[Jewelry making - Article 00221] - Re: [Orchid] The casting not hand made discussion

[Jim Reitze]

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    I'm sure we will never, as a group, all agree on where the line
    should be drawn for 'handmade'.  We come from too many different
    backgrounds and countries, too many divergent ways of dealing with
    definitions and legalities.  I have seen so many opinions here on the
    subject, and passionate ones at that.  I think perhaps we all see the
    situation as it relates to our own niche in the jewelry world, and
    that is fine.  As I have stated earlier, I am not so concerned about
    how my work is seen within the group as far as the term handmade
    goes.  I am mostly concerned with being able to distinguish my
    products as being mine, not bought from somewhere else and then
    marketed by me.  And in this extremely litigious society in America,
    I want to be sure I am legally correct.  Most likely I will have to
    revamp the wording on my web site, and any other promotional
    material, to reflect that castings are not, by FTC standards,
    handmade. I do hope, though, that there is one common thread between
    all of us on the group.  That is, I hope that we all agree that
    wherever the line of definition is drawn, its main intent is to give
    us a tool for fighting the unscrupulous dealers out there who are
    misrepresenting what they sell. Perhaps if the FTC wants to nit-pick
    about the term handmade, they can come up with a reasonable way of
    conveying originality.  After all, many of the items being sold by
    these importers are actually as 'handmade' as our own pieces.  The
    distinction is that they are handmade by low wage workers in 3rd
    world countries, trained to do a specific task.  The designs and
    materials are totally unrelated to the people doing the assembly. Jim 



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