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Lexington, Kentucky June 1989. I took the job, because I needed money for girls/beer/skiing/food in college, in my mothers store called Carat Patch designs. She told me my job is to go through all of the addresses on the paper receipts and add new names to our spiral bound customer files, clean the cases and the jewelry. I am not supposed to talk to any customers unless they address me first. I'm stoked because I am getting paid 5.00 an hour. It totally sucks though because this Saturday I'm working and Porter wants to go to the Gorge (If he can get away from Mason) to climb. August 1989 My job is a lot of work but fun. Today some customers came in the store and were not being helped because everyone was busy, I know I was not allowed to talk to the customers but it has been my dream since I could remember growing up in my parents shop to sell a piece of jewelry, and the keys were just sitting there....The greatest mistake in life is not taking a chance. I opened the case and showed the women the earrings she wanted to see. She said thank you and left...(note to self, buy a book on selling things).
September 1989 Western State College Colorado is cold and work at Pizza Hut stinks. February 1990 12th. Lexington Ky. Today I sold a piece for $1250.00 my first true sale of jewelry. I was by myself and this dude just comes in asks to see a diamond bracelet then says after looking at it that he'll take it. The best part is after my mom found out she said I would get commission from now on. I'm hooked by a $25.00 commission check. June 1990 Andy our bench jeweler has gone home as well as everyone else. The store is quiet, and there is some scrap gold wire on his bench with solder next to it. With one hour until closing I jumped on the bench and did what I saw my parents, and their jewelers do for the last 17 years, light the torch. Yellow flame danced and I turned it blue and started to solder wire together. It wasn't long before I understood the look of gold melting at the whim of my hand. I made a butterfly that night and left the store at 1:00 in the morning. The butterfly had wire wings and solder dripping from every angle in globs. The wire was so thin it bent when you touched it, was polished for about 1 minute, and had brown-red fire scale from overheating. Technically it was a train wreck of a piece. To me she was the most beautiful thing I had made, and have ever made, because in that moment I created myself in metal form. A butterfly that contained the standard doodles I have drawn all of my life. The jeweler makes the piece and the piece makes the jeweler.
Do you hug like we do home page Some of these stories are extremely personal |
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Peter's Journal Pictures of Soulmates Jewelry Custom Designs Home Page Soulmates Jewelry & Custom Design 9885 Waterstone Boulevard, Cincinnati, Ohio 45249 513-683-5333 email: Send any questions or comments to the jeweler.
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