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The E-Mail Newsletter for Bench Jewelers
February 2001
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<> <> <> <> <> TABLE OF CONTENTS <> <> <> <> <> RUN YOUR SHOP WITHOUT IT RUNNING YOU A feature article on shop management issues QUOTES WORTH RE-QUOTING Motivational insights from some of the best SIMON SEZ See and hear Bradney W. Simon in person TRADE SECRETS Tips and Tricks to make your work on the bench a little easier ON THE BENCH Learn a new technique or brush up on basic skills with this ================================================= <> <> RUN YOUR SHOP WITHOUT IT RUNNING YOU <> <> The following article is by guest author Robbie Romieser. How to be a Master Motivator By Robbie Romeiser Copyrighted 2001
on the vine? One of the answers to that question concerns motivation skills. The managers that excel have them. The ones that fail don’t. Years ago I had the opportunity to work alongside the best motivator I’ve ever seen. His name was Robert Fogle. office of the Life Insurance Company of Georgia. In that month, he became the district manager of a district that was among the worst in the company. One year later, Spartanburg finished as one of the top five districts in the company. achieve new heights. He used several methods of motivation, the first of which was setting the example of a good work ethic. Robert arrived at the office early in the morning and left the office late at night. Many nights he would not leave until 11:00 PM, and some nights he would leave as late as midnight. This is not to say that managers in every business need to work until midnight each night to inspire the troops. But in the life insurance business where managers expect salespeople to hold nighttime appointments, but often go home themselves by 5:00 PM (if not sooner), Robert’s willingness to stay late set an example for effort that previously was not present. By working diligently, he inspired the troops to work diligently. clearly and consistently his expectations for the district. Each week at the weekly sales meeting, and daily in casual conversation, Robert stated his belief that the Spartanburg district could, should, and would be the number one district with Life of Georgia by the end of 1996. At first, his message fell on the deaf ears of the work-weary masses of employees he had inherited. But as time rolled on and he constantly communicated his belief, the agents, assistant managers, and clerical staff caught his spirit. They began to believe that being number one was possible. They began to work like winners. but a goodie – keep your promises. Managers are notorious for promising to do things that they have no intention of doing. For some reason, they think that promising is enough to keep the troops happy. Wrong! When Robert said he would follow up on a policy in the home office or call an irate customer for an agent, he did it and he did it promptly. He built relationships of trust with his people, and that trust formed the foundation upon which the success of the district was built. he moved swiftly to squash them. When disputes arose, he mediated them to a speedy solution. When people performed well, he rewarded them with praise and prizes. When people performed poorly, he counseled them to help them improve. He practiced no double standards. He played no favorites. He was abundantly fair, and the employees respected him for that. sales meetings, he encouraged agents and managers alike to share success stories that inspired everyone. People shared ideas that didn’t work as well, which helped the others avoid costly mistakes. Robert opened every day with a tour of the office. During his tour, he shook the hand of every agent, manager, and clerical worker. He gave each person a smile and asked how he or she was doing that day. He passed no one over. As a result, every one felt like an equally important part of the team. socials. About once a month, the management team would serve food to the rest of the employees. Sometimes they’d cook steaks for the group, sometimes they’d serve barbecue, sometimes they’d buy pizza. Every once in awhile, Robert would tie these dinners to achieving certain district sales goals. Most of the time, however, he did it just to make Life of Georgia a fun place to work. important thing he did was to take a genuine interest in the welfare of his employees. Robert had an open door policy with the troops. Employees would drop in on him to chat. Many times the chats would be about specific business concerns, but oftentimes the chats revolved around fears of failure, desires for success, personal problems, dreams about the future, and so on. Robert also spearheaded efforts to send get well cards to sick employees and to recognize birthdays and anniversaries. One time he even put his life on the line for an employee – me. He tried to help me squeeze a rather large roll top desk up a much too narrow staircase at my old townhouse. Since he was on the bottom end pushing up, the slightest slip could have sent the roll top crashing into his body. Fortunately, the only thing crashed into was the staircase wall! end of 1996, the Spartanburg district of Life of Georgia finished in the top five out of over fifty districts. Starting in early 1997, he began receiving a series of promotions. At last count, he is one of only a handful of regional sales executives with a territory of several southeastern states. Undoubtedly, Robert will one day be either the president of Life of Georgia or the president of some other company. people. First, he demonstrated a strong work ethic. Secondly, he communicated his expectations clearly and consistently. Next, he kept his promises. Fourth, he was fair. Fifth, he made the workplace fun. Sixth, he valued his people as people, not just as moneymaking machines. These attributes can make anyone a master motivator in business, at home, and in any volunteer organization imaginable. The key is to practice them consistently to make them pay off. Do you?
