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 Rene Lalique. (more…)

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. (more…)