I am commenting on the accompanying video of some massive geode specimens that Sheri and I saw in Tucson at the gem shows. It is common to see spectacular crystal specimens on display and we would always see them along highway I-10 as you headed south through the downtown. These huge amethyst, citrine and clear quartz geodes are usually on display in their sawdust filled coffins of crated wood, slightly tilted back like dead gunslingers in front of the mortuary in the old west. The video shows an incredible 15 foot tall behemoth that came from some location in South America (sometimes you get the real story for the price of a cup of coffee and a burrito) and is encrusted with beautiful, tiny amethyst crystals along the entire interior. The other geode is displayed as the largest of its kind in the world and you could fit a child’s birthday party inside.
Many of these tremendous crystal specimens are from caves or pockets of rock that are buried in clay. We sell large, architectural mineral specimens but these are a whole different world! The beauty of these is mirrored with the problems of shipping and installation. I remember when we first started selling them and I had to rent a forklift to get them off the shipping truck…that’s when I realized the difficulty many of the vendors face when they bring them to shows. The other minor detail is that when they are shipped, the dealer does NOT certify them to arrive to you in one piece. If they should crack, split, chip or separate during shipping…tough cookies. Many galleries and museums will arrive with their own truck and packing materials to insure safe arrival. Imagine one of these rarities in your courtyard at home or in your entrance foyer with subtle lighting, accenting the sparkling crystals….and overhearing your guests question, How big do these things get…?

Sheri and I have just returned from the world’s largest gem show and we are completely stoned from looking and buying stones! I have been attending the Tucson gem shows for almost 28 years and have seen many changes over the last decade. I also use the word “shows” literally as there are approximately, 16 different, independent shows around town. There are fine gem shows that require 20 different forms of ID before you are allowed in ( not to mention a DNA sample, credit check, background check, confidentiality agreement, firstborn and Facebook check) and fossil shows, mineral specimen shows, bead shows and tool shows…
Most of the shows and tents are owned by promoters who gather exhibitors together by like material, countries, ethics and/or industry association and brownie baking ability. The finest location is the American Gem Trade Show (who also sponsor the International Spectrum Jewelry Design Competition) at the Convention Center. I have added video of this show looking down upon the trading floor and revealing the huge scope of exhibitors. Imagine trying to shop this behemoth with any kind of budget..The first day in Tucson found us here and quickly greeting, perusing and buying with the best one-of-a-kind gem dealers in the world! ( scored some of the most gorgeous “Souffle” pearls available) Sheri and I then moved on across the street to the mammoth, GJX gem show which is housed in a highly secured tent that Ringling would envy. After more blood, DNA and body cavity searches we were on the prowl for elusive and rare precious goodies. Later, back to the hotel to soak our feet in the hot spa and pass out.(I have discovered the Gem show inverse ratio theory…the more your feet hurt, the worse the gems look.) The next day is always the most fun because the initial buying pressure has been released and we are cruising through shows that are also open to knowing members of the Tucson public. We have to continually mention to vendors that we own a business and that we want a “trade” price, not the price for Billionaire, desert ranchers and Pro golfers..
One of the downfalls of Gem show modernization is that many hip, cool vendors that we used to find in incense filled alleys, puffing on hash hookahs in oriental carpet, mini-casbahs are now in climate controlled mega-tents with NO atmosphere or hookahs. The sense of discovering an independent miner, fresh from his mine in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains, behind the Wendy’s parking lot with his pickup filled with rough slabs of killer geodes, is gone. No longer does one have to wander 10 miles in the desert to find a porta-potty or saguero cactus to hide behind…Country Club style potty trailers behind barbed-wire (for your security) are the norm. Sheri is pretty happy about these changes (the potty ones) but we both miss the bazaar, flea market atmosphere that characterized the Tucson gem shows. Speaking of characters, we also miss the easy going, independent, eclectic, neurotic, stoned, hippy folks who were everywhere! There is still the cool, 150 year old earth momma who walks up and “tunes” your aura with her “singing” bowl of “virgin” quartz. (I’m still not clear what qualifies quartz as “virgin”?) I have also included video of some of the amazing spheres, skyscraper sized crystals and acre-sized tables loaded with pearls that are scattered about.
We have also learned and coached others in the survival tactics of bottled water procurement. By the time you are thirsty (or hungry) it’s too late and the fatal migraine has set in. Of course the constant guzzling of water means repeated trips to the “potty behind barbed-wire” so keeping your sense of direction as to where you last saw the exit to “the real world” is paramount. Sheri and I have considered becoming professional, gem show tour consultants, but figure the hazards and stress on the clients would be too great…enjoy the video and please stop by the gallery and allow me to play “show & tell” with many of our new Tucson treasures!
Mark

