- Joined
- Sep 3, 2000
- Messages
- 6,743
It seems like long ago now. The dark ages for many of you. For me, it was the beginning of the adventure that has brought me here. Was this fate? Who knows?
I started to work in the family business at the end of 1967. A super fine 1 carat diamond was about $1,500 retail in the discount area wher our office are located. No one asked for D color or VVS1 clarity. All they wanted was "Blue White and Perfect". Jewelers for the most part had no clue about GIA and its terminology although my father was a 1954 GIA Graduate. You can use your own imagination as to the extent of grading accuracy back then. While people are the same as 40 years ago, misrepresentation was more commonplace. The chances of getting caught were much more remote than now. In fact, many a dishonest firm has become far more honest over the years as getting caught is much more common. The chance of getting caught does help to bolster many a firm's committment to honesty.
We measured diamonds with a Moe Gauge. A little spring loaded caliper and estimated the weight of set stones by using this little gauge along with a book that converted the measures to approximate weights. Our firm had a manual scale, a ChainoMatic, that weighed diamonds up to 1 carat in weight by rolling a chain out with a handle. It was very accurate, but not as fast as a digital scale. It now sits on a windowsill at home with several potted plants. My grandchildren think is it a cool antique.
Diamonds were all set by hand. We used wax tipped sticks to pick them up and minipulate them. Around 1970 we got our first digital calculator. It had green LED numbers, ran on 2 AA batteries and cost $105. Now they run on solar power, are 1/5 the size and cost $3. If this keeps up, our fingers will need to shrink. That'll be good since our phone keys are so tiny, too. Appraisals were $10 for a diamond ring. Sorry, but we are not going back there for pricing services....That's life.
Cell phones were not around back then. If you got a call, someone picked up the wired phone and shouted for you to get the call. No phone systems for small business. Just people and wires.
Well, enough of old times. Back to the present. Where do we go from here? India for the IIJS show in a month and Vegas for the JCK show in two months. Some business and motorcycling in between. That ought to fill in the time nicely.
I started to work in the family business at the end of 1967. A super fine 1 carat diamond was about $1,500 retail in the discount area wher our office are located. No one asked for D color or VVS1 clarity. All they wanted was "Blue White and Perfect". Jewelers for the most part had no clue about GIA and its terminology although my father was a 1954 GIA Graduate. You can use your own imagination as to the extent of grading accuracy back then. While people are the same as 40 years ago, misrepresentation was more commonplace. The chances of getting caught were much more remote than now. In fact, many a dishonest firm has become far more honest over the years as getting caught is much more common. The chance of getting caught does help to bolster many a firm's committment to honesty.
We measured diamonds with a Moe Gauge. A little spring loaded caliper and estimated the weight of set stones by using this little gauge along with a book that converted the measures to approximate weights. Our firm had a manual scale, a ChainoMatic, that weighed diamonds up to 1 carat in weight by rolling a chain out with a handle. It was very accurate, but not as fast as a digital scale. It now sits on a windowsill at home with several potted plants. My grandchildren think is it a cool antique.
Diamonds were all set by hand. We used wax tipped sticks to pick them up and minipulate them. Around 1970 we got our first digital calculator. It had green LED numbers, ran on 2 AA batteries and cost $105. Now they run on solar power, are 1/5 the size and cost $3. If this keeps up, our fingers will need to shrink. That'll be good since our phone keys are so tiny, too. Appraisals were $10 for a diamond ring. Sorry, but we are not going back there for pricing services....That's life.
Cell phones were not around back then. If you got a call, someone picked up the wired phone and shouted for you to get the call. No phone systems for small business. Just people and wires.
Well, enough of old times. Back to the present. Where do we go from here? India for the IIJS show in a month and Vegas for the JCK show in two months. Some business and motorcycling in between. That ought to fill in the time nicely.
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