[Jewelry making - Article 00013] - Re: [Orchid] Jeweler's former lives

[Stan mcCall]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

I am close to you Daniel.

    I started my career in junior high 8th grade jewelry/lapidary class
    at age 13. My teacher also taught nighttime adult education classes
    which I attended all through high school as a teachers aid helping
    out the students and covering the costs of the classes. 

    I Started working as a clerk stocking shelves in drug store at age
    16 and worked myself up to full time head pharmacy technician over 8
    years. During this time I graduated high school and got out of
    jewelry/lapidary for a few years. typical teenage thing (party,
    girls, fun). 

    I started attending adult education classes again at age 22
    concentrating on refreshing and honing my skills in stone cutting.
    After about a year my teacher told me of a job position was open at
    a local jewelry/lapidary shop. I applied and was hired on for
    weekend help running the sales floor. so I was working at the
    pharmacy on the weekdays and the jewelry shop on the weekends. I
    worked seven days a week for about 1 year. 

    I was finally was offered a full time job at the jewelry store in
    which I immedietly quit the pharmacy tech job and started working on
    the sales floor, as there was a full time lapidary artist working
    for the shop. I worked on a few lapidary jobs now and then when
    times were quiet, but I had a shop in my garage and I was working on
    my own projects and honing my skills while still helping out at the
    adult education class. 

    After about 4 years working for this shop, the lapidary artist
    decides to quit his job and move out of state and start a new career.
    This now puts all the work in my hands and the boss still wants me to
    work the sales floor. And so we agree that I will work on all
    lapidary projects at home after work and on days off. there was a
    hitch though, he did not want to pay me cash or check for my at home
    services. so I bargained that he would buy all my equipment at his
    cost for all the work I did at home. I did this for about 2 years,
    then the boss figured out I was making more money working at my home
    3-4 hours a night and that he was buying all the equipment to update
    my shop. 

    The boss comes and tells me that I no longer will work on any
    lapidary projects at home and that I must work on them during my
    regular work day while working the sales floor when times are quiet.
    (greedy bastard) This was a constant battle in which I would start a
    project and constantly have to set it down because somebody needed a
    price on a simple job or someone had to go to lunch. 

    Since I was working more time on the sales floor than working on
    lapidary projects, things would get backed up. It was always a fight
    to get projects out on time. I would tell them I am not an octopus I
    do not have 8 arms, let me have a few hours without you bugging me
    to complete these jobs. Their answer, well who will work the sales
    floor. ( the people working were the owners daughter, store manager
    and owner after 1:00pm) This went on for over 2 years ant I was
    finally tired of this crap. 

    I finally confronted the boss about my grievances (am I your
    lapidarist or am I a salesperson you must decide). Guess what, he
    totally ignored what I had to say, You will do this and you will do
    that and I don't care about how you feel. 

    So I gave him my 2 month notice since it was late October and I told
    him I would work through Christmas. and Jan. 1 I was gone. He asked
    me what I will do and I told him I was opening my own
    wholesale/retail lapidary job shop and he told me that I would fail
    and go broke. 

    Well that was 4 years ago and I am working harder than I ever
    imagined. but a least I am in control of my own destiny and the hard
    work is all for me and not someone else. 

Stan McCall
Custom Creative Gem Cutting
http://home.earthlink.net/~custom-creative
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________