[Jewelry making - Article 00347] - Re: [Orchid] Just what is a Qualified jeweler?

[David L. Huffman]

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Hi Richard;

>     ...however with this process I want it done my way, that the
>     results need to be the same results I get 

    I can appreciate your reasoning for that. It makes sense the way you
    explain it, and if you explain it that way to your workers, I
    wouldn't think it would be a problem for them. And I sometimes find
    myself hoping my employees will prefer to go back to my way of doing
    something after trying their own route. And it sometimes happens that
    way. They don't actually often try straying from how I've taught
    them. But I have ulterior motives for this strategy. I actually want
    to encourage them occasionally question my authority. This way, they
    eventually get the idea that I'm not pig-headed about things and when
    I'm right there's usually good reasoning and experience behind it.
    And I'm careful to only risk this when, in the even of failure, the
    consequences aren't expensive. But there's yet another strategy for
    me. It trains me to become more at ease with letting go. It's rumored
    I'm a control freak :-). Makes for a good jeweler, up to a point, but
    it's hard on one's personal life. 

    By the way, I completely agree with the idea of cross training
    people. I do that for the reasons you list, but I have another one I
    think is the one that's most important to me. I want my workers to
    understand how everyone's work effects everyone else's. Someone who
    knows stone setting is more likely to carve a "setter-friendly" wax.
    A bench jeweler who polishes know how to pre-finish an article so
    that the polisher can do a good job. A caster who finishes castings
    will know the difference between a good casting and a bad one, etc. 

    Finally, I think the whole idea of a trial period should become a
    standard in our trade. It's not fair to hire somebody, get their
    hopes up and let them pull up roots and everything, only to boost
    them out the door a month later because they couldn't do what you'd
    hoped or they'd told you they could. 

David L. Huffman
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