Who Conversations with James Meyer

[Upgradable]

I have recently received my second James Meyer creation. You can see pictures of my piece here.

Many Pricescopers have come to admire the work Jim produces. He is an old world artisan who has managed to continue his craft into the 21st century. The man is very interesting, and having become such a fan, and knowing there are others here too, I''ve asked him if I could share some of our conversations with you. He has graciously consented!

Since so much of the jewelry available in the currently marketplace is mass produced I am impressed by those jewelers who have mastered and committed themselves to continue to producing pieces using hand-wrought techniques. Jim has posted several short videos to explain his technique. I found them very interesting. I hope you do too.

In the past two years his profile has grown on Pricescope, beginning (I believe) with Coatimundi''s beautiful solitaire that Jim created and she shared with us. Since then there have been a growing number of JM creations, and I have been drooling with each new thread! I had him make a three stone platform ring for some old european cut stones and was amazed by the outcome. I now have an unbelievable star sapphire ring, and during the production of this piece, Jim and I began an email correspondence. I found it interesting and so I am sharing them with you.


3/29/10
Jim,

That sounds wonderful!! Oh, I''m so excited!! I''ll put a check in the mail to you tomorrow for the balance. Please use the address you have for me at XXXXXXX Drive, Norman, OK 73072

Have a wonderful vacation! I''ll be envying you in Italy. I hope you come back renewed and inspired, because I think this will be a big year for you!

Sincerely, and with the most heartfelt appreciation,

~Upgradable


3/31/10
Dear Upgradable--

I sent your ring out yesterday by USPS registered, which will take a few days.

I was interested in your comment about this being a big year for
me... would you please tell me what you were thinking about this?

Best regards,

Jim


3/31/10
Jim,

Thanks for your message. I sent the remainder of the total out yesterday too.

Regarding my supposition about you having a big year, I am a member at Pricescope (the consumer diamond forum) and you have quite a following there. Currently, you have been working on three pieces (that I know of) for board members, and we''ve been sharing our journey. It seems there are several more people that are interested in contacting you to produce pieces for them. In fact you may have already heard from several. I know that I have another piece that I would like you to do later in the year.

The world of consumerism is changing drastically with the evolution of the internet, and people from around the world have information and access to goods and services that before they would never have known about. I also am a firm believer in personal recommendation as the best endorsement and form of advertisement, and Pricescope.com is a venue that promotes sharing positive experiences. I hope you find you have as much business as you would like as a result of people seeing your pieces and feeling compelled to own something you''ve created.

In your spare time (I know you''re laughing at that concept) you might enjoy going over to Pricescope Forums and searching for your name. Many positive threads will appear.

I hope you have a very relaxing and enjoyable trip to Italy. You can be sure I''ll be in touch again later in the summer.

Respectfully,

Upgradable


4/2/10
Dear Upgradable--
I received your check for the balance of $xxxxx on the ring, thank you.
By this time, I hope you will have received your ring... and I hope
you will be pleased with it!
And, thanks for your thoughts on the Pricescope scene... this is all
rather new to me as my first PS customers were in the fall of 2008.
Since then I would say that about 70% of my new business has come
from there; it was very fortunate at the time, because business in
the fall of 2008 was SLOW. I don''t really take the time to look into
all the various comments but I''m glad it''s positive.
And, I''m happy to say the the PS crowd has been a pleasure to deal
with-- very enthusiastic, quite knowledgeable, and appreciative.
I''ve been thinking that this year is going to be a big one also, for
the reason that I will turn 70 in the fall and I''m wondering how long
I will be doing this full-time. There are some things I would like
to return to, such as etching and engraving (printmaking) which I
enjoyed earlier in my life that I would like to pursue.
On the other hand, I''m uncertain about leaving the jewelry making
behind, so perhaps I will find a way to divide my time between my
different interests. The jewelry business is also very strong for me
right now and I''m reluctant to walk out the door, especially as I
think we face very uncertain economic times ahead (with high
inflation and taxation) and I don''t want to rely on my savings and SS
entirely.
Thanks for your support, and coming to me for these rings, which I
hope you will enjoy thoroughly. my wife (who is a potter) and I will
be heading off to Italy in a couple of weeks to draw, look at the
treasures there, and get ideas... as well as enjoy the wonderful
culture and cuisine! I stay for a couple of weeks after she goes
home, to do wax models for new pieces and draw.

Best regards,

Jim

 

[packrat]

Thanks for sharing that Uppy! He really is an amazing man isn''t he? I watched the videos a couple months ago and really enjoyed them-it''s fun to be able to see and hear the man behind the beauty! I''m looking forward to seeing what new pieces he creates when he gets back from Italy! More things for me to moan and groan about wanting I''m sure!

And hey..what''s the new project hmmmmm? Or is it a secret for a while?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Thanks for sharing those Uppy. I am not surprised that a portion of his new business comes from PS given the wonderful photos and reviews that his cleints post here, but 70% is a very large percentage indeed! It really does make me happy to see that independent arisans are benefitting from this forum.