The path of quality is the slowest to
develop,but gives us the most in the long run.
Yup, whatever we do is what we get good at, I’ve been teaching
that for as long as I can remember. I may have become fast at
sizing rings, but I drive people nuts with the amount of time I
take to do my best custom work. My best pave’ takes about 15
minutes a stone (.05 ct.) including drilling and bright cutting
if necessary. I have also frequently been guilty of taking 3 or 4
hours to hammer the bezel over a 5 carat gem emerald. I said
goodby to the trade shop scene some years ago and have never
regretted it, though the pocket gets a bit empty sometimes…
Pet peeve time.There seems to be an eternal one-up-man-ship when
it comes to speed.We seem to need a quantitative measure of our
ability.He did 10,She did 20,and I did 30.Invariably,these
discussions are centered around the least demanding of
tasks.Basic stone setting,sizing,ect… Qualitative
measure,degree of difficulty,and complexity are thrown out.
I must agree. When in the auto restoration business, we often
ran into the same problems/issues. A “show winning” finish on a
paint job, quality plating, primo upolstery work, and a
“bulletproof” engine rebuild all require a significant amount of
time if they’re to be done right. I often times when customers
complained about the time involved for a job, said this: " here,
pick two: speed, quality, or price." This usually solved all
discussion. You can have it done fast, but it’s gonna cost you.
(every-one starts the day with 24 hours). Thanks for the use of
your soap box Scott. Tim Goodwin @tmn8tr