Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers Blog

ESTATE JEWELRY

Filed under: Uncategorized — Ron Hurst @ 12:32 pm

We have an estate jewelry show and sale coming up on the 14th and 15th of this
month and it’s a first for us. It all started when Kathy and I were at the Las Vegas
Luxury Show last May. It’s a “by invitation, only” show we regularly attend; but
to be frank, we’d found nothing that really excited us until we walked by a largish
booth with “estate jewelry” on display. Naturally, it was the bizarre that caught my eye, in this case, a dog collar. It was in light green leather with a diamond accented solid gold name plate; how unusual! I had to know more about it, so Kathy and I stepped in and asked for more information. In answer to our first question, we were told that the collar really was for a dog; but as we looked around, more questions came to us. Somehow, we’d equated “estate jewelry” with jewelry that people had inherited and didn’t want to keep; such is not invariably the case. The term “estate” is applied rather liberally to previously owned jewelry that is not old enough to be considered “antique” (a century old or older); so while much of it does come from unwanted inheritances, quite a bit of it also comes from people who’ve grown tired of it or have found they’d like to turn it into cash to meet some other felt need. This was the case for Mae West. Born in 1893 to “Battling Jack” West and Matilda Doelger, she was a child star in vaudeville before the turn of the century; and she used this platform to enter the theater as both performer and play write. At a bit over five feet tall and large bosomed, she was acute enough a business woman to sell her sexuality in the plays she wrote and performed in, even if it did cause her a few problems (she was arrested over her play “Sex”) - and of course, she loved jewelry. An acute jewelry buyer, she knew that estate jewelry most usually represented exceptional value. While it was true that the choices were quite limited as compared with new jewelry made to the buyer’s order, she was quite taken with the fact that she could make quite a show with estate jewelry at a lower over-all cost - even if the jewelry did look a little “old fashioned”. The point of buying estate jewelry, magnificent display, was made in her very first movie, “Night after Night”. She had a small part, but already a celebrity, she made the best of it. Wearing her own jewelry and dressed to the nines in one of the early scenes, Mae entered a fancy “speakeasy” (it was 1932 and prohibition continued into 1933). The actress playing the role of the speakeasy’s coat check girl did a double take on the opulent diamond neckpiece in prominent display on Ms. West’s generous bosom and uttered her almost famous single line, “Goodness, what beautiful diamonds!” Mae turned to her with a knowing look and (famously) rejoined, “Goodness had nothing to do with it.” Needless to say, she had made a statement to all of America’s film goers with her estate jewelry and she continued to buy it throughout her career in Hollywood. Unquestionably, her jewelry had emotional value for Ms. West; but that did not prevent her from selling it all for a “good cause” that had greater emotional content for her - in this case, stopping Hitler. By the early summer of 1940 the Nazis had overrun all of western Europe and Britain’s back was to the wall. With control of the air over the English Channel, the Luftwaffe effectively denied it to the Royal Navy. Invasion seemed imminent and all that stood in opposition to Hitler was the beleaguered Royal Air Force. Desperate for planes and ammunition, the British turned to the U.S.; but at the time our nation’s laws prohibited “credit” sales to nations at war; and Britain was nearly bankrupt. It needed our good will and our cash if it were to survive. Into this money/public relations crunch stepped Mae. She sold off her entire platinum and diamond jewelry collection and donated the proceeds to the RAF. Given Britain’s needs, the money was a drop in the bucket; but as an emotional public statement of support, it was priceless PR.

Emotions, of course, are what jewelry is all about. We buy gifts of jewelry as
statements of love; and we buy it because it makes us happy. Hearts On Fire, the
world’s most perfectly cut diamond, and fine diamond Jewelry by Hearts On Fire
are perfect statements of love; so if you need to say “I love you” loudly and clearly, Hearts On Fire is the perfect gift. If, however, you find pleasure in the romance of estate jewelry, you cannot afford to miss our two day estate jewelry event. With more than 500 pieces of jewelry dating from the 1830’s to the present (some of it previously owned by celebrities) and valued at more than $2 million, it will be quite a show. For Hearts On Fire, check out our website,
hurstsberwynjewelers.com, then phone us at 708.788.0880 for an appointment to
select your very own Hearts On Fire. If you want to make sure you make the most
of our estate jewelry event, phone us for an appointment. Remember, our job is
realizing your dreams.

