Jewelry (17)

Cops, Robbers, and a Bag of Gold

A friend asked that I post this. This is a great story of how you just can't keep a good guy (or woman) down. What started out bad finished with a happy ending. Plus, this story will alert you to why you need to always be aware of your surroundings, why you need to have a good inventory, and why a guardian angel can be very helpful.

Ok Everybody – have I got a story for you!  And if you have never believed in miracles before, I don’t see how you couldn’t change your mind after reading this. 

My husband makes beautiful, high-end gold jewelry.  Last weekend, we did the show at Lincoln Center in NYC and on Saturday night, after the show when we were getting out of our van at our hotel in New Jersey, 4 guys wearing masks jumped my husband, threw him facedown to the ground, held him down, and yanked the backpack of jewelry off his shoulder and jumped into the car they had pulled up right behind our van. I screamed and grabbed the door handle on the driver’s side, but he just gunned the car and took off, and left me lying on the pavement.  And there we were, stunned and devastated, our entire livelihood ripped from us in less than 15 seconds.

Of course the police came and we filled out a report, then spent a sleepless night just clinging to each other, too numb to even talk.  We still had about 12 pair of earrings and 5 bracelets which I had been holding in a separate bag so they didn’t get, and we actually opened the next day because I didn’t think we would be allowed to tear down early. 

Word spread throughout the show and the other artists were very sympathetic and even took up a collection of about $400 and we were touched and blessed by that. We had decided to be as positive as possible and were thankful that we hadn’t been shot, and I kept believing for a supernatural recovery, because I knew that’s exactly what any recovery would have to be.  Our whole church was praying for the same thing.

And guess what – IT HAPPENED!!!!!!!!   The 8869140685?profile=originalfollowing day, Monday, we were in the airport getting ready to fly home, when I get a phone call from a police officer in SOUTH CAROLINA, and in a nutshell, they had pulled over a car going down I-95, for some “irregular driving behavior”, and opened the trunk and there they found a pillowcase filled with a bunch of gold jewelry.  They confiscated it and tried to figure out who it belonged to – they didn’t know anything about the police report filed in New Jersey. 

My husband stamps the inside of his rings with his first name, but it’s extremely difficult to read because it’s so small – you really have to use a magnifying glass and even then sometimes it is illegible.  But they figured it out and googled him on line and FOUND HIM, and that’s when they called me at the airport!!!!!!! 

The stolen loot after it was recovered

Of course I was screaming hysterically with happiness in the middle of the airport. The officer said he wasn’t sure how long we would have to wait to go get it because of paperwork and whatnot but then he called a couple days later and said they were releasing it!  So we dropped everything, jumped in the car and drove till midnight to get there, and after spending most of the following day in the police station inventorying everything --- WE GOT EVERYTHING BACK EXCEPT THREE PIECES!!!!!!!!!

8869140498?profile=originalNot only that, there are more layers to this miracle.  Out of their entire police force of 127, those two officers are the only ones  on a special team called an “interdiction” force, and they are trained NOT to be just regular traffic policemen, but to specifically look for certain driving behaviors and other things they couldn’t tell me that alert them to thieves and drug runners and stuff like that, and THOSE two officers happened to be at the right place at the right time when these guys went zipping by on I-95 at 5:00 that Monday morning, and they pulled the car over for a “slightly irregular lane change”.  The Good Guys

One more layer – those officers were scheduled to work that evening from noon until 7:30, but they said they just had a feeling they would catch more bad guys in the early morning, so they came in to work at 4 a.m. instead.  Unbelievable.

And also, another little part of the miracle and a lesson to all of us about keeping a good inventory system:  up until about 3 weeks before this happened, our “inventory” system was a big unorganized MESS, but because we had gone about 2 months without doing shows, we had just gone through and taken pictures of every single piece and organized them into folders of Pendants, Rings, etc., and had made a new notebook where we wrote everything about each piece and its price.  That notebook was actually in the back pack that they ditched after they dumped everything into the pillowcase, BUT, we had made a copy!!!!  And with that in hand, we were able to identify all of our pieces to the police!!!!

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When you think about the odds of us recovering that jewelry, especially in the way it was recovered, they would be astronomical – it truly is a miracle.

The Happy Reunion with the Recovered Loot

 

A few after notes:

- We donated the $400 that was collected for us at the show to C.E.R.F., and told them the story as well.

 -  We learned that the bad guys were part of a Columbian gang working with the drug cartel, and they were heading to Miami when the officers stopped them on I-95 that morning. 

The police made them open their luggage, and there they found the masks they used when they jumped my husband, one of those tools that are used to open a car by going in through the window, and – get this ---- they also found a GPS tracking device that they had used to track us!!  In other words, they had put some little device on our van, and with that GPS tracker that they had, they knew where we were even without physically following us. Very scary.

