[Jewelry making - Article 00083] - Re: [Orchid] Should Goldsmiths Unionize/Organize

[David Keeling]

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    This is something that has been discussed at length with some of my
    fellow craftsmen/women during many stages of our careers. For us,
    the common thread was the perceived need to associate, to find common
    ground and establish goals which would benefit the industry overall.
    A healthy industry provides for it's employees, a sick one turns
    people away and destroys all associated relationships, especially
    the ones between those who buy and those who sell. 

    One specific, obvious benefit of organizing would be that potential
    customers would have an understood minimum level of quality to look
    forward to when making a purchase. 

    Most other trades, and professions especially, have associations
    which govern members and guarantee the skill/education level of those
    who practice their specific sort of work. If you aren't a member, you
    can't get the work. You can't become a member without proving
    yourself beyond all doubt. 

    Having seen countless examples of really expensive gemstones and
    diamonds being set, apparently, by chimpanzees, it might make sense
    to form an association that would discourage people from purchasing
    from grey-market, fly-by-night operators who hire minimally-skilled
    bench people and work them nearly to death. The union/association
    could provide certification, not with the intention of excluding the
    chimpanzees, but in order to encourage them to become part of a
    workforce which is well-trained and ethical. If the same sort of
    chimpanzee work was tolerated in any other trade, buildings would
    collapse, you'd suffer from electrocution, and your home heating
    would asphyxiate you. Bananna peels littering the workspace. 

    Danger to human life shouldn't be the only criteria which makes it
    necessary to legislate minimum skill requirements for tradesmen.
    Consumer protection sustains longevity in any sort of trade
    relationship, and offers job security and a living wage by default.
    Good work equals consistent demand and sustainable markets. 

    It's all about preserving a market which is in decline, due to some
    notable abuses of the freedom to call oneself a "jeweller".
    Consumers have become cynical about jewellery, following purchases
    which fall far short of expectations. Stones shouldn't drop out of
    settings, but they do. Tanzanites don't belong in rings, but that's
    the way they're sold. Lightweight and low karat engagement rings
    fail miserably, rhodium plating practices are a scourge, and gloopy
    solder seams and snag-prone claws are a bloody embarrassment to what
    used to be a proud and noble craft. 

    In order to promote excellence, a union makes perfect sense. Finding
    a way to make it all work would be perplexing, but not
    insurmountable. Perhaps some of our German friends could offer some
    enlightenment, as they seem to have it all in the bag. 

David Keeling
www.davidkeelingjewellery.com

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