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The Ill Wind

Filed under: Uncategorized — Ron Hurst @ 12:27 pm

I’m sure you’ve heard Thomas Tusser’s observation, “Tis an ill wind that blows nobody any good.” Of course, when we quote from his Elizabethan book on gardening, “Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry”, our reference to the “wind” is usually an allegorical reference to fate or events tragic for some but beneficial to others. And so I must begin my look at platinum. Until the late 19th century platinum was little used - even though Louis XIV of France had pronounced it the metal of kings. The problem stemmed from the high temperatures required to melt it and to work it - temperatures too high to be produced by the little alcohol “blow torches” used by jewelers for centuries. Platinum could be cast into an ingot that could then be flattened and cut into sheets and wires of the metal. Then a jeweler of rare skills could fabricate platinum jewelry from “sheet and wire” using gold or silver to marry the parts. In the late 19th century, however, industry became interested in platinum for its density, strength, inert character and its unique catalytic properties. This led to a search (successful) for new sources of platinum - a “wind” that was far from “ill” for jewelry makers as it coincided with the development of “new” hot torches that made it far easier to create jewelry from platinum. So it was that in the early 20th century platinum jewelry became available to the masses. Remember, however, that industry initially drove the platinum market; and this remained a constant. As a consequence, the availability of platinum has ebbed and flowed with industry’s needs for it. This was especially during during the Second World War; our country’s need for platinum was so great that the U.S. Government allowed the whole of the jewelry business only 1 ounce of platinum each month, a limitation that continued throughout the Cold War. Though platinum has been more readily available since the early 90s, its price still fluctuates with demand, leading me to my “ill wind”. In this case it is the tremendous change we’ve seen in petroleum prices. Today’s fuel prices have brought about a great decline in the demand for automobiles in the United States and elsewhere; one that has driven some automobile manufacturers to their knees. With unsold inventories, they’ve cut back on manufacturing and closed some of their plants as the asking price for their publicly traded stocks have plummeted. An ill wind, indeed, but some have benefited from it - jewelry buyers. Puzzled? It all goes back to our current demands for “clean” exhaust emissions. The catalytic converter in your car uses a few hundred dollars worth of platinum to reduce nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen, oxidize carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and oxidize unburnt fuel. It may not sound like much money compared to the cost of the average automobile; but in 2007 the automobile industry used about 80 tons of the slightly more than 130 tons of platinum mined that year. That’s about 60% of all of the platinum produced in 2007; and if you think about it, it’s clear that the automobile market drives the price of platinum. The obvious corollary is that if automobile demand nose-dives, the price of platinum must also; and that has been the case. Today it’s selling for more than one-third less than it did a year ago today. Thus this “ill wind”, the decline in platinum’s price, has had the effect of reducing the cost of platinum jewelry a bit; but don’t expect anything dramatic. The metallic worth of a ring with a quarter of an ounce of platinum in it has declined by a little more than $100; and if is set with any diamonds, even small ones, increases in the prices of diamonds over the last year will have eaten up the “savings” in platinum. Of course, whatever you pay for platinum, its worth it - to both industry (for its utility) and consumers (because platinum holds diamonds so well and is so durable).

Then there are diamonds. Their durability outshines all of the precious metals; but all diamonds are not created equally. If you want to experience diamonds at their best, they must be Hearts On Fire. They’re the world’s most perfectly cut diamonds and that’s not just another of those dry diamond facts. The execution of a diamond’s cut is the source of its brilliance, fire and scintillation; and the perfection of the Hearts On Fire’s cut makes it outshine and out sparkle all others. It’s the most beautiful diamond you can buy; and its heart-stopping beauty lets it speak for you, saying, “I love you,” perfectly. Check out our Hearts On Fire collection on line at hurstsberwynjewelers.com; then phone us at 708.788.0880 for an appointment to select the Hearts On Fire you need to do the talking for you. Christmas layaways are currently being taken on purchases of $1000 or more.