- And scariest of all – these guys are not in jail!!!  From what I understand, even though they had enough grounds to apprehend the jewelry, the police had to let the guys drive away because they claimed that they had bought the jewelry all in a big clump from a jeweler and though the police knew they were lying, since they didn’t actually have a victim at the time, and the guys said they would send a receipt (riiiiiight……), by law they had to let them go!!!!!  And even though now they have a victim (us), nobody has arrested them because they don’t know exactly where they are and the information I have is that “the investigation is still going on and they are looking.”  Isn’t that terrible???  I just hate it when the law protects the bad guys more than us!!!

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curious about Broad Ripple

Hello out there!

The deadline for the Broad Ripple Art Fair is coming up, and I'm very curious about the show. I've read some good things about it on this site, but have noticed that the show's site does not offer a list of past exhibitors. We like to know what jewelers have exhibited in the past to get an idea of the "flavor" of the show. Our work is fairly high end and we like to be on a par with the other jewelry exhibitors.

Does anyone have any input? If so, I'd be very appreciative! Thanks!

~Emily

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Need a booth critique...

Hi everyone!

I have been doing indoor and outdoor shows for about 3 years nows. While my booth has come a LONG way - I seem to get more compliments on my booth vs. my glass jewelry. Am I doing something wrong? Have any advice you can share. I welcome honest feedback. Thanks so much in advance!!!

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Dawn

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Hello: This is my first post. Mostly I've been a lurker. I'm sorry this is so long.I feel that my jewelry is very good quality, and I have ideas for unique pieces. I want to try the juried art fairs, but the vendor fees that are over $300.00 put me off. It seems to me that I would have to sell a lot of jewelry just to make back my entry fee. Right now I have a 45% overhead charge on my jewelry to cover the cost of shows, gas, my time at shows, entry fees, and other business expenses. I think I would have to up that by at least 20% more. If I could be successful at these shows, I would have to do fewer shows, but travel further to get to the shows. This is ok because I own an RV, and I like to travel.People come into my booth, tell my jewelry is beautiful, and many don't buy. I think it's because my jewelry is not very casual or everyday. This is frustrating. I don't expect everyone who comes into my booth to buy some thing, but I would like to sell more than 3-5 pieces. I like to think my jewelry is for wearing to work, etc. I think that at the more expensive shows (I don't know how else to differentiate them from craft shows), more people look for the type of jewelry I make. This is why I think I need to make the leap to these shows. My jewelry is at the website:http://yessy.com/bettysjewelryAnother question I have is whether there is an intermediate step between local craft shows and the expensive shows. I like doing shows because I am retired and live alone. It gets me out and talking with people. and I really like the sometimes interesting feedback people give.I'm not really looking for a critique of my jewelry, although I would appreciate that, but for information about making the leap to these shows, how you did it, when you did it, etc.Thanks for any feedback to information.Betty Torma
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If YOU could change ONE THING?

Today is Independence Day. On AFI we celebrate our individualitiy every waking moment. I have been with vocal groups before but YOU ALL define the concept of a "think tank."

 

So I wondered about all I have read over the past months. Could we get it down to:

 

ONE THING WE EACH WOULD CHANGE ABOUT THE ART WORLD OR BEING ARTISTS?

(no repeats, except to add an inportant concept to the original)

 

How high could we go? Each person number your change.

 

I'll start.

 

1) I love creating. But I hate having to make enough money to keep the accountant happy. If I could change ONE THING I would improve the economy faster.

 

 

 

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Copying does NOT make you an ARTIST

The other day when I stopped to buy some E-6000, the woman in the checkout line ahead of me was buying an armful of jewelry magazines.

As we were crawling by inches forward, she turned to me, admired my necklace and asked, "Which magazine did you find that one in?"

I was surprised at the height, breathe and depth of my indignation. I have been thinking about this moment and I have an epiphany to share with you:

 

People who copy from books, magazines, websites or classes are not artists!

They are copy-cats.

 

I have never used a book, magazine or the web for my work. Every design comes from my imagination. I have taken certification classes in a process but never a class on how to make a pair of earrings. I have a book on how to use the various PMCs which I received in my cert class, my kiln operating book, a book on the properties of natural gemstones, one on pearls and a general How To Bible of tools and techniques.

 

Aren't there clear instructions at Art Fairs that nothing can be made from a kit?

 

Well, following the step-by-step instructions (with pictures) is just like using a kit. You just go to the local bead shop and they will read your instruction set and give you everything that would have been in that kit.

 

Today I was back at the store and thought I would look through the lot. I could not believe the silliness, the trashiness, the lack of balance or color, the ART-LESS-NESS of the patterns in these ad filled mags. This is a business: NOT one set to build the next Artist.