I came across an article yesterday that resonated with me in a way that required I pay closer attention. I enjoy writing and blogging but find the time required to actually gather my thoughts in a cohesive manner and then two-finger type them, takes effort. The article that grabbed me in Entrepreneur magazine was about the new world of video-blogging and how technology has made the opportunity of communicating thoughts, ideas and concepts visually a facile reality. Here at Mark Loren Designs it’s all about the visual experience and revealing the intricate world that we create/design every day. I have included an example in this blog post of myself working on the most incredible opal I have ever seen or held!

This past Xmas we had the singular opportunity to design and create a brooch/pendant for an amazing client who loves gifting his beautiful wife with jewelry pieces made from gems they have collected for many years. Gems that were purchased decades ago and are no longer available or even seen! This opal weighed over 200cts and was heart shaped with mesmerizing flashes of green/orange/blue colors. We then surrounded the opal with 90 (yes 90!) green Demantoid garnets from Russia. Demantoid garnets have an unbelievable flash to them and resemble green diamonds. We pre-set the garnets and then laser-assembled them together around the frame of the opal. The video shows me doing the final trimming of the prongs and setting the opal. Opal behaves like glass when you are setting it and loves to chip and flake with the slightest, unwarranted, pressure. Difficult for me to describe in words but the attached video is pretty cool to watch. Most jewelers have never seen a fine opal this large, let alone watched one being set! I’m anticipating the chance to bring you more of the “behind-the-scenes” creating that inspires us at the gallery. Feel free to post back or email with ideas of things you would like to see or are curious about. We are also in the process of setting-up a “Ustream” web camera on our jeweler’s bench so that we can schedule with you when your diamonds or gems are being set and you can log in and watch! Cool right? You can also stop in the gallery and watch in-person with a glass of wine or fresh-made martini in hand. (By the way, I’m typing this blog, on a plane, with my new net book that my awesome staff gave me for Xmas! You guys are the best and it’s an honor for me to create with you…Mark)

Sheri, myself and a few special guests attended the “Philanthropists of the year” luncheon at Quail West on Monday. It was an incredibly well organized event and Kelly Burns was our terrific MC. I was amazed at who was in the crowd and how many folks and clients we knew. At our table we had invited longtime clients as well as new clients/friends who have been incredibly supportive of our work. I don’t mind public speaking and Sheri would even say that I love it but, I was not sure how to address the honored crowd who were there to award us with a big “thank-you”. Fortunately, other honorees went first and while their comments were gracious I was still wondering what would come out of my mouth when our turn came. Gulfshore Life had prepared a cool video with the photos I had sent them (not being sure what they were going to do with them) and I was momentarily speechless as I watched the presentation and was simultaneously introduced by our creative PR wizard, Carolyn Rogers. Standing at the microphone and looking out, I felt incredibly proud that  my mother was there to share this with us. I began by acknowledging my parents yet, I felt alone, as if there should have been a crowd standing with me and passing our award back and forth. I realised that my staff should have been there as well and I acknowledged them for giving me the opportunity to further our creative vision in a much bigger way than I could do alone. It’s funny how time slows when you are at the podium, not reading from notes and you have to say something that is appropriate and hopefully gracious, while not being pompous. Luckily, my heart took over and the emotion of joy that we experienced from our Mother’s Day event and all the grateful stories we had heard, choked me up and made me pause. I was able to share how special we felt by not being just a “retailer” but by assisting our clients in communicating their love for another with our jewelry designs. I know that coming from that context in what we do, differentiates us from the retailers in our business who think it’s just about the numbers. I’m so proud to be able to work and design with very creative staff who realise what it’s really about.

