Sister Act

Y’all, I’ve been had. Again.

Some of you may remember a silly column I wrote a few years ago that went strangely viral – which made me feel only slightly better about the humbling experience described therein. I had ordered a trio of fabulous velveteen jackets – marked way down – from a tricky website that turned out to be of Chinese origin. Long story short: The order came in much later than promised – I’d been counting on these jackets for holiday parties – and the products were… disappointing. Actually, these awful garments didn’t even pretend to resemble their counterparts on the website. I’d basically been robbed – of a little money and a lot of dignity.

Oh, well. Live and learn, right?

Wrong. Recently, I was scrolling Facebook when a compelling image captured my fancy. Three attractive sisters of a certain age – all with white hair – in a lovely setting of rolling hills, wearing flowy linen dresses, earthy sandals, and chunky, boho jewelry. These sisters looked so cool, so fun, so utterly delightful. I wanted to hang out with them. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to BE them.

Maybe you have to be a sister of a certain age, yourself, to get it – I am one of four – but I was absolutely smitten.

I clicked the photo, which led me to a jewelry website with the charming name ‘Jane, Joan & Judy.’ My enchantment grew! The imagery was beautiful. The storytelling, irresistible. Behold, the power of good marketing…

Why Choose Jane, Joan & Judy? Jane, Joan & Judy are three sisters carrying on their family’s Wyoming ranch story in silver and stone. Every piece is designed together, crafted by hand in their small studio, and finished with the same care they give to a well-worn saddle.

How much do you LOVE that? But wait, there’s more…

Why We Decided On Our Biggest Sale Ever: Every winter, our families return to our ranch, and those days together are the joy of our lives. There were seasons when distance and hardship could have taken that away, but our community believed in three sisters and a small dream, and helped us keep this life together. We know we are deeply blessed, and we don’t take a bit of it for granted. We wanted to give back. So this year, to celebrate our anniversary, my sisters Joan and Judy and I (Jane) are having our biggest Winter sale ever! Enjoy up to 80% off some of our most meaningful pieces as a heartfelt thank you to the people who have given us so much.

Swoon. And the jewelry! Every piece was captivating. It was all so ME. But better. Much better. It was the ME I hope to be after a few more months – years? – of easing into widowhood. Strong, self-reliant, confident, joyful, radiantly peaceful… healed.

The jewelry was originally expensive, but it was 80% off! I was a goner. I ordered two rings and a pair of earrings.

And then I did what I should have done first. I Googled the company.

It was easy – so very easy – to pull up the AI overview, which read: “Reviews for Jane, Joan, & Judy jewelry are overwhelmingly negative, with customers reporting scams, fake products, non-delivery, and poor customer service, often falling for a story about three sisters making jewelry in Wyoming; many suggest the site is fraudulent, with products often poor quality or nothing like pictured, and refunds impossible to get.”

Jane! Joan! Judy! How could you do this to me? I felt like idiot. But even worse, I felt betrayed. Betrayed by the sisters, themselves, even though I now knew they weren’t real.

How was I so easily bamboozled? I went back to the website to look for telltale signs of fakery. There really weren’t any. No awkward language or wacky expressions. Even the address in the “Contact Us” section was in Caspar, Wyoming. Still, I should have done my research. Ever since the “jacket incident,” I always do. Why not this time?

Well, I think it was the sister thing. Sisters are sacred to me. I trust sisters.

The day after I placed my order, I got a shipping notice, complete with a tracking number. Sure enough, my jewelry was coming from China. Sigh . . .

Then, something truly unexpected happened. I began getting emails every day, pretending that my jewelry had NOT already shipped from China, but was, in fact, being lovingly handcrafted in Wyoming by Jane, Joan, & Judy.

The day after my order shipped (1/10), I received an email with the subject line:

Your Jewelry Is Next in Line. We’re About to Begin Crafting by Hand

Beautiful news. We are gathering the final materials now, and as soon as everything is in our hands, we will begin crafting your pieces with care. At our crafting table, every piece starts with the three of us at the bench, sketching, shaping, and talking it through until the design feels just right. We do not rush or mass produce anything. Just slow, thoughtful craftsmanship made especially for you. We will keep you updated as your jewelry moves through each step and share tracking details as soon as it ships.

Warmly,

Jane, Joan, and Judy

Wow! They already had my money, so why keep up the charade? But every day for about a week – while I tracked my package from China – I received one of these email updates. They always started with, “Hi, Jeff.” (Jeff still lives in my computer, by way of autofill. It’s… bittersweet.)

On 1/11, it went like this:

Hi Jeff,

Your pieces are now on the bench in our studio, moving through the same patient, intentional process we use for every creation—shaped slowly, checked by hand, and crafted with the kind of care you can feel each time you wear it. We choose our materials the way we choose our own jewelry: thoughtfully. Every stone, pearl, and metal is selected with care, sourced responsibly, and finished in small batches so nothing ever feels rushed or ordinary. Your pieces are making their way through this quiet, meaningful process now. We will keep you updated and send tracking as soon as they begin their journey home to you.

 1/12 – We’re Polishing Your Jewels for Their Final Step: Once polishing is complete, we’ll prepare them for packaging and send tracking as soon as they begin their journey home to you.

(I’d already been tracking them for days!)

1/13 – Your Thoughtfully Crafted Jewels Have Been Finished With Care: Your jewelry is now complete. Your pieces have moved through every thoughtful step of our crafting process, and they’re now ready for the next stage before shipping… Your jewels have been polished, inspected, and finished with the same care we give to every piece we make. Next, we’ll prepare your order for packaging so it arrives just as beautifully as it was crafted. We’ll send your tracking details as soon as your package ships.

Again, I’d had those tracking details for almost a week! I wasn’t sure whether to be furious or amused. I had to hand it to Jane, Joan & Judy. Those “sisters” were committed to the con!

But after my order “shipped from Wyoming,” they went silent. I kind of missed them. Their shameless messaging was oddly entertaining. And there was a part of me that still believed in them, that longed for what they were selling. Not the jewelry so much as… the dream.

My jewelry arrived on January 22, two weeks after I ordered it. Gotta hand it to China; that was pretty fast. As for the quality? Meh. Not as bad as those hideous jackets, but definitely not “lovingly handcrafted.” I got what I paid for.

One of the rings is okay, actually. I’ll let you know if my finger turns green.