[Jewelry making - Article 00111] - [Orchid] Need of business advice

[Julia Potts]

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Hi all!

    I really hope that some of you may be able to offer me some business
    advice that I have been putting off... 

    to not bore anyone, I will get right to the point.(but bear with me
    while I try to relate all relevent information) 

    I am a jeweler.  I have worked for the same company for the past 15
    years. while employed there I did repair work and custom designs.   I
    have approx. 200 designs of my own....designed a fabricated by me in
    the store.  I have a base of customers who like and request my work. 
    I have won the Pennsylvania Jewelers  Award while employed at the
    store 4 times and have been written up in National Jeweler Magazine. 

    sounds good, eh?
    ok, now the problem.

    the employers are my parents and we had a terrible falling out. At
    the time I was pregnant and crushed at the loss of my job.  (the
    falling out had more to do with problems between mom and dad than
    with me myself) 

    now i have a beautiful 6 mos old son and I work part time for a
    small outfit doing repair work and I am not very satisfied with the
    situation.  I have started the process of beginning my own
    business....(I have found many of the posts VERY helpful....the
    funding for a new studio thread was wonderful) 

    now for the advice part.... 

    My old employer (my parents) after they forced me to quit they have
    refused to tell any of their customers that I am no longer working
    there (they have told customers I am on maternity leave)  they still
    have signs up that say "awarding winning jeweler on premesis". 

    they refuse to give me acess or commission (that was promised) in
    any way to the 200 designs of my own that remain in the store....(now
    the supplies to produce these were bought by the store, however i was
    promised some type of commmission on the "intellectual copyright" of
    these designs) i asked if we could come up with some type of contract
    so that I could show my work....but to no avail! 

    I am trying to start with a clean slate....but being a new mom that
    is trying to fund a studio it would really help to have some kind of
    access to my work or some kind of financial compensation that i was
    promised. 

    Can I add that this has been very difficult for me. I trained under
    my father who is also a jeweler.  I always thought the business would
    be mine someday and I feel hurt and betrayed and because of my son I
    have to speak to them and ignore this problem, and when I bring it up
    I usually get no response or angry accusations.  I miss my old job, I
    miss my parents (our relationship isn't the same), and I miss doing
    the work that I so love to do. 

please, fire away with the advice....
thanks,
-julia

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