... I just simply find the negative message presented about some of
our products to be self defeating ....
Daniel, I can understand your position on this. I happen to look at
it a little differently, perhaps because, as you’ve pointed out, I
don’t do retail. My customers come to me through friends, word of
mouth, people at parties, etc. I’m beginning to understand that
doing business that way puts me in touch with a whole different kind
of customer and, as I’ve said, not one of them has ever assumed that
I’m associated with any other jeweller in any way. They see us all
as free-lancers and expect us to have widely varying skills and
abilities. Yes, of course they are often misinformed too, but they’re
seldom hostile or aggressive about it.
Anyway, I fear we are boring the general reading Orchid public
with this discussion ....
Doubtlessly true. I think I’ve been pretty clear about my position
on this as have you. Perhaps it’s best left there as you’ve
suggested.
Which sort of brings up an interesting point. Through the course of
this discussion I’ve spent some amount of time puzzling over your
position on these issues and trying to decide if you are simply a
difficult person with an axe to grind and an income to protect or, as
I think I’ve now realized, we’re talking to each other from virtually
opposite corners of our trade. Two different worlds really.
Would be retailers and diamond re-sellers would no doubt be best
advised to read closely what you have had to say and note it well.
The thoughts I expressed in the course of this discussion would
probably be quite useless to them.
However, I am neither a retailer nor a diamond seller and seriously
doubt I ever will be. My customers are not retail customers and I
strongly suspect they are looking for quite different things than
yours are. I’m sure I couldn’t hope to satisfy your customer’s
requirements and I daresay mine wouldn’t be talking to me if the type
of work you do was what they were looking for. Mine want silver and
lots of it, yours are going to be looking at much higher end stuff
with the stones to go with it. Mine are going to spend a few hundred
at a go (at best!) where yours will start somewhere in the thousands.
This difference in perspective seems to have a huge effect on how we
see the business we’re in and what we have to say about it. It’s as
if you own the mall and I run a vegetable stand at the Sunday market.
That’s probably pretty close to the truth of it but, like I’ve said
before, vive la difference.
And, finally, yes, enough is probably enough.
Cheers,
Trevor F.
in The City of Light
