Judy Sams knew exactly whom to call when she needed 150 paperweights for a conference sponsored by the Virginia Business Education Association.

"When I have the opportunity to buy presenter or participant gifts, I go to Virginia Pewtersmith," Sams said. "I never have to check each individual piece. I know they will be perfect. They take such pride in their product, and they want you to take pride in your ownership."

Dorothy Mauro and her husband, John, purchased Virginia Pewtersmith in April 1994. The couple's son Christopher, the youngest of six children, was disabled and out of work.

"We bought the business so Chris could have a job," Mauro said. "He has a brain injury, and we wanted him to be able to work with his hands. Virginia Pewtersmith was ideal. It was a gift from God."

When they bought the business, John had recently retired as marketing director for Media General. But eight months later, he died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

"I now had a business that I didn't know anything about," Mauro said. "I only knew how to spell 'pewter.'"

Mauro asked the two employees who had been with the company, Joe Bogdan and George Ols, both of whom are now deceased, to include her in the training that her son was receiving.

Mauro, 84, said she's still learning the intricacies of the job.

"Learning is continuous," said Janet Mauro Moe, Mauro's daughter. "This is an art, not a science."

Moe and sister Andrea Mauro Hicks work alongside their mother and brother.

When Mauro does look for outside help, she hires people with disabilities. In 2003, the company received an award from the Virginia Business Leadership Network, the Disability Services Boards of Virginia and the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services for employing people with disabilities.

Virginia Pewtersmith crafts an array of pewter items, including key rings, paperweights, glasses with pewter crests, magnets, statues and holiday ornaments. The company also makes unique gifts such as a chess set with University of Virginia and Virginia Tech football players.

"Every year we add one or two items to the inventory," Mauro said. "We've expanded both our inventory and our equipment over the years."

Anita Williard, owner of the Very Richmond shop, purchases several items from Virginia Pewtersmith.

"If you need something in short order, they will go beyond the call of duty to make it work," Williard said.

The pewter-making process begins and ends in the workroom behind the company's small showroom at 420 Southlake Blvd. in Chesterfield County.

"It takes approximately nine steps to create each piece," Moe said. "Each is hand-done, individually made. We can then engrave the pieces by hand or by machine."

Clients include churches, fundraising entities, colleges and schools, and individuals.

"Our forte is custom orders," Mauro said. "We have created Christmas ornaments for every Virginia governor from George Allen through Mark Warner."

The company recently designed ornaments and key chains for Bernie Mann, a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church on Church Hill. The church will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2009.

"We got our ornaments and key chains and sold them at our Irish Festival in March," Mann said. "They sold really well. Their work is excellent."

Virginia Pewtersmith also created items for the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.

"We duplicated a piece that was found in an archeological dig," Moe said. "It was a small square engraved with the words 'Yames Towne.' Jamestown paid for the mold, and we make pins and key rings that they sell in their gift shop."

After Sept. 11, the company crafted medallion key rings as a way to remember the attacks. The company sold more than 1,100 of them and donated the $5,600 proceeds to several organizations.

"We're from New York, and we were so devastated," Mauro said. "We wanted to do something to help out."

Business has been good. Sales have grown about 15 percent to 20 percent each year.

In the past 14 years, the company has only had three price increases even though its costs have risen.

"Metal has gone up 600 percent in four years," Mauro said. "We used to pay $2.65 for a pound of pewter. Now we pay almost $14."

Customers like Sams appreciate the fact that Mauro keeps costs down.

"A couple of years ago, I got butter dishes with small pewter medallions in the shape of a holly leaf on the top as gifts," she said. "I've never gotten such raves about presents in my life. It was one of the least expensive presents I have given."