 

I am sure Michaelangelo wasn't pausing on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, waiting for his monthy magazine for inspiration.

 

 

 

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Why NOT put your BEST WORK on your WEBSITE?

I have a patent pending on an item I make. There is a sign above the display with the PP number on it.

It never fails a few times a year that after trying one on, a customer will say that she just wanted to see "how you make yours because I make the exact thing."

I ask her where she's from, does she have a website, what shows is she in? Subtle, huh?

I quietly ask her if she saw the sign over the display. Sometimes, the question is, "What does that mean?"

I explain that my lawyer exhaustively looked through all patents to see if one was filed about the making of this exact product. Anyone who breaks a patent will be subject to the strictures of patent law.

I did find a crafter trying to copy my design. A letter went out from my lawyer(which costs me!)

How do I know she ceased making them?

That's why they don't appear on my website.

 

Someone told me not to put my best jewelry designs out on the web either. Other artists stroll through and copy.

 

WELL, how am I suppose to sell off my website?

To what percent do I have to honestly worry about this unethical practice?

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Expo Artists

I've decided that I'm going to post one artist a day while here at the Fine Art Expo here in Scottsdale.  My photography is lousy, my writing is amateur, but I'd like to honor all my peeps who devote ten weeks of their lives to exhibit at this wonderful show, and have extended a helping hand to me with my endless questions.  Today, for my first victim, I chose Cynthia Downs-Apodaca, who was the first artist I met here last Monday during setup.  She is the first woman I have ever met who is more of a rock geek than I am, and once you see her jewelry, you can see why.  What first caught my eye were the opals, since opals are my favorite gemstone and I can spot one at a hundred yards across an art show.  The silver wire braiding that she does is so intricate, I don't think my photos can even come close to doing it justice:

 

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She also has these fabulous pieces she calls Tidal Pools, and in this one, the bottom stone- an Australian boulder opal- actually has a teeny beach scene in it!  Talk about the intricacy in nature! 

 

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I'm also impressed whenever I see a woman firing up an acetylene torch and power tools, as she was hard at work one evening, after the show had closed.  Look for her wearable minerals at cynthiadowns.com. 

 

Cynthia, sans goggles and mask:

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I can truly say she rocks!

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Introduction to Phoenix Rising Designs

Ok I decided to add this as a way of introducing myself and let you know what Phoenix Rising Designs is and the people behind it!

I started Phoenix Rising Designs in 2004 after about 6 years of apprenticing and selling for other artists and designers. I have worked some really great art shows and one really muddy one. Seriously, shin deep in mud and sleeping in my van. The bathrooms weren't finished with walls between the toilets so... Anyway, I've done my share of moving around with my work! haha I am a wife and mother to one son and I homeschool him. I also fill in at a vintage clothing store and a bead store and teach classes at a wellness center on Gemstone Therapy.

I mentioned "people", right? Well those of you who have helped me in the past are free to add your stories as well. Rozee, we almost got stolen, remember? haha Brittany, you helped me for about 6 or 7 seasons and fell asleep with mud and rocks in your hair, right? My husband and son helped be run stuff to the van in pouring sheets of rain in Huron, Oh. Cambrey, how many lunches did we eat at that apple festival again? These are the silly, crazy, and (sick, right?) fun stories but I also have met some great people, had wonderful sales and fantastic times on circuit too.

I am currently working like crazy to add more wholesale accounts to my business. My styles are tribal and steampunk jewelry. I have an online store http://www.phoenixbartender.etsy.com/. Why "phoenix bartender"? Well I like the mythical creature and I've been a bartender since 2001 at night and an artist by day.

Rambling on...thank you for reading and thank you for adding my business to your "LIKE" list on facebook.

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I love The Onion - a farce radio/printed news program that offers funny and witty made up news - did one just recently regarding handmade jewelry. I HAD to post it hear for all those who want a good laugh. Here is the link... http://ax.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/onion-radio-news/id117718066
The title of the article is "80% of US Residents Make Handmade Jewelry"... Please note that the articles are made up but sound convincingly true. I can't help but wonder though, with so much jewelry at shows - how many of US residents really do make handmade jewelry. Any thoughts? - Michelle
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North American Sea Glass Festival!

You are all welcome to join me at the NASGA sponsored annual sea glass festvial held in Hyannis, MA this upcoming weekend.

Here are the details:

North American Sea Glass Festival: October 9th & 10th

10am to 6pm on Saturday

10am to 5pm on Sunday

At the Cape Cod Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis, MA

$5:00 admission

over 50 sea glass artists, displays, lectures and a "Shard of the Year Award" with a first prize of $1000.00

My booth Sea Glass Jewelry by Danielle Renee' will be at booth #2. Please come by and say hello!

