Hi All;
I have a friend who is interested in applying to Dana Augustine to
work as a traveling remount jeweler. Have any of you had any
experience with this company doing that work? He wants to know what
to expect about how they do at keeping thier end of the bargain,
thier expectations of their jewelers, what the job is like, the ups
and downs, and how he should present himself at the interview.
Please email me forum… Thanks in advance.
David L. Huffman
Hi David,
I’m a recruiter in the jewelry industry working exclusively with
bench jewelers and watchmakers on a nationwide basis. Although I
have not worked directly with Dana Augustine, I have worked many
times with jewelers who have worked for the company. From them I have
learned that Dana can be a good company to work for. Each jeweler
travels via van with a sales person. In their van they carry a
substantial inventory of product plus a portable jeweler’s bench, and
move from city to city doing their pre-scheduled re-mount shows. The
jeweler sets up their bench to support the salesman’s sales effort.
Typically doing sizings, head & sets, setting jobs, etc. If they are
fortunate to have a good show it can be a busy and long day for the
jeweler, as the work is predominantly “while you wait”. The jeweler
and salesperson get a per diem salary, a per diem for food, and they
have a commission schedule tied to their sales per show. The income
potential for their jewelers can be fairly lucrative. Most jewelers
contact me for assistance in finding a new position based on their
being weary of traveling on the road. The sales and jeweler teams can
be out anywhere from 6 to 13+ weeks at a time, thus making it a
little more difficult to maintain a cohesive family life. From my
experience with re-mount jewelers, most typically reach a period of
travel burnout somewhere around two years on the job, although I do
know some that have worked for the company for many years. The main
component is dealing with the travel.
Hope this helps David.
Best Regards,
Vic Davis
Vic Davis & Associates, Inc.
No personal experience myself, but a few people I’ve met over the
years have told me that as soon as they get home for time out, the
company starts calling that they need you right away. Most have said
its great money, but they burned out in about a year. And not so hot
if you are married with chillren, but great for singles. One young
guy I know went to Japan with one of the remount cos. for 2-3 yrs,
saved his pay, came home, and bought a few small businesses, and
several rental properties. Must have done well.
I have a friend who is interested in applying to Dana Augustine to work as a traveling remount jeweler. Have any of you had any experience with this company doing that work? He wants to know what to expect about how they do at keeping their end of the bargain, their expectations of their jewelers, what the job is like, the ups and downs, and how he should present himself at the interview. Please email me forum.
I have worked for Dana Augustine Inc. for almost ten years now as a
shop jeweler and do the cad/cam. To answer your question about the
company, out of about 65 road employees around 45 have been with the
company over three years. That should tell you something. As far as
bench jewelers are concerned, if you are a qualified craftsman that
can at least do the work of the industry standards and not have to
be corrected on every job and have an eye for detail you will fit
right in. I can tell you that some of the bench jewelers make 100K or
above with Dana Augustine, these people hustle if you what I mean.
Not bad for 34 weeks of work with 18 weeks off each year.
Sincerely,
George