[TIDBITS] The Shop

First…a quick thanks to all of you who responded to my question
as to which gem it was that lit Noah’s ark. I looked into it
further and was told it was a diamond. But I was not able to
document this. As it is, it’s only for your

The Shop

First and foremost, the process of manufacturing jewelry requires
a well equipped shop as well as a crew of craftsmen that know
what they’re doing. In today’s age, the plant we now see when
entering the premises of a manufacturer still has, albeit the
advent of modernism, resemblance to the shop of yesteryear.

They had furnaces with which to melt gold…we have furnaces with
which to melt gold. They had tradesmen sitting at benches,
forming and creating jewelry for the wealthy, and we have
tradesmen doing the very same thing.

Along the walls and on the benches of a well equipped workshop,
you will see a variety of tools. Pliers, shears, files, calipers
and on and on. The shop of today, in that respect, is very
similar to the shops of–let’s say–the sixteenth century.

There was, in France, during that time, a famous Parisian
goldsmith by the name of Etienne Delauine who decided at one
point or another, that he would make an engraving of his own
shop–surely for posterity if nothing else. And so he did. And I,
in my browsings, found a picture of it.

Now now, before y’all go chomping at the bit in your rush to see
this image, I gotta tell ya a thing or two. My first reaction,
when I saw this graphic, was: “hmmph…primitive.” But then I
looked closer. And I saw the files, and the shears, and the
pliers, and the oven…and I took back the “hmmph” business.
Sure, the layout is different from what I’m used to seeing, and
the dress of the day is surely different from tee shirts and
jeans I see today, and maybe the equipment itself lacks a bit of
the sophistication we now have, such as, for example,
atmospheric coverage of melting gold before it is cast in order
to prevent oxidation.

But, lest you think this plays a large role, then think again,
and look at some of the magnificent works of art that came out of
the Europe of that time. The fact of it all is that inexpensive
jewelry requires expensive and sophisticated equipment in order
to produce the items economically, and expensive jewelry is
still made by hand…just like in the old days.

So now, go take a look folks. For those of you in the business,
see how much is similar to today. For those of you on the
receiving end, Etienne’s shop was not much different than, than,
oh well, than the shop of Tyler-Adam Corp., belonging to one
Benjamin Mark, a lover of these little Tidbits of

To my home page folks, with alacrity, and scroll down the table
menu, to that part that says Tidbit Graphics, and click on
Etienne, and look, and see what there is to see.

And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark

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