Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-02-25

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22-ProD.
ably one of the most highly paid
classes of workmen in the world
employed in an industry OF when
the public knows almost nothing
that Of making high grade 1eweiry by
hand.
The facts about this trade were
brought out at a conference neid Dy
the Jewelry Crafts Association in
New York. The leading topic of
| discussion among the jewelers. was
| the enormous wages which their
workmen are demanding and receiv-
ing, and the difficulty which they
experience in getting new men.
| Think of a workman making as high
| as $3.50 to 5000 a week! Yet some
| of the jewelry workers and dia-
mond settlers get that much. while
weekly earnings of a hundred or
more are not uncommon. A GOOD
workman gets about 50 an hour.
while an exceptional n may make
So. The standard week Is ~ hours
and time and a half Is paid Tor
overtime. As there is always a snort.
age of competent workmen, most OF
the men work overtime during a
great par of the year. and SO pile
up their enviable earnings.
During the war conditions were
even better for the workmen and
worse for their employers. Some
of them during that period were
making as high as IS an hour n
double time for overtime. the en-
Movers objected to the demands for
more money and less working hours
and a long strike took place. Inc
result was the establishment OF the
open shop principle. This was not
as great a victory for the employer
as it usually is, because the shortage
of first class workmen enabled the"
still to successfully demand very
high wages.
These men are interesting, not so
much on account Of their spectac-
ular earningS as because upon them
depends the survival of an ancient
art which is threatened with eX-
termination, or at least great In
jury as are so many other arts, by
the modern domination of machin-
cry.
Machine Made Jewelry Cheaper
Certain lines Of machine made
tewelry may be beautiful and often
are. Some materials can be worked
very successfully by machinery, m
of course machine made jewelry Is
much cheaper than that made by
hand. and so within the reach OF per-
sons who could not otherwise AFFORD
iewelry at all. The place of ma
chine made jewelry is secure and not
TO be criticised; but the fate OF jew
olry making as an art is in the hands
OF those jewellers and their Work
men who do fine hand work. This
art is threatened by the scarcity OF
workmen. In this country. especi-
ally, few young men care TO go MO
a trade in which it takes ten 10 III
teen years to become fairy Pron-
cient. AS a result of this, the Unit
cd states has been getting many OF
its high grade jewelers. from Europe,
a preponderance of them from
Germany and France. Many OF the
skilled workmen were killed or dis
ahIed in the war. The RESTRICTIONS
of the new immigration law preVeht
others from coming to TINS
Hence the difficulties of the modern
manufacturing jeweler.
THESE makers of hand-wrougnt
iewelry truly have behind. them a
great artistic tradition. the X
OF jewelry has always been recog-
nized as a high art. and In the itai-
ian Renaissance 1t attained JUS hisn-
EST dignity. jewelers. In the Italian
| cities OF lHdI PSAAO0
sculptors and painters as well. n
were often quite as famous for their
work in jewelry as for that in other
arts. Botticelli heads a group OF
such artists. Benvenuto Ceihnl is
another- celebrated italian OF the
sixteenth century who was a Jeweisr
and goldsmith and made beautifui
ornaments for the gorgeous poteh-
tates of that day.
Fine Handicraft Formerly
Until the introduction of machin
cry the making of jewelry remain
ed a fine handicraft. In colonial Gays
in this country. and in the early Day
of the republic there were many
eo,dsmiths. some of whom enjoyed
considerable regulations, althougn
thew were not to be compared WIN
the great artists Of rennaissance
Italy. The making Of cheap Jeweiry
nv machinery was a blow TO nne
work by hand. just as machine WORK
was to the making of pottery. rap
rics and many other things. II Is
true h designer still was necessary
but long. series of articles were
made on a single design and Dotn
the execution OF designs and the
materials to be used were limited by
machine processes. :.
Modern designers of jewelry az