Jun

Nostalgic for my old job in the jewelry trade

Everyday when I watch the news they keep talking about how the price of gold keeps going up and up. It’s something like $1245 an ounce now.

I think I’m starting to wish I was working in the jewelry trade again.

Oh yes, I used to be a jeweler. No – not a salesperson behind a counter. I actually made jewelry, cast gold, cut designs into rings, pendants and bracelets with a diamond cutter, gold plated and so on. My husband was a jeweler (trades person like me) as well.

My sister and I used to work together with our respective businesses. She was and still is a jewelery engraver. So our customers would come in and I’d put a design on their jewelery or make a mold so they could mass produce a piece and then my sister would engrave the finished work once one of our customers clients purchased a piece.

We worked in a building filled with jewelery trades people, from those who specialized in setting stones, to gem sellers who’d open a bag and drop it on a desk letting the loose diamonds scatter, to people like myself who cast gold into pieces of jewelery and so on.

It was a tough business. I loved it and I hated it. During the busy season I’d sometimes work 18 hours a day. I had to because once January, February and March hit things really slowed down and if you didn’t make your money over Christmas you’d be in for some tough times.

Anyone else work in the jewelery trade now or in the past? If so, did you enjoy it?