Mid-America Jewelry News
Mid-America Jewelry News
I was asked recently to speak at the Atlanta Jewelry Show. It was just an informal gathering of a couple of dozen industry folks from all areas of our industry. We had a nice conversation about what’s happening in the here and now, and I thought I’d give everyone a rundown of what’s on the minds of your colleagues.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You say potato, I say pa-tah-toe. In this ever shrinking world that we live in, the differences between people seem to get bigger and bigger all the time. The internet has given us the ability to engage other people from all over the world like never before. The potato vs. the pa-tah-toe divide is growing more and more visible every day.
One of the questions I get asked a lot is; “How does someone learn to be a jeweler?” I say the exact same thing every time, “I spent three years in jewelry school in Paris.” And then I just go quiet.
Through the years, I’ve written numerous times about how irritating those people that we call customers can be. They interrupt my lunch every day. They waste my time several times a day. And they bore me with their stories about 1,000 times a day, every day! And, they always want to enlighten me with their vast knowledge of this industry, utilizing information that they’ve learned from ‘they’.
Well, here we are in December again. It’s the Christmas season, so by now, you’re either happy, tired, worried sick, or just plain numb. Or, more than likely, it’s a combination of all of the above. And there are still a few weeks to go! But, since this is my 40th trip around the ‘Christmas in the jewelry business’ sun, I thought I’d share some do’s and don’ts for those that might be experiencing their first, or even their fifteenth Christmas season. What I want to talk about is the relationship between the front-of-the-house peeps and the back-of-the-house peeps.
You know, you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t it seems. Well, in actuality, I guess it’s more like you’re damned if you don’t. What I’m talking about is prepping for the upcoming Christmas season.
Do you remember that time when everyone played nice on Myspace? How about when everyone played nice on Facebook, all day, every day? Yeah, me neither. It makes me wonder how it got the moniker Social Media? The words ‘social media’ conjure up an image of something, you know, pleasant. The type of place where people are always kind and respectful to one another. Sort of like the Twilight Zone - only not so scary.
