Good day to everyone, Wishing to provide clarification on a couple of
points that I have previously made which caused some feathers to be
ruffled, I submit the following:
(1) I read the posts in this forum as a means of gaining insight
into the daily activities of others in the industry, and glean
knowledge from others with whom we all share experiences related to
our work or hobby. I, too, work many more hours a day than I should.
I have spent 25 years in this industry, and, in that time, have
learned much about the science and mechanics of the creation of
beautiful things, and just about as much about the people who make
it their life work. Often, fragile egos are at stake, and one must
be sensitive to the feelings of others. However, I stand by my open
criticism of those who will offer advice that may result in damage
to goods or the reputation of the poor soul who follows such advice.
In short, if you don’t have a qualified answer to a valid question,
it may be best for you to remain silent.
(2) Mr. Fuja commented that my contention was that this forum is
populated by “schmucks”, which was not, in any way,
intended…although I made reference to amatuers giving advice to
amateurs. This was justifiable, given the quality of the answers
which were given to the person asking about the rhodium plated
diamond. At the end of every job is a customer…who will talk about
their experience, good or bad, with many other potential customers.
Satisfied customers provide ongoing income for deserving jewellers.
Jaded customers sometimes swear-off jewellery for life. In the end,
it will be the customer who will judge you…not me. My post was
sent to Orchid to save someone’s butt, and in doing so, do my part
to protect an industry which has suffered under a deluge of
fast-buck artists, outright crooks, and shameless liars. This
industry feeds my family, and I am compelled to do what I can to
protect the collective interests of all who make their living in the
"second-oldest profession". Oh, and I must add…the word "schmuck"
is your term, not mine, because to millions, it is the German word
for “jewellery”, and I can’t explain for the life of me how it ever
became an American slang for stupid people.(I’ll think about it some
more.)
(3)Ted asked about rhodium plated chain, and how to remove the
rhodium…and I will say this: I don’t know. My experience with
electrostripping involves cupric oxide removal, not rhodium, and I
can’t say what the negative side-effects of the stripping might do
to the chain. Burning the rhodium off with a flame is not an option
with chain, as there is often a surplus of solder used in its
manufacture. Better to get the customer a new chain, save the screw
-around labour, and try and make up the cost in the next job you do
for them.(They will be satisfied. What is that worth to you?)
Telling them “I told you so” is not going to improve the
jeweller/client relationship.
(4) Mr. Huffman took some exception to my remarks about amatuers
giving advice to amatuers, and stated, in a round about way, that
the professionals in our industry covet their trade secrets…and
are not always the source of clever wisdom. This may be true where
you live Mr. Huffman, but in general, I disagree. I have apprenticed
under several masters,travelled extensively, and have never been
denied which could help me to improve my knowledge or
skill. To imply to the readers of Orchid that professional jewellers
are uncooperative, or that one out of twelve is "woefully ignorant"
may reflect the particular demographics of your community, and I
feel sorry for the customers that are served there, but your
generalization does not apply to the real world. I have had other
jewellers go out of their way for me during my earlier years, and I
have carried this forward.
I simply have a problem with misas it is far more
destructive than lack of Creating misand
generously offering it to participants in this forum is
irresponsible, and to excuse the behaviour of those who do this by
tarring and feathering the professionals in front of an
impressionable audience of newbies does everyone a disservice.
Respectfully, David Keeling