Louisville Jewelry Repair

OMG! Wheres My Jewelry?

First off, at the risk of sounding irreverent, God didnt come down from heaven and steal your jewelry! When your streets are gold and your gates are bejeweled, you have little need for more pavement and bricks. So, you can rule God out as a suspect. Thats the good news. The bad news is that everyone and everything else on the planet is now suspect - including you.

After a good nights sleep, you start to wake up. As has been done a thousand times before, auto-pilot guides you through your morning ritual of coffee, shower, getting dressed and then just before walking out the door you put on your.. OMG, wheres my jewelry? Instantly, your body comes to life - electrical impulses flood your brain with chemicals that tell you to either fight or flee. Fear and anxiety have just attacked your body. Youre dang sure awake now. Your mind racing so fast that time actually slows down. You audibly tell yourself to chill. Think where did you put your rings, bracelet and watch?

Did somebody break in through the night? Nope, the house alarm would have triggered. Re-tracing your steps of last night: Did I leave them in the bathroom? The kitchen? The office? Surely I wouldnt have left them in the car. Where in the heck are they? Short of an all out panic you call your husbands cell Honey, did you see my jewelry? No?....I looked there.there, too. I know. Ill keep looking. Me, too, bye. Damn!!

Maybe our overly curious fur ball knocked them off the dresser; shes always doing something goofy. (You look around the dresser.) Double Damn!!

You are not having any fun. You know you are on the verge of a real red letter day a day that will live in infamy. How in the world did your life get to this point? As one day bleeds into the next, you realize that you have been living too fast, too hurriedly taking on way too much responsibility. Vows began to form in your soul. I swear, if I find my jewelry Ill. A small sob begins to form in the back of your throat. Life sucks.

Ive been a jeweler for over 33 years. Believe me when I tell you, I know a lil sumpin, sumpin about lost jewelry, stolen jewelry and jewelry security. Just the short mental math reveals that I have either been around or touched well over a million, nay, a billion dollars worth of jewelry. Maybe more. And no, dont bother coming to my house. It aint there. Im not stupid.

I can call by name the lost or stolen pieces I have been associated with through out my career. There were only two. They happened early on and have been life lessons that have served me only too well ever sense.

The first was a ladies two tone seven diamond one carat total weight round diamond cluster. Even as I describe it, I see the picture of it in my mind. Every last stinking detail.

The story goes like this: I owned and operated a very busy trade shop inside of a brutally high volume catalog showroom jewelry store. Everyday was a challenge to get all the work done that was due by five oclock. There were seven of us. Somebody knocked at the shop door and like an idiot, I let them in. Of course, it was somebody I knew, but not that well. I had all these cluster rings that I had made, setting real pretty in a black traveling case. When this person left, I noticed one of the rings was missing. Questions abounded. Bottom line: I think they stole it. I never found it. And, yes, I was ticked off greatly!! I couldnt prove it. Damn.

The second incident was a one quarter carat round four prong yellow gold diamond solitaire. (Isnt it amazing the clarity and detail of an event thirty years later?) Same shop. Christmas time. We were processing hundreds of pieces of jewelry a day. I had a system. Heres the story:

The last step before bagging all the jewelry was to inspect and wrap it in tissue paper (not toilet, the expensive kind.) Before going green was popular, I was saving paper towels that were little used. Well, you had to stack them somewhere because now they were off the role. Somehow, we wadded up this carat sol and threw it in the garbage. And, it wasnt just anybodies ring, it was a poor guy who worked in the store that had been victimized years earlier by a hit and run accident. He was never quite right after that. It was his wifes ring that we had sized. Double Damn!

We tore the place apart and finally found it in aforementioned paper freakin towels, all wadded up. To this day, if I even touch a paper towel it goes immediately in the garbage. Ill throw the whole roll if I got to. I could have bought paper towels for twenty years for the cost of that ring. And, the potential shame and horror.priceless. I have never lost another little lamb from that day to this ever.

Ive heard innumerable stories through the years from customers, friends and even relatives that recount the pain of lost or stolen jewelry. I submit that in virtually every situation there was a way to prevent it. If you do not want to add your story to this ever growing list then, hear ye me.

