The Life of A Jeweler at a Trade Show

So....here I am today in Atlanta, Georgia preparing to go to the southeast's largest jewelry show.  Surprisingly, for "Hotlanta"...its really cold here and I'll be glad to get warmed up at the show.  Some people ask me what its like for a jeweler to go to such a large jewelry show so I'm going to tell you..

First of all, when I go to a major trade show, I keep in mind what my customer's have been asking me  for in the way of jewelry and I also look for emerging trends in the jewelry industry.  Many times, I've been able to spot a hot and upcoming jewelry trend months ahead of my competition simply because I keep abreast of such things at these shows.

Going to a major jewelry show can be a bit overwhelming when you consider there is more jewelry under one roof to look at than going to 100 jewelry stores.  The security at an event like this is just like you think it would be...tight!!  With cameras, security guards, plain clothes detectives everywhere..it would be really hard for theft to happen although I'm sure it probably does.

With hundreds of jewelry vendors to see...the scope of the whole thing is quite amazing.  I simply try to look for things I think my customers will be interested in, visit my best suppliers to see what they're offering and of course we look at what everyone says is going to be hot.

Seminars are also of great importance to me as today,  I plan to go to two different ones.  One is on the four seasons of the jewelry biz and deals greatly with how to market to my customers and the other is on Estate Jewelry buying.  We are considering do even more estate jewelry biz at The Gold Mine so this seminar will help make me even better at it.

By the end of the day, we'll have walked 10 miles or more seeing everything, talking with friends both old & new..but it will all have been worth it.  Its fun but I'm always glad to get back to downtown Hudson.

Tim Call, our store's goldsmith will be trying out lots of new jewelry repair equipment and later on we plan to have some great brazilian food...so thats it..the life of a jeweler going to a major trade show.

'til next time,

Bill Warren, Owner/Registered Gemologist
The Gold Mine of Hudson, NC
www.hudsongoldmine.com
828-726-1009

Star Wars Invades Hudson

Ok, I must admit it...I'm pretty tickled with myself right now!  Why you might ask?  Simple, we've just made one of the most important purchases ever for our store, "The Gold Mine Fine Jewelry & Gifts, Inc."  The purchase was of a 7000 Series Rofin Star Weld Laser Welder, quite simply the most powerful laser welder in the jewelry industry for the repair & intricate working on of fine jewelry.

No, you won't hear the sounds of Darth Vader or light sabers rattling about, but you will have the opportunity to have your jewelry designed or repaired using the coolest, most efficient laser technology available!  So, what does all this mean to you?

Again its simple...repairs that once were near the realm of impossibility can now be done with relative ease in minutes!!!  Maybe you owned an opal ring and because of opal's delicate nature, you couldn't have prongs rebuilt or retipped for fear of shattering an expensive opal.  Now with pinpoint accuracy, the repair of jewelry containing opals, emeralds, pearls and any other delicate gemstone is as fast as the swoosh of Luke Skywalkers light saber!

What's more, we can now safely weld and repair such items as broken eyeglass frames, costume jewelry and much, much more!  You'll discover just as I have that the repair is of a much higher quality when done with this laser and by a capable goldsmith such as the one's at The Gold Mine!

I invite you to stop by...you'll see me grinning from ear to ear...let me show my new machine and you'll wonder why you would ever let anyone but the Gold Mine repair your delicate jewelry.  Hey, you might even get the feeling that you're seeing the firing of the main weapon from the "Death Star"...can you tell I'm a Star Wars fan?  Take care and stop by for a demonstration...

Success,

Bill Warren, Owner/Registered Gemologist

The Gold Mine - Hudson, NC

828-726-1009

www.hudsongoldmine.com

P.S. - yes, we now wield a very powerful tool that we promise to use for the "Good of Mankind"...LOL