[Jewelry making - Article 00816] - Re: [Orchid] A Jewelry Buyer's Guide

[Noel Yovovich]

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    Friends-- I've been reading with interest all the posts about quality
    control in the jewelry business. I agree that there are real
    problems, and the brainstorming about possible solutions is laudable.
    But, at the same time, the kinds of solutions put forward make me
    very nervous. The last thing we need is to get regulatory bodies
    involved. The usual effecy of this kind of move is usually to limit
    our choices, and lower profit margins. This is why people fight
    getting government regulation of herbal preparations, for example. If
    we get legal mandates to standardize training, people like me
    (essentially self-taught), and there are many, would be out of a
    career. The standards imposed by governing bodies in England, as an
    example, make life quite difficult for English galleries and
    jewelers, as it was explained to me. 

    Educating the public seems to me to be the only safe option. We
    continue to try to do that. People who really care will listen. Ones
    who don't, well, caveat emptor. It is always difficult to be sure
    you're getting your money's worth. Again, those who care will
    establish relationships with sellers they can trust. 

    Really, it is the same in every field. People know that there are
    rip-off artists, and honest, competent people, and everything in
    between. From plumbers to doctors, it is the same. If you get a bad
    haircut, you don't let your hair grow for the rest of your life, you
    find someone with a good reputation, the next time. 

    Just my 2 cents worth--for a Democrat, this rant sounds awfully
    Republican! Guess my age is catching up to me.                     
    --Noel 

    Please don't push for interference with the free-market system.
    Sounds to me like "out of the frying pan, into the fire"! 


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