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Intellectual Property

Filed under: Uncategorized — Ron Hurst @ 9:01 pm

Today I had a phone call from a gentleman who wanted to see a ring made by one of the designers we feature. He had seen an ad picturing the ring and while he liked it, he felt he had to see it to see if it would be “the one”. He wants to become engaged to a young woman with simple tastes while he wants to make a statement. The ring in question, set with more than 100 small diamonds in addition to the primary gem, is technically difficult and expensive to make, so there will never be many of them. For this reason it looked to him as if it would meet his criteria; but that left open the question of whether or not she might like it. To resolve his doubts, he has made an appointment with me to come see the ring on a woman’s hand. Since a gift of jewelry is almost invariably a piece of communication (“I’m proud of you”, “I treasure you” “Will you marry me?”, and “I love you” being the most common) his concern is quite legitimate; but what makes it so hard for him to “make a statement”? Not, as yet, having met with him, I suspect the problem stems from his perception that a lot of jewelry is “the same old, same old”; and in fact, this is a constant problem in the jewelry business brought on by the difficulty of defending a copyright on an original design. Designers who have taken a “painterly” approach to design, that is, have crafted designs dependent on shape and the arrangement of gems, have found themselves copied since the late 19th century and the first appearance of a mass jewelry market; and it has frustrated many of them. Just take a look at René Lalique. Yes, he’s the Lalique of Lalique crystal; but in “belle époque” Paris you would have known him for his jewelry. By the early 1890s he’d become a sculptor, chemist, engineer, architect, jewelry designer and glassmaker; and his artistic credentials brought him into the most fashionable of social circles in Paris, that of actress Sarah Bernhardt. Perhaps a bit taken with Sarah, Lalique created elaborate “stage” jewelry for her; and perhaps unsurprisingly, the pieces he created for the actress soon gained him the patronage of the rich and socially prominent in Paris. Success in hand, he decided to make his exhibit at the 1900 Paris World’s Fair a design tour de force. At the apex of his creativity, he stunned visitors to the fair with his Art Nouveau extravagance. Richly fabricated from glass, precious metal and gems, the naturalistic imagery of his jewelry was filled with implicit emotional content that ranged from innocent to sinister - often commingled for dramatic effect. One corsage ornament he displayed was composed of wriggling and writhing snakes in a field of pearls; while other pieces in the display were complete landscapes in which life was contrasted with death and decay. In his jewelry the natural world became myth. The archetypical “languid maiden” of Art Nouveau, for example, transcended reality to become a mystical dragonfly or butterfly woman with a body of precious metal and wings of transparent “plique-a-jour” enamel. While other Parisian jewelers displayed their jewelry on black velvet, he showed his on a bronze screen outlining several fantastic butterfly women atop a field of white gauze. Parisian art critics hated it, calling his jewelry “eccentric, unwearable, mere showpieces”; but the public loved it and Lalique’s jewelry became a “must” for anyone who would be fashionable. His success, however, led to his work being widely copied, both in France and abroad. While each piece of Lalique’s jewelry was a technical masterpiece, crafted in an impulse to create a thing of beauty, the imitations were usually done on the cheap. Few of the copies had the depth of detail that marked Lalique’s work and fewer still displayed any artistic originality, but being less labor intensive and still “a la mode”, they sold very well at prices much lower than Lalique’s pieces of art. By 1909 he had seen enough theft of his intellectual property to tun his back on jewelry making forever and concentrated, instead, on glassmaking. Bereft of originality, flooded with increasingly crude jewelry, the public became bored with Art Nouveau jewelry and its motifs faded into a small, but interesting, back water of the jewelry world.

“Same old, same old”, doesn’t apply to Hearts On Fire diamonds. Each is crafted with that same impulse to beauty that drove René Lalique. How different this is from ordinary diamonds! Most of them are cut for weight, even those that are cut to imitate Hearts On Fire’s hearts and fire burst. Without Hearts On Fire’s optimal proportions (for brightness) and without Hearts On Fire’s polish (unequaled for its luster and transparency), they just don’t have the breathtaking beauty of the Hearts On Fire. It is so striking a diamond that it breathes myriad “sparkles” of fire by moonlight - when other diamonds have “fallen asleep”. So if you seriously want to make a statement, if you want to tell her how much she means to you and how much you love her in a way that all can see, only Hearts On Fire will serve. Check out our Hearts On Fire collection on line at hurstsberwynjewelers.com; then phone us at 708.788.0880 for an appointment to select your perfect statement of love and commitment. We’re Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers and our pleasure is realizing your dreams.

