COVID-19 Updates: Caring for our employees and customers

Dear Wonderful Community, 

Thank you for choosing to support our small business during this time of uncertainty. We cannot explain how much we appreciate the outpouring of support for us and our business. It is because of you, our amazing clients, that we continue to operate! Here is an update on how we are continuing to operate safely:

We remain open and operational! Our staff (Jessica and Colin) both telecommute regularly and continue to operate fully remotely. As Vermont has issued a “stay home, stay safe” order, Will has packed up the studio and brought it home! He is able to operate his at-home studio as long as our suppliers remain open, and our design processes, both sketches and CAD, are fully operational. We are so fortunate to continue working and have the ability to bring our studio work home, keeping each other safe is our biggest priority and we know that the only way we will get through this is by supporting each other.

Some of our suppliers have temporarily closed, which we fully support, as we strongly believe it is each of our responsibilities to do everything possible to flatten the curve and keep our communities safe. They are hoping to open sometime over the next month but we are unsure of an exact date as the situation changes daily. As of right now some of our suppliers are still open, however, so we are able to access materials and cast our CAD designs. This situation is changing daily and our production capabilities may change depending on our ability to access materials but we will stay open and operational as long as possible. If you have a project in progress with us currently we will reach out to you individually with an update and plan of action.

While we still have some suppliers open we will be able to design and create rings and will continue production as long as we can. We are working hard to lessen any delays in design and production as we transition to remote work. Changes to the production schedule of non-custom items will be noted on our website homepage banners  and communicated to clients via email. We will keep this page updated if our situation changes and please always feel free to email us with any questions you might have. 

Finally, since we source with US-based suppliers, refiners and miners we hope that our supply chain will remain mostly intact, and you can know that by supporting us you are helping to support the many small businesses we source from! 

 

Support for Our Employees

As an "ethically made" company, we endeavor to give our employees the highest level of support through this uncertain time. Here are some things we are doing, and strongly encourage other employers to explore these options as well:

- On March 18 we issued $300 bonuses to our employees (to stock up on needed supplies now, save for a beach vacay later, and just to show our general appreciation).

- We added 10 hours of PTO (please be aware our employees are part-time) to our PTO banks for vacation, personal or mental health days!

- We are offering unlimited sick time in the event our employees become sick during this time--we are in close communication about when sick time will return to normal accruals.

- We are paying for 12 months of Headspace for our employees.

Safety for Our Clients

- Please know that we are practicing extreme social distancing to ensure the safest environment for ourselves, our family and our customers.

- We are also still offering free 30 minute design consults over google hangouts where we can talk through all your exciting design ideas.

- We wash and sanitize our equipment and materials regularly and all jewelry and boxes are sanitized before shipment.

- Our clients have regular access to us, as always, via email and we encourage you to reach out with any questions or concerns! 

 

We cannot tell you how much your support means to us during this uncertain landscape. We know that if you are planning a wedding right now you are probably beyond stressed trying to figure out what your celebration will look like---we hope that in your experience with us you can take a break from the stress and let us celebrate you and your partnership with rings that are carefully crafted with love. 

With much gratitude, 

Will, Rosie and the W.R. Metalarts Team