Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1889-05-25
AMERICAN JEweLRY.
Aegravations and Annoyances to Which


Jewellers Are Subject.
There is a great deal of imported
iewelry in the market" said leading
dealer yesterday, that is imported
only in the sense of having been
brought into the city. That is one OF
the ways in which the credulous pur-
cha sers are dup. d into paying fancy
prices. That which is foreign seems to
have charm for the average lady. l
have even known pieces Of jewelty that
was out of style to have ready sale
when the alluring bait that they were
imported novelties was held out. OF
| course this trick would not work with
society ladies, who, as a rule, keep
| track of innovations as carefully as
! their husbands do of stocks and bonds,
but the number of those who are will
ing to be gulled in this way is legion.
Still, little fault can be found with this
weakness on the part OF ladies' since
gentlemen sickle for their imported
cigars.
CAS- a matter OF fact, except III GER
tain types of work, we make better
jewelry than our foreign teachers. Peo-
pie are misled into believing imported
goods to be of superior MARE by the
fact that we commonly see more cheap
stuff OF American make than good arti-
cles, while of foreign jewelry we see
only the best. 1t would pay to import
no other quality, since we can make
third and fourth rate jewelry and put
it on the market at lower prices than
though we awaited ourselves of cheap
foreign labor and imported the articles.
There are some kinds of work which,
as yet, we are away behind in. We
have few good lapidaries, for instance.
Our precious stones are almost invarl-
ably cut beyond the sea and shipped
here to be set by American workmen.
That accounts for much of the so-called
foreign jewelry A few choice pieces
are bought abroad for the sake of Sc
curing the styles, and the imported
stones are then set in homemade
frames designed after the foreign pat
terms.
One of the most popular of the for
eign novelties and it is one in which
the old-world artists have no equals
the painted ivory artistically set in a
gold frame. The delicate finish and
artistic beauty of the ideal painted
! faces give this class of jewelry a lien
on public favor which it well merits
! The frames are often thickly studded
with gems and are of exquisite work.
manship. With these miniatures the
same practice is followed as with dia-
nonds-the paintings are imported
and the frames are made here. Most
of these pieces are made so as to be
worn either as a pendant or as pin.
! These worries are essentially articles of
virtu and as such are probably the
nearest approach to the antique we
now have in the line of jewelry. l
think that they afford a wider field for
pure art in personal adornment than
any other type of articles worn.
Upon the whole, our business is one
of the most aggravating now pursued.
! You would be surprised at the amount
of annoyance we experience from peo-
pies INDIGESTION. When ladies come in
/ they, as rule, have little idea of what
they want. They are captivated by
the style or finish of a particular piece,
but the price is beyond what they feel
warranted in paying. They know they
can't buy the article, but they revert to
it time and again, wish they could af-
ford it, wonder if the price can't be cut
a little, put it on and want 10 know how
! it looks, and ask thousand and one
questions about what they don't mean
| to buy. There is an almost constant
conflict between longing and finances.
There is frequently an uncertainty as
/ to what is best to do and the jeweler i
asked his opinion, which he gives only
| to find it isn't wanted. We are also
largely subjected to that nuisance of
having people come in to handle, price
and admire goods without the slightest
intention of buying. 1t is somewhat
risky to be short or show that you have
OWNED the intruder's purpose, for it is
often difficult to guage a persons in
tentions and means and a customer
lost in this way means more than the
loss of so much profit. So, practically
all we can do is to grin and bear our
annoyances. Chicago News.