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FEAR

Filed under: Uncategorized — Ron Hurst @ 10:45 pm

I can not help but look at the current disturbance in the financial markets without being reminded of one of my unusual medical conditions. My thyroid secretes way too much of the “fight or flight” hormone - which produces massive adrenaline dumps into my bloodstream if it is unchecked. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to the problem, one that I have availed myself of for more than 25 years; and it enables me to stay cool and calm. The comparison to today’s financial markets ought to be obvious; most of us are faced with a threatening economic situation, more crucial to some than to others, and it is bound to make many very anxious. Yet this disturbance in the world’s economy, grave though it may be, will pass - whether there is a “medication” for it or not. Panic will often lead to foolish choices - avoid it. Find your own “medication” in your personal world view; look for opportunities rather than wring your hands. I count among my friends a gentleman who suffers from diabetes that, as he ages, increasingly imposes physical hardships upon him. Beyond the physical, he has been retired for several years and his current lifestyle is maintained by his investments in the stock market. If ever there were a man with a right to be fearful, it is he; yet he endures, usually without complaint. Fear has neither panicked him nor crushed him. Perhaps his age and prior experience of other physical hardships and economic disturbances have strengthened his innate stoicism; but whatever the case may be, he sums up his current challenges with a shrug of his shoulders and, “Oh well, what can you do?” The current disturbance is just a recurring part of the business cycle. In 1973 we (our business) roared, well stocked, into Christmas only to find our country hit with an Arab oil embargo. Gas prices soared, there were long lines at many filling stations and Christmas shopping was so drastically curtailed that it was a real economic hardship for us. We persevered and we endured. At the end of 1979 the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and gold rocketed up to more than $800/ounce. This threw much of the jewelry business into a panic; but we persevered and we endured. In 1987 the stock market crashed and many shoppers scaled back their purchases of luxury products such as ours; but we persevered and we endured. Disruptions occurred again in the 90s and again after 9/11 but we persevered and we endured - and my bet is that you did too. To borrow a line from Franklin Roosevelt, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” While I certainly won’t urge you to take a frivolous look at our current circumstances, I will urge you to do something meaningful for yourself about them. Do you think there must be banking reform? Don’t sit on your hands; work for it. Do you grow angry at the remuneration awarded corporate executives regardless of their success or failure? Go to shareholder meetings, if you can, and voice your protest. Support corporate reforms any way you can. Do you dislike computerized voting? Do something about it to make the results more secure - at least support a non-partisan voting reform group. Act, don’t wail; and that carries over into your personal life. Isn’t it possible that your spouse, or you, is so caught up in “gloom and doom” that you’ve forgotten how to enjoy life together. When’s the last time you went out to dinner? Here in the Chicago area you live in a universe of cuisines and inventive approaches to cuisine; take advantage of it. Dinner with the society of your spouse, with or without friends, is a simple luxury you both deserve. Go for a walk and listen to the chatter of migrating birds. Listen to some music you’ve ignored for 20 years just to see if you’ve “grown” or have been missing something. Savor the moments of joy in your life and build as many emotional bridges as you may need to get over the strains and crises of the moment. Believe in yourself and in the future. Remember, the future is mutable; it will be what you make of it.

Don’t neglect the tokens of love that are such important milestones in a marriage. If your significant other has an “important” birthday coming up, or if you have an anniversary coming up, celebrate it with something of beauty - celebrate it with Hearts On Fire. He needs a Hearts On Fire diamond ring as a reminder of your love for him just as much as you need a piece of fine diamond Jewelry by Hearts On Fire as an enduring statement of his love for you. Hearts On Fire is the world’s most perfectly cut diamond and; its breathtaking beauty makes it the one perfect way to say, “I love you,” perfectly. Check out our Hearts On Fire collection on line at hurstsberwynjewelers.com; then phone at 708.788.0880 us for an appointment to select the perfect statement of your love. We’re Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers and our job is realizing your dream

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But is it art?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Ron Hurst @ 6:25 pm

