An Investment in Love and Joy

Many years ago a customer who I hadn’t seen in a dog’s age came in needing a battery for her watch. I wasn’t busy at the time, and I told her that if she had any other errands at the mall, I would have her watch ready in around ten minutes. (Yes, I used to be very nice and accommodating back then, until some people decided to change me!) She said she didn’t and would wait and carouse around the shop. She complimented me on the many wonderful things she saw in my showcases and told me how much she would love to have some nice jewelry but mentioned her money-conscious husband refused to buy her any really nice jewelry because he considered it “a bad investment.” (May I add they have been married over forty years?). A sense of sadness came over me for this nice woman; in a quick glance, I noticed she was only wearing a simple thin gold wedding band with no engagement ring to be seen and in her ears a pair of inexpensive costume earrings.

Okay, I found myself biting my tongue and being a person who almost always minds his own business, I have to call out her hypocrite husband here because I happen to know him. He had become a regular in the store where I would have to patch together his cheap-A%@ $15 watch time and time again that he purchased when he was in law school in the 1970s. How do I know? He told me so! He also bragged about his new Bentley and the bigger yacht he upgraded to, not to mention that he plays golf at the country club two times a week, where he hangs out with his buds. Needless to say, they are not exactly financially strapped. She was right about him not buying jewelry, and boy, did he cringe at the ten-dollar charge for a new battery he had to buy every year or so.

I’m sure he also feels flowers are also a “bad investment” because after all they eventually wither and die. I’m sure eating out together in a nice island restaurant is also a big waste of money. Oh, she did mention he did once gift her one dust collectible, “Hummel’ one Christmas Day. 

I can tell you one thing, this gentleman does not have a clue as to what would make his wife of forty years happy, or any other woman in his life for that matter. You notice all the money he spends on toys and perks only benefits… Mister One & Only. What a self-centered tightwad! 

There is a semi-happy ending to this sad story; I definitely believe in Karma. Mr. Tightwad, unfortunately, passed away prematurely a couple of years ago, and only minutes after he was laid to rest, who do you think came into the shop still dressed in black funeral attire and decided to purchase the most expensive pair of diamond stud earrings I had in the shop?

Jewelry is an investment in love, not money; never in fifty-plus years in the business have I told a customer that jewelry is a good monetary investment! If your present jeweler tells you jewelry or diamonds are a great investment, either run out of there or have him or her put it in writing that he or she will buy it back in the future with interest!

(I admit I’m eating my share of crow since the increase in the gold price in recent years. The heavy gold jewelry folks bought thirty-forty years ago when gold was only a couple hundred bucks an ounce is worth a fortune today! And I have seen exceptional quality two-carat plus diamonds that were purchased for $2,000; while not exactly peanuts in the 1960s, it’s certainly peanuts for a two-carat natural today!)

Let’s talk about the real reason… love. I mean sentimental pieces, something that brings you back to happy memories and the day you received it could be a keepsake of your parents or grandparents and especially a special loved one who is no longer with you. It’s the birth of a child, a birthday or an anniversary, a graduation and then there is my favorite random gift-giving occasion… No reason at all!

To me, jewelry is not just a piece of precious metal with a sparkling gemstone; it has meaning nine out of ten times. I have scores of customers who buy jewelry just to cheer themselves up, and for many, jewelry makes them happy. Another good reason for guys is the “get me out of the doghouse” piece of jewelry. (Works like a charm for me most of the time!)

Some guys might agree with the before mentioned and no longer with us Mr. ITS-ALL-ABOUT-ME. All he left behind as a legacy is an expired country club membership, payments on the Bentley and a forty-foot yacht that even just tied at the dock is a hole in the water you still throw money in. 

A guy who spends nickels like manhole covers when it comes to making his wife happy is one of my pet peeves dealing… no enduring is a better choice of words, with the “painfully cheap guys.” These are individuals who should not be standing in a fine jewelry store in the first place. After spending an hour getting nowhere with these guys, I’m tempted to mention that the Outlet store is just next door, where they can pick up a cheap pair of spray-painted gold earrings and some cheap perfume. Better yet, who knows? There could even be a BOGO sale going on. Now, that would fulfill all their expectations for under twenty bucks! I thank the heavens they are a minority, and not all guys act that way. There are men who enjoy giving - I can see the joy on their faces when they pick out that perfect piece of gold and diamond jewelry and know their wife or significant other will break down and cry when they open that box for whatever occasion it is. (The receivers of the cheap jewelry and perfume will also be crying, only for reasons other than joy).

Until the next time, have a Happy Thanksgiving, and remember…  

Friends don’t buy friends cheap jewelry, and nothing feels like real gold! 

Richard Alan Is a designer/goldsmith and owner of The Harbor Goldsmith. He welcomes your questions and comments about All That Glitters. www.harborgoldsmith.com.