Robbie Romeiser is President & CEO of Faster Goals, a company which provides its clients with the know-how and motivation to achieve their goals faster. Robbie publishes THE PRODUCER, a monthly ezine dedicated to helping people skyrocket their productivity, their pay, and their ability to balance their personal and professional lives. He is also host of FASTER GOALS THE RADIO SHOW, which airs each Monday from 11 AM to noon (ET) on WALE 990 AM in Providence, RI and via the Internet at http://www.renaissanceradio.com/. For more information about Robbie, please visit http://www.fastergoals.com/ contact Robbie at (864) 598-9565 or mailto:robbie@fastergoals.com
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Impact Specialties Introducing our new form filling and repair management software We have developed this new software to be used in conjunction with our laser repair envelopes, cut sheets and cards. This software will enable jewelers to computerize their process. Impact Repairware features repair location tracking, parts and inventory database, customer database, special occasion tracking and a variety of reports. It is available in single user or multi user and features a watch repair and jewelry repair form. Impact Repairware can be used to provide estimates, appraisals and receipts.
For more information or to receive a FREE trial disk, visit us at http://www.isiprint.com or call Impact at 800 – 543 – 4264 Impact – For All Your Jewelry Store Form Needs
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<> <> <> <> QUOTES WORTH RE-QUOTING <> <> <> <>
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough. Angus S. King, Jr.
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No lions are ever caught in mousetraps. To catch lions you must think in terms of lions, not in terms of mice. Your mind is always creating traps of one kind or another, and what you catch depends on the thinking you do. It is your thinking that attracts you to what you receive. Thomas Dreier
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Live to Learn, and you will Learn to Live Portuguese Proverb
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Most people fail in life because they major in minor things.
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Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss other folks, but brilliant minds often lose track of the moment. Now, what were we talking about? Unknown
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The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt
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But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18
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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, ”plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
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<> <> <> <> <> Product Review <> <> <> <> <>
C.E.I.A. Ultrasonic Cleaners
http://www.ceia-ultrasonic.com
C.E.I.A. Ultrasonic Cleaners generate a high level of ultrasonic power incorporating vibrating transducers, which operate at 39KHz. The transducers are piezoelectric type, featuring a high energy washing as well as minimum stress of the product to be cleaned. The main structure of the unit and the tanks are made entirely from inox stainless steel. C.E.I.A.'s ultrasonic cleaners have the most complete range of controls and functions to be found on the market today, including digital time, temperature and cleaning power controls with completely intuitive setting. C.E.I.A. ultrasonic cleaners are equipped with a solid-state generator controlled by a microprocessor. The latter carries out continuous measurement of the power delivered by the cleaner and tuning the generator to maintain optimum cleaning conditions. Variations in liquid level and temperature are automatically compensated for and the cleaning efficiency is maintained at a constant level.
“This is the most efficient ultrasonic cleaner I’ve ever used. It has definitely decreased our cleaning time. In addition, the variable power levels allows us to clean delicate gemstones and items of jewelry that were impossible to clean in other ultrasonic cleaners.” Bradney W. Simon CMBJ
For more information on Ceia Ultrasonic Cleaners
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<> <> <> <> <> SIMON SEZ SEMINARS <> <> <> <> <>
Bradney W. Simon is an accomplished platform speaker; providing Keynote Speeches, and Educational Seminars. onto; http://www.BWSimon.com
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> > > > New Hampshire Jewelers Association < < < <
May 20, 2001 Bradney Simon will be presenting Trade Secrets – Tips Tricks and Techniques of a Master Jeweler. For more information call Paul Richter 603-437-2655
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> > > > JCK Show - Las Vegas < < < <
May 31, 2001 Bradney Simon will be speaking at the JCK Las Vegas Show For more information and to register contact JCK Shows: http://jck.expoplanner.com/vegas.html
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> > > > IJO Conference < < < <
August 4, 2001 Bradney Simon will be speaking at the Independent Jewelers Organization Fall Show in Salt Lake City.
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Two Great Seminars for Jewelers
=> Run Your Shop Without It Running You
This seminar will help jewelers increase profits by operating
=> Trade Secrets
Making and repairing jewelry encompasses only a few basic techniques. However, there are numerous tricks to use in mastering those techniques. In this interactive seminar you will learn tips, tricks, and techniques on jewelry repair, fabrication, and stone setting from a JA Certified Master Bench Jeweler.
> > > > Attend Both Seminars < < < < Run Your Shop on Friday and Trade Secrets on Saturday
Atlanta GA < > March 9 & 10, 2001
Oakland CA < > March 30 & 31, 2001
Denver CO < > April 6 & 7, 2001
Washington DC < > May 4 & 5, 2001
Seattle WA < > September 7 & 8, 2001
Chicago IL < > September 28 & 29, 2001
For additional information on these seminars or to register go to http://www.bwsimon.com/SimonSezSeminars/SimonSez.htm
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HAVE YOU INVENTED A NEW PRODUCT
Now you can have it evaluated by professional marketing experts.
