[Jewelry making - Article 00611] - Re: [Orchid] Tanzanite & rhodium plating - Consumer report

[MillsGem]

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John,

>      items that are one or two off 

    I beg to differ......most jewelry nowadays is mass produced. The
    major jewelry venues regularly sell thousands of a kind. The T.V.
    hucksters very often order ten thousand items of a kind. As a matter
    of fact, they don't even want to desal with a supplier who cannot
    turn out large quantities of identical items. On another level,
    chains are a prime example of an item that is almost always mass
    produced . Not only are they mass produced.....they fall within close
    tolerances of being easily recognized styles, dimensions and weights.
    Chain making machines have no peers for productivity and uniformity.
    Hand made chain is essentially a thing of the past. On the other
    hand, little regard is allowed for the shortcomings of a given style
    of chain. If it sells, produce it ! This is where the process starts
    falling apart. A given style of chain will have fairly uniform wear
    characteristics. The shortcomings of a given style of chain are well
    known to all of us who have to repair them. Thus, we know that
    herringbone chains will frequently become un-usable after a short
    while because they kink. We also observe that box chains frequently
    have poor butt joints that fail. Furthermore, we note that round
    chains with flat tabs frequently fail because the tabs are not
    soldered properly, or, better yet, that they should have been
    assembled with tubular tabs. And then there is the so called French
    Twist which is not soldered at all. The list goes on. Meanwhile the
    disenchanted customer is alienated and the entire industry becomes
    suspect ! Every element of the industry is fraught with questionable
    practices and slipshod quality control. In other industries these
    problems are recognized as being endemic to modern mass production
    and certain controls have been instituted to allay the problems.
    Recalls of faulty products are taken for granted. But, in our
    industry, the total lack of sanctions begs for faulty products.
    Loopholes get filled by shortcuts and shortcuts produce faulty
    product. Ultimately we are going to have to take the bull by the
    horns and realize that product liability should apply to every
    industry if we are going to retain the confidence of the
    consumer.....the people who pay our bills ! 

Ron at Mills Gem, Los Osos, CA

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