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Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park Art Fair

Sept. 26-27,2010

Hamilton, OH

Booth Fee: $100.00

Jury Fee: $25.00

I loved the location of this show, the artists weren't cramped, we had tree lined "streets"- (they were golf cart streets). Plenty of trees and permenant sculptures behind and around the exhibitor spaces which made for a beautiful setting. Parking was close and people were there to shop. Set up was completely painless since there was room to bring your car right up to your space and get back out on Friday all day so noone was there all at the same time.

My sales were close to the 10x's the booth fee, so that rule of thumb worked for me. Sales were about the same on Sunday as Saturday so don't panic if Saturday doesn't do as well as you think it should. Another jewelry artists did better on Sunday than Saturday. If you do metal sculpture, you will do well at this show! People were walking all over the place with those things. (they were cool!) The photographer next to me did well and I think she would consider coming back, forgot to ask her. The water colorist on my other side did great work but didn't seem too happy with his sales. His stuff was great so that was unfortunate. I think the biggest thing with shows in this climate is to make sure you have a lot of options for people to look at. If they feel you don't have a big enough selection, they will go to the next booth. I found that demonstations work fantastic at shows, especially for a jeweler. Men don't always like to get stuck in our booths, especially if the show is heavy on jewlery (which is most of them), but guys like to see how things are made and will stop to look at least for a minute which is a minute more than you would have gotten. I'll be back to this show next year.

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G-20 Summit Supports Exhibiting Artists

This comes from my friend Aileen Lampman, who I know because she exhibits at my show, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Aileen was contacted by the organizers of the G-20 Summit--just held in Pittsburgh, about including her work as a presentation gift for those attending the summit. Aileen says it better than I could, so here by the magic of cut and paste is the story from Aileen: In early September my good friend and liaison to the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Susan Callahan, informed me that a few sample designs of my necklaces were being requested. These samples would be a gift for someone connected to the G-20 Summit that was coming to Pittsburgh at the end of September . I submitted a few different designs and my leaf and tendril design was selected and I initially was asked to make only 2 of these necklaces. A few days later I was asked to make a total of 18 leaf and tendril necklaces and they needed to be completed by Sept. 18th. On the Monday of the G-20 I was again asked to make an additional 5 necklaces. Whew...this all required a lot of rushing on my part! I had suggested adding matching earrings to the "gift" but was informed that earrings may not be accepted a suitable accessory for the variety of cultures and countries involved in the G-20. Every detail, down to the color of the boxes, was considered. They all had to be the same color as not to offend anyone who belongs to a "caste" society- different colors could carry different meanings and if one person got a pink box and the other a green box it could cause trouble! Okay, great point and something I never would have considered. Still I did not know who these were going to and I was asked to keep this all very, very quite - only told my mother, husband and a few close, trusted friends about it. On Wednesday, September 23rd I was asked to go to the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts for an interview and a few photos. No big deal, I figured, just something for their archives. I arrive to find something that looked a lot like a press conference! Still scratching my head, but beginning to think this must be pretty big, I see the mayor of Pittsburgh and other city officials walking into the room, along with all of the Pittsburgh media. Okay, this is pretty big! During the press conference I am made aware that there are 3 levels of gift baskets being given, all filled with Pittsburgh artist's work as well as other "Pittsburgh" gifts. Level one baskets are for the heads of state, the next for their V.Ps, and the third level is for the sherpas (these are the personal assistants to the heads of state). My necklaces will be part of the gift boxes being given to the heads of state and their spouses- my necklace intended for the female spouses. Germany and Argentina have female heads of state so therefore these women will get the necklace as their gift. After the press conference I met Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and was interviewed by the Pittsburgh press. I'm still kind of in a state of shock. It is all tremendously flattering and I am speechless. Check out Aileen's work at: http://aijewelry.bigcartel.com
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2nd Annual Funky Finds Spring Fling

The 2nd Annual Funky Finds Spring Fling is an indie craft fair to be held on March 13 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.The event will feature the work of over 120 artists, crafters & designers from various states. The first 50 attendees to purchase a minimum of five $1.00 raffle tickets will receive a hand-crafted swag bag full of goodies.All raffle proceeds benefit the Humane Society of North Texas and CASA of Tarrant County. The FREE indoor event is family and pet-friendly!
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Here's How I'm achieving My Goals

I thought I knew how to create a goal.I'd think it.I'd write it.I'd keep my focus on it.And then I took a teleseminar from the Goal Diva, and I learned I didn't even know what a goal was. So I wrote a blog post about what I learned and where I learned it.I'm sharing, because it's my time to pay if forward.CHECK IT OUT HEREEnjoy, Jackie
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