Help With A Speech

Hi,

I could use your input. I have been asked to give a talk to a group of
retail jewelers. The meeting is being titled, 'Hey, I didn’t know that.'
The purpose is to help the people at the retail level understand some of
the processes that we use but that they may be unfamiliar with. It is also
to help them avoid some of the problems that we have with work they send
us. And ultimately avoid any trouble with the customer.

For example, explain that platinum prongs wear better than white gold and
tend not to crack, but that they are not indestructible, they bend as easy
or easier than white gold. Or that when a wax is cast, the wax is gone
forever, unless a rubber mold was made. That cobalt makes platinum
magnetic. How to tell if a stone will fit properly in a bezel. That
setting an inclusion under a prong may look better, but it can be a risk
also. Etc.

Anyway, I would appreciate some talking points. Things you can think of,
or things you have encountered, that might be helpful for these people to
hear.

Don’t be shy.

Thanks in advance,
Mark P.
WI

Mark, give me a call on Tuesday. I will be happy to provide you with
some fun things to talk about re: Platinum

Jurgen J. Maerz, PGI 949 760-8279

Dear Mark,
As a regular speaker on jewellery to a wide range of
audiences, I receive lots of interest in historical aspects of the
jeweller’s craft. “It’s older than the oldest profession” approach often
gets a chuckle and allows me to develop the historical side of things.
There is a rich vein here with links to everything from superstition to
science.

Make them proud of being associated with an industry that is built on the
expression and gifts of love. Point out to them that much jewellery has
its most powerful appeal in NOT being mass produced like just about
everything else around us these days.

Perhaps hand-crafted jewellery is one of the last affordable things that
people can buy. Could any of us afford to buy a car, or a refridgerator,
or even a bicycle, where all the components were as painstakingly
handcrafted as that last piece of hand-made jewellery we just completed?

I’m sure you’ll get lots more suggestions. Best wishes Mark, break a leg!
Regards, Rex from Oz