MVI Marketing LTD., THE Market Intelligence Company for the Worldwide Gem and Jewelry Industries, is now offering its unique NEW PRODUCT EVALUATION (NPE) directly to bench jewelers and independent retailers.
MVI’s NPE will review your innovation in complete confidence and provide you with a report, honestly evaluating its commercial potential and marketing options.
MVI is the only business consulting organization working exclusively in the worldwide gem and jewelry industries. For more information about MVI’s New Product Evaluation visit us at www.mvimarketing.com or email us at info@mvimarketing.com
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Place small pieces of metal on a business card to help feed them through a rolling mill.
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Reducing the width of a rectangular wire can be difficult, as the wire tends to turn while rolling. To alleviate this problem hold the wire in a pair of parallel pliers leaving about a half inch protruding from the jaws. Feed this end into the rollers until the jaws of the pliers make contact with the rollers. As you continue to roll, allow the wire to pull from the pliers. The force of the plier’s jaws will keep the wire upright.
To view pictures of this process log onto: http://www.bwsimon.com/TradeSecrets/RollingGoldStock.htm
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Test your pumice wheels and other abrasive wheels on a piece of glass. If they do not abrade the glass, they will not scratch most faceted colored stones, and would be safe to use cleaning the prongs. Glass is around 51/2 on the Mohs scale, which is softer than most colored stones that are faceted.
Although these wheels will not scratch harder gemstones, you still must use caution as the wheel may chip the facet lines of fragile stones.
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When soldering gold and platinum together make certain to anneal both parts thoroughly before soldering. These metals expand at different rates when heated. If not thoroughly annealed stress tears may develop as the metal cools.
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Use an annealed beading tool when bead setting colored stones. You will have to reshape the tip often, however the softer tool will not abrade the stone as easily.
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Sometimes jewelers are confronted with jewelry contaminated with mercury. This is not as common today as it was when nurses used mercury thermometers instead of the electronic models they have today. When the thermometer broke, their jewelry became contaminated. However, it still arises from time to time.
Mercury contamination is easy to spot on yellow gold as it turns the metal white. Mercury can be removed from gold jewelry by heating the jewelry to annealing temperature then polish off the residue after the jewelry has cooled. However, this method cannot be used on pieces that contain gemstones that will not withstand the heat. An alternative method is to apply Nitric Acid. Apply a small amount of nitric acid to the affected area, and then rinse off with water. Then re-polish the jewelry. The process may need to be repeated if any white areas reappear.
NOTE: FUMES FROM MERCURY ARE EXTREMELY TOXIC. Whichever process you use, make certain your work area is well ventilated! In addition, wear rubber gloves as the acid can stain your skin yellow.
Mercury when mixed with gold forms an amalgam, causing the gold to become brittle. If not removed within the first day of contact, the only remedy is to replace the contaminated section or entire mounting.
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When fabricating a piece of jewelry for pearls, use an old screw back earring post for the pearl stud. The threads will serve as notches to help hold the epoxy and pearl. Bob Staley - B. Staley Goldsmith
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Use a stick of bee’s wax to help hold small items while laser welding. Bob Staley – B. Staley Goldsmith and Laser Welding
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Frank Pintz of Northbrook, IL suggests using a wooden clothespin to clamp pearls while gluing. A hole can easily be drilled into it to accommodate an earring post, and a ball bur can carve a notch to help hold the pearl.
Tammy Powley offers this tip on cutting jump rings in her Jewelry Making newsletter.
After coiling wire around a mandrel, thread your saw blade through the coil to cut the jump rings apart, and saw from the inside out. This makes sawing the coil easier as your blade tends to slip when starting to cut from the outside of the coil.
To see the full article on making jump rings, including pictures demonstrating the process log onto: http://jewelrymaking.about.com/library/weekly/aa012701.htm
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If you have a tip you would like to share with our readers send it in an e-mail to mailto:Brad@BWSimon.com
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A young man who was also an avid golfer found himself with a few hours to spare one afternoon. He figured if he hurried and played very fast, he could get in 9 holes before he had to head home. Just as he was about to tee off an old gentleman shuffled onto the tee and asked if he could accompany the young man as he was golfing alone. Not being able to say no, he allowed the old gent to join him. the ball far, but plodded along consistently and didn't waste much time. Finally, they reached the 9th fairway and the young man found himself with a tough shot. There was a large pine tree right in front of his ball and it was directly between his ball and the green. After several minutes of debating how to hit the shot the old man finally said, "You know, when I was your age I'd hit the ball right over that tree." hard, hit the ball up, right smack into the top of the tree trunk and it thudded back on the ground not a foot from where it had originally lay. The old man offered one more comment, "Of course, when I was your age that pine tree was only 3 feet tall."