A few weeks ago at our reception for jewelry designer Bergio, some of our clients asked him how he conceived of his designs. His reply was, “I get an idea, I sketch it and then I fax it to the factory in Italy. They look at it, work out what is practical to make, then send me their version of my sketch. I approve it if I like it; if I don’t, I send them another version of my first sketch and we start all over again. We do this until I like their proposal, then we make it” Some of his listeners accepted this, but others saw it as a “contamination” of the creative process. For them let me relate a story about Andy Warhol often told by the late Harry Boros, a Chicago Professor of Classics and art critic. Back in the 1960’s Andy made the cover of “Time” magazine and his fame led a wealthy Long Island matron to ask him to do her portrait. He quoted a price of $70,000 for the commission; and she agreed. Then she asked when she must “sit” for her portrait. Andy averred that she would not have to “sit” but that she would have to meet him in New York’s Grand Central Station. She asked if that was all, and Andy replied, “No, bring as many quarters as you can with you.” Knowing that Andy was “experimental” in his approach to art, she asked no questions and met him in Grand Central Station on the day they had agreed - with a purse full of quarters. “What now?” she asked. Andy pointed to a nearby “photomat” machine and told her to go into and take pictures of herself, in any poses she wanted, until she ran out of quarters. Fifty-four pictures later she emerged from the booth and proffered them to Andy; but instead of taking them, he asked a question. “Did you drive into the city or did you take the train?” “I drove,” she replied. Then, instead of accepting the pictures, Andy asked her if she would mind taking them to a commercial photo studio with which he did business. She good naturedly agreed, asking only, “What should I tell them?” “Just that I’ll call later with instructions,” Andy replied. She did as she had been asked and Andy phoned the studio, instructing them to make a large portrait sized print of each of the pictures and call him when they were done. When the prints were done and Andy was called he asked the studio, “Do you deliver?” When they answered in the positive he instructed them to deliver them to a “silk screening” shop he worked with. “What should I tell them?” the foreman asked. Andy said, “Don’t worry. I’ll call them with instructions.” The foreman delivered the pictures before Andy could make his call; so the foreman of the silk screening shop called him and asked, “Mr. Warhol, what should I do with these pictures?” “Just line them up against the wall, have your workers file by and let them vote on the one they like best,” he instructed. “Mr. Warhol!” remonstrated the foreman, “There are so many pictures that that will take all day!” Andy thought a minute, “You’re right. Number them 1 through 54; put the numbers in a hat and then have someone select 45 of them at random.” With a sigh, the foreman gave up, asking, “Then what?” Andy blithely replied, “Stand them up against the wall; let your workers file by and then vote on the one they like best.” Knowing he was beaten, the foreman went to the next stage of the project, “Then what?” “Silk screen the one that got the most votes.” “What colors should I use?” asked the mystified foreman. Andy replied with a question, “Have you done any big jobs lately?” “Yes,” the foreman replied. “Use the left over colors. I’ll have a fine canvas delivered to you and you can silk screen it on that. Call me when you’re done.” The foreman did everything he was asked and called Andy, “It’s ready to be picked up.” “Do you deliver?” asked Andy. “We can,” the foreman responded. “I’ll call you back with delivery instructions in a few minutes,” said Andy. He called his client. They agreed on a day and time, then Andy told her, “It’ll be framed and wrapped, but don’t unwrap it until I get there the next day. We’ll unwrap it together and then I’ll sign it.” Andy phoned the silk screening shop and gave them his instructions, and on the appointed day it was delivered. The following day Andy arrived and he and his client unwrapped the picture together. He signed it, touching it, and for that matter, any aspect of its creation, for the very first time. She gave him her check, and he left. The question raised by the late Harry Boros? Was it art? As it was wholly the creation of Andy Warhol’s imagination, Harry Boros insisted it was - as are Bergio’s designs.

For that matter, one might consider the Hearts On Fire diamond a work of art. In a craft that usually cuts diamonds for weight, not beauty, the Hearts On Fire diamond is cut exclusively for all of the beauty that art, science and technology can draw from a diamond - and it is blindingly, breathtakingly beautiful. Many hands may do the work, but only one ideal drives them - perfection. Celebrate your life and your love with the Hearts On Fire! As with any other work of art, it will uplift your spirits; and if you give it to the woman you share your life with, it will tell her you hold her apart and above all others. That’s about the most romantic statement you can make, and Hearts On Fire does it so perfectly that you won’t have to say a word. Check out our Hearts On Fire collection on line; then phone us at 708.788.0880 for an appointment to select the very best Hearts On Fire for you. We’re Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers and our job is realizing your dreams.

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November 10, 2008

ESTATE JEWELRY

November 3, 2008

The Ill Wind

October 21, 2008

Intellectual Property

October 10, 2008

FEAR

September 23, 2008

But is it art?