Operation Bling

February 10, 2009 06:00 AM ET

A year ago, Chris Ferdinand of Morris Township figured out that her mission was not just selling jewelry, but giving it away.

Chris and her husband own Ferdinand Jewelers in New Providence. (www.ferdinandjewelers.com) Through the shop, they get to know customers, but when one of their best clients—a woman named Barbara—stopped coming by, they became concerned. Turned out she was battling ovarian cancer. And when they visited Barbara in the hospital she said “I miss my bling.”

Chris ordered up some sterling rings with cubic zirconia stones—the hospital was not the place for real bling—and brought them to Barbara’s bedside. The woman’s face lit up, and Chris’s idea was soon realized.

Operation Bling (www.operationblingfoundation.org) delivers sparkling and fun jewelry, for free, to hospitalized cancer patients. Now affiliated with four area health care providers (Morristown Memorial, Overlook Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, and the Summit Medical Group) Operation Bling is in full swing.

“I’m very honored to be given this mission,” Chris told us. She said the idea came to her during a prayer. The website has posted a prayer list for dozens of cancer patients, and she’s enlisted local churches and synagogues to keep these names in the hearts of their membership. 

Just in time for Valentine’s Day,  you can stop by the shop in New Providence, and buy a bag of bling, (earrings, bracelets, Chris calls them “stylish, drippy things.”) All of the proceeds are donated to the Foundation. A fundraiser is planned for March 1st, at Il Capriccio Restaurant in Whippany.  

“Such a small thing has a huge impact,” Chris says of her efforts. Operation Bling brings some sparkle—pleasure, and fun for those who may need it most.

Operation Bling - NJ My Way (njmonthly.com) (njmonthly.com)