For Immediate Release
April 1, 2005

LANSING — Design Works Custom Jewelry Studio, a specialty retailer in Metamora, has opened shop in the Mall of Michigan, an Internet retailing and shopping service operated by the Michigan Retailers Association (MRA).

Shoppers can access Design Works online through the Mall of Michigan at www.mallofmichigan.com. The site is listed in the Jewelry section.

Design Works offers custom-designed rings, pendants and earrings and features the designer’s newest creations, the "Wave of Success" suite of jewelry and "The Spirit of Equus." Designer and storeowner Zorka Pondell’s love of horses has led to an extensive collection of equestrian-inspired pieces. She encourages individuals who are interested in having a custom piece made to call for a design appointment, to review the studio’s large collection of stones and chains.

The store’s website features hundreds of photographs of Pondell’s jewelry and wearable sculpture. It also offers information about the store’s laser welding services and an events calendar that lists the store’s special events and appearances at area art shows.

The Mall of Michigan is a collection of unique specialty shops—all of them MRA members—offering distinctive products online. More than 150 Michigan businesses now participate in e-commerce through this website.

The Michigan Retailers Association is the unified voice of retailing in Michigan and the nation’s largest state trade association of general merchandise retailers. MRA’s nearly 6,000 retail business members operate more than 13,000 stores across the state.