Mel Bernie Company

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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.^[1] They also distribute their products directly to consumers via their web site.

1 Company information
2 Environmental issues
3 Notes
4 External link

[edit] Company information

Melvyn Bernie founded the company in 1968. The company, located in Burbank, California, has about 200 employees as of 2002.^[2] It is a privately held company.

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.

[edit] 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 groundwater.^[3]
The Mel Bernie Company was included in a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, based on 1995 data, as a "large quantity generator of hazardous waste".^[4]
In 2000, the company entered into a consent decree with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). The Department had accused the Mel Bernie Company of illegally polluting runoff water with cyanide 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.^[5]
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.^[6]
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.^[7]