklace featuring an unexpectedly accurate miniature object – a barbell, folding chair, saw, or other everyday item – naturally invites questions. Diamond-studded screwdriver or wrench earrings do the same. Questions lead to conversations, and conversations create opportunities for education.
The message behind every design is simple: you can look good while doing good, regardless of your age or budget.
The playful messaging associated with each piece serves as a prompt, but people ultimately make a purchase for three reasons. First, they have to love the design. Second, they have to feel it offers value. Third – and perhaps most importantly – it needs to have personal meaning for the wearer.
The jewelry is also designed to encourage individual storytelling. Pieces are intended to be layered, stacked, and mixed across metals. The pavé settings are always white, even on gold pieces, making them easy to wear with everything. My hope is that they become someone’s signature look while serving as a daily reminder that paying it forward isn’t an occasional act – it’s something we can choose to do every day.
Q: Your pieces use literal designs, such as hammers or screws, to convey strong messages of strength and action. Can you explain your design process for these tools and the Food For Thought collection?
Joan Hornig: Every design begins with selecting a subject that is visually compelling and capable of carrying a meaningful message.
From there, I study the original object from every angle before beginning the design process. The challenge with the tools is dramatically reducing their size while preserving every important detail. Nothing is omitted. Each piece has to remain instantly recognizable from every angle, just like its full-sized counterpart.
For the Food For Thought collection, some items – such as the almond and the pomegranate seed – are reproduced at actual size, while others, including kale, asparagus, and the artichoke, are carefully miniaturized.
Once the proportions are finalized, the design moves into CAD development. The final step is determining where the diamonds belong so they enhance the design without distracting from the integrity of the object itself.
Q: You donate 100% of your profit to any charity of the customer’s choice. How does giving the buyer this financial control change their relationship with the jewelry they purchase?
Joan Hornig: One of my objectives has always been to build upon the reasons people have treasured jewelry throughout history – as adornment, as self-expression, and as objects filled with sentiment that are passed down through generations and given to mark important moments.
By adding a philanthropic component, Pavé The Way® gives jewelry another dimension of meaning. It redefines what it means to invest in a piece by creating immediate impact for someone else.
The purchase becomes a conscious decision to identify a cause the buyer believes in and support it anonymously. Suddenly, the jewelry represents much more than its design, materials, or beauty.
This model has proven remarkably meaningful. More than 1,000 nonprofit organizations – large and small, local and international, newly established and long-standing – have received financial support through purchases made by our customers.
Q: You operate two distinct lines side by side: the bespoke Philanthropy Is Beautiful® and the accessible Pavé The Way®. How do these two models work together to achieve your company’s overall mission?
Joan Hornig: The two collections are designed to complement one another in many ways. Both are distinctive and intended to be noticed.
The Philanthropy Is Beautiful® collection explores color, movement, balance, scale, and a wide variety of gemstones. The necklaces feature my signature donut-and-toggle clasp, representing a lifesaver.
The Pavé The Way® necklaces also reference that heritage. Each includes a lifesaver charm that adjusts the necklace length, making layering easy while connecting the vocabulary of Pavé The Way® back to its parent collection.
Because both collections share the same philanthropic model, many Philanthropy Is Beautiful® collectors also purchase Pavé The Way® pieces for themselves and as gifts. Likewise, people who first discover Pavé The Way® often become interested in the bespoke collection, making it an aspirational next step.
One of the greatest strengths of Pavé The Way® is its accessibility. The price point makes it easy for nonprofit organizations to feature the jewelry at fundraising events, while corporations have embraced pieces like the microphone as meaningful gifts for keynote speakers and holiday giving.
Ultimately, both collections exist for the same reason: to keep the giving going while creating jewelry that starts conversations, makes a statement, and improves the lives of others.
The interview highlights that jewelry can serve as much more than a simple accessory. By transitioning from exclusive items to accessible, everyday pieces, the company proves that design can drive social action. Their approach links specific collections to direct charitable giving, allowing customers to wear their values and start important conversations.
As consumer expectations shift toward purpose-driven brands, the social enterprise model will continue to grow in importance. Pavé The Way® offers a practical example of how businesses can successfully merge commerce with philanthropy, giving individuals a simple and effective way to support the causes that matter most to them.
To learn more, visit https://ptwjewelry.com/