Mel Bernie Company
Encyclopedia
The Mel Bernie Company, trading as 1928 Jewelry (and sometimes referred to simply as "1928 Jewelry"), is a manufacturer and wholesaler of costume jewelry and novelties. They also distribute their products directly to consumers via their web site.
, has about 200 employees as of 2002. It is a privately held company
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The company specializes in reproductions and interpretations of antique jewelry designs. Under a licensing agreement with the Vatican Library
in Rome, 1928 Jewelry gained the right to examine and create interpretations of objects and jewelry in the Vatican Library collection. The result is a product line of Christian-oriented jewelry and gifts.
Company information
Melvyn Bernie founded the company in 1968. The company, located in Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, has about 200 employees as of 2002. It is a privately held company
Privately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
.
The company specializes in reproductions and interpretations of antique jewelry designs. Under a licensing agreement with the Vatican Library
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
in Rome, 1928 Jewelry gained the right to examine and create interpretations of objects and jewelry in the Vatican Library collection. The result is a product line of Christian-oriented jewelry and gifts.
Environmental issues
The Mel Bernie Company has had repeated problems in complying with environmental law.- In 1993, The Mel Bernie Company reportedly discharged 250 pounds of toxic copper compounds into groundwaterGroundwaterGroundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
. - The Mel Bernie Company was included in a United States Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) report, based on 1995 data, as a "large quantity generator of hazardous wasteHazardous wasteA hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. According to the U.S. environmental laws hazardous wastes fall into two major categories: characteristic wastes and listed wastes.Characteristic hazardous wastes are materials that are known...
". - In 2000, the company entered into a consent decreeConsent decreeA consent decree is a final, binding judicial decree or judgment memorializing a voluntary agreement between parties to a suit in return for withdrawal of a criminal charge or an end to a civil litigation...
with the California Department of Toxic Substances ControlCalifornia Department of Toxic Substances ControlThe California Department of Toxic Substances Control is an agency of the government of the state of California. The Mission of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control is to provide the highest level of safety, and to protect public health and the environment from toxic harm...
(DTSC). The Department had accused the Mel Bernie Company of illegally polluting runoff water with cyanideCyanideA cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
and other toxic byproducts of jewelry manufacture. The Mel Bernie Company, without admitting any violation, agreed to ensure that its operations would comply with state regulations in future, initiate inspection procedures, and train employees in toxic waste handling. - In 2002, the California DTSC obtained an enforcement order after a 2001 inspection found eight violations of state environmental law at the Mel Bernie Company, including keeping a leaking hazardous waste tank in operation and keeping toxic substances in improperly labeled containers. The company was fined $49,500US.
- In 2005, the company reached a settlement with the California DTSC to resolve a dispute regarding the 2002 enforcement decree. Again without admitting any violation, the Mel Bernie Company again agreed to train employees in toxic waste handling and to pay an additional fine of $25,000US.