We have a saying in the jewelry business, Never Leave the Line. This translates into always secure the jewelry period. I dont care about your excuses, be a Nike boy, just do it! If it is not in the vault and the alarm is not set, then where ever you go, it goes with you. Treat it like a newborn baby. You gotta use the bathroom, it goes with you. You gotta sleep, it sleeps with you. You gotta eat, it eats with you. What ever you do, where ever you go it goes with you. And, you protect it with your life. For a jeweler this is an absolute iron clad rule.

For the average person, this may be a little extreme. However, dont loose the message. When you are out in public and you wash your hands, never take your jewelry off period. I dont care if you get finger leprosy. Dont take your rings off. On the rare occasions when you may be away from home and you must remove a jewelry item, do it deliberately and make sure you secure it.

In a hotel room, use the vault. When working out, try not to take it with you or if you absolutely must, thoughtfully hide it in your car. (And, no, not the ashtray or glove box hide it). If in the gym, use only your lock with your key or combination. Lock it always, especially when you shower. If you find yourself in a place where jewelry may look conspicuous, turn the stone under, take off the watch or bracelet and find a place (like a bathroom stall) to wrap it in something paper towel (remember what I told you about those dn paper towels), handkerchief, something, and then purposefully put it in your front pocket, bra, down your pants, whatever secure it.

When you wear your jewelry day in and day out, you tend to get careless and casual, after all, you see it everyday. Dont! Careless and casual kills! The mind of an amateur thief seeks opportunity. If it is stolen, chances are it will be someone you know. Your job is to prevent that opportunity by removing temptation. Where you put your jewelry is your business, nobody elses. Pick out a few good hiding places for your expensive jewelry that you dont wear everyday. Think about this long and hard. Ask yourself, where would a thief look? And then, dont put it there.

If you are one of the truly affluent people who really do have some very expensive pieces, in the case of a professional thief, you are probably screwed. Thats why we have Lloyds of London.

For us average folk, get your nice stuff appraised and then insured. Do not drop the ball after the appraisal, as most do. Get it insured. Pay the premium. Or, pay the price.

Finally, just being deliberate in where you put your jewelry will save you endless hours, and maybe even a lifetime of, I never saw them again. You dont leave money lying around, do you? Some things are worth far more then money. Money is a tool. Jewelry is a memory. You can replace money.

As panic gives way to frustration and your heart sinks deep within you, small tears begin to well in the corner of your eyes. How could you have been so careless with things so valuable? That was the diamond your husband proposed to you with so many years ago years when money was tight. As reminiscences flood in, the value goes beyond price, just like the memories.

You settle into a dejected state and your mind starts to just wonder. Somewhere in the back of your mind you hear Paul McCartney gently caress the words of the tune Yesterday. With eyes closed, a small still voice within starts to form a heartfelt prayer, Dear God, please. (Choke)let me find. (choke).my..OH, SWEET JESUS I REMEMBER NOW!

I was in the mall yesterday and stopped by the jewelry store to have my jewelry checked and cleaned. They were busy and I said I would be back in a minute. I ran into Helen and we got a quick bite and I forgot to go back by the store and pick them up. At that very moment your cell phone rings, Hi, this is Jason at the jewelry store in the mall, you forgot to pick up your jewelry yesterday and I am just giving you a courtesy call.

Oh, happy day. Life is good. We love Jason. Big tip for him. (It turns just that quick.)

Things happen in life. Some things will change your life. Loosing jewelry is one of them. Dont be your own worst enemy. Take the time to take care of your most cherished possessions. Be deliberate. Be thoughtful. Be consistent. And, if you do find yourself shrieking the words, Wheres my jewelry? - be cool. Life has a way of working things out. It may take some time and some thought, but I have found it usually works out. On the outside chance that Im wrong make sure you have insurance. It may not replace the memories, but it will lesson the financial sting.

At Fast-Fix Jewelry & Watch Repairs, we have been helping customers just like you protect their most cherished jewelry items through our multitude of goods and services for over 25 years.

Come visit us at our Mall Saint Matthews location in Louisville, Kentucky and experience what old fashion service is all about. Louisville Jewelry Repair and a Louisville Jewelry Store. www.FastFixKY.com