Do you realize that our environment around us not only changes on the golf course, but in business as well? If we continue to try to hit the ball over the tree just because we have always done it that way, and not take into consideration that things have changed and the tree has grown, and look for new methods of accomplishing our job - our businesses will suffer.
A case in point is jewelry design. I learned to design jewelry with watercolors, and later changed to colored pencils. However, if you have not yet noticed, the jewelry design environment is changing. CAD (computed assisted drawing) is finally making its way into our industry. Now I’m not saying that if you don’t start using CAD tomorrow you will be out of business next week, but it is time for us old guys to start looking into this, as it is the way of the future.
Over the last couple of months, I have downloaded trial versions of several different CAD programs. I’ve learned three things. 1. There are many programs out there and it is confusing as to which one to buy. 2. It takes a while to learn the programs. 3. If you’re patient and take the time to learn you can do some really neat stuff. (That’s a technical term)
Once you have created a drawing in CAD, your customer can view the jewelry from different angles. They can turn the jewelry around and even turn it completely over to the backside, just as if they were holding the jewelry in their hand. With the increased technological knowledge of many of our customers, designing with CAD is a strong selling point. Many of the CAD programs have downloadable viewers for our customer to use. You can easily e-mail a drawing to them and they can view it in their home or office.
Another major advantage to CAD is CAM (computer assisted manufacturing). Several different types of equipment available can take your CAD drawing and create a wax model with little additional labor involved. This greatly reduces labor cost and makes producing multiple models cost efficient.
All of your CAD drawings can be saved in a database. Later these drawing can easily be altered to fit another customers request, saving time in the design process.
The big downside to CAD is that they tend to be pricey and they have a steep learning curve. Generic 3-D drawing programs are difficult to learn and can be cumbersome in trying to draw jewelry. Jewelry specific programs are in their adolescence, and lack the depth of models to create much more than basic jewelry styles.
CAD is definitely another tool for the custom design shop. As they become user friendly and the price begins to drop more and more bench jewelers will begin using CAD. Just remember that in spite of all our technology we should never lose site of what we are all about – designing and creating jewelry. May we always make jewelry to the highest quality we are capable of, at the least cost possible, with designs that are pleasing to our customers, by the means that works best for us.
I still have not decided on which program to buy, I’m still not very good at this, and I STILL LIKE MY PENCILS. Nevertheless, I’ll come around one of these days - just after I try to hit this golf ball over the tree a few more times.
To learn more about CAD programs try out the following web sites: http://www.cadcameducators.com/
http://www.3dsite.com/n/sites/3dsite/cgi/software-packages-index.html
http://www.chicagonorthshore.com/
http://blue.temple.edu/~crafts/
http://www.tenlinks.com/CAD/products/specialized.htm
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Namano / Southeastern Findings Service to the Manufacturing Jeweler We are Findings, Diamonds, Wedding Bands, Jewelry Boxes, Platinum, Batteries, Tools, and So Much More. Greater Selection - Expanded Inventory - No Minimum Order Call 1-800-282-8285 or visit us on the World Wide Web http://www.sefindings.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Jewelry Dealers World Trade Net <> <> <> Bench Jeweler Discussion Channel <> <> <> Ask questions, share tips, and take part in the on going discussions, or just read and take in all the advice from many excellent Jewelers from around the world. Membership includes: Many topical Discussion Channels, Plus you may buy, sell and trade on the Buy/Sell Channels, Plus Much More. List B W Simon as your sponsor on the membership application and you will receive: ** ** 30 DAYS FREE MEMBERSHIP ** ** +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Place Your Ad Here Over 1,000 Bench Jewelers will see your message, plus it will remain in our permanent archive at www.BWSimon.com For Information and rates on placing an Ad Go to: http://bwsimon.com/E-BENCH/E-BenchSponsors.htm ================================================= <> <> <> <> <> Thank You for Reading <> <> <> <> <> We are now on the World Wide Web. A complete archive of back issues of E-BENCH is located there. Visit often, as we will be making changes to our site, <> <> <> SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION <> <> <> We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. We do not sell, rent, or otherwise disclose our list of subscribers To subscribe, send an E-Mail with Subscribe as the subject If you do not wish to continue receiving this newsletter send an If you change your e-mail address, PLEASE let us know. Each +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Information provided in this document is provided ‘As Is’ without +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For editorial suggestions, comments, ideas or requests, Copyrighted, 2001, B W Simon. All rights reserved. <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> |