I have been subconsciously ignoring the fact that my business’s 25Th anniversary was approaching. I didn’t want to recognize the reality of how much time has passed since I first began this endeavor. When Gulfshore Life magazine asked me to submit photos that tell my story of our progression til now, I wasn’t sure what to send them. The jewelry designs tell most of the story, I thought to myself and yet, many crucial moments along the way started to reappear in my mind: The very early days of almost zero jewelry in the showcases, begging vendors to extend me a nominal amount of credit, begging banks to do the same, working horrific hours late into the night, struggling to understand the financial reports that my awesome CPA Gail Markham tried to explain to me and wondering why I never seemed to get ahead, getting called by the alarm company at 4am and arriving at the gallery to find the windows smashed or a hole bashed through the wall, paying for and installing our first computer and not understanding how the hell the thing worked at all, attempting to go on vacations only to find out hurricanes were heading our way and returning before the vacation ever started, swallowing my anger and urge for retribution when other lazy jewelers would copy our original designs, the frustration of trying to train apprentice jewelers who had no aptitude for the work, burying my ego and pride when I needed to make a wrong customer right…and many more. Precious memories have also been cascading in:  Our first Gallery opening party, new clients coming in by referral, designing new pieces with amazing gems and materials, designing pieces for my parents, having vendors seek us out to open business relationships, my staff surprising me with fun birthday parties, late night work sessions when my friends would stop by and crack open the fine wine to keep me company, doing fun commissions for Bob Rauschenberg and the long philosophical conversations with him over ping-pong and champagne, my first national Spectrum award, discovering the joy in creating charitable works with partners like Patty Berg, having my dog Sapphire with me sleeping under my workbench, developing an ongoing jewelry education by attending trade shows and asking a bazillion questions, meeting wonderful local bankers who appreciated our relationship, getting my first line of credit, grasping what the hell my financial statement was telling me, being a judge for a national jewelry design competition,  splurging on a laser welder when no one had one, excited that people actually wanted to come to our event parties, meeting my wife in a business networking group, having good clients become great friends, meeting the President of the United States, finally being able to pay back friends and family that had loaned me money to start my business, being on “Extreme Home Makeover” for my first gallery manager when their home was rebuilt, watching my talented staff win national design awards, moving into our own building, seeing my jewelry in a book of master jewelry designers…and many more. I can’t escape the reality of time passing when a handsome young couple comes in for an engagement ring and I was the one who had designed their parents engagement ring! I’m reminded of the Rabbi’s story of a little boy who comes upon a stone-cutter hammering away upon a huge rock.The stone-cutter is bathed in sweat and his arms are rippled with strong muscles. He watches the man strike the hammer to the chisel for many blows and then suddenly, the rock separates. The boy congratulated the mason on his mighty last blow. The stone-cutter thanked the boy, took a swig of water and replied “yes and the previous 5,000  blows were just as important as the last one”… Let the party begin….

I was talking with a friend who had asked me how one “gets” into the jewelry business. She had a nephew who was casting about for a skill, career or direction to pursue. I suggested watchmaking if he had some mechanical/problem solving ability and steady hands. That’s all it really takes and with 1-2 years of initial training (with many watch companies paying for the schooling), he could walk into a watchmaking position with a starting salary of approximately $50-$60,000. How is that possible she asked? I explained how an incredible amount of aging watchmakers (gentlemen in their 70’s and 80’s) were retiring and their ranks were not being filled at the pace that they were shrinking. These were men who came home from two major wars ( for the most part) and had the benefit of the GI bill to assist with their technical training. Watch manufacturing was booming and those little, sensitive, mechanical wonders  needed to be cleaned, oiled, timed and repaired on a relatively regular basis. One of the great arbiters of our modern society is time. The quartz revolution didn’t hit full swing until the early 80’s and many of the oldest watch artisans saw the potential demise of their field and took their leave. In the last decade there has been an incredible explosion of high quality, handmade and well designed watches that have found a substantial collecting base with many collectors acquiring multiple, multi-thousand dollar timepieces. The field of watchmaking in the United States is in need of young, delicate-skilled craftsman to pick up the mantle of the “Greatest Generation” and continue an amazing  legacy that goes back to the “Longitude Prize” offered by the King of England. I told her that I could promise her nephew that his skills ( if developed) would not be outsourced to any third world country and that he would be able to find a job or develop his own business in any fair-sized city in America. When I was graduating High School the guidance counselors never mentioned  “Vocational” Schools or “Technical”  Schools, even though I clearly showed strong aptitude in those directions. This was a time when College and Schools of “Higher Learning” were a must to be successful and to make good money. I grew up in a suburban community where our neighbors were plumbers, electricians, hairstylists (OK the plumber may have been a mob guy) and similar trades with many of them owning their own companies or retail businesses. Their jobs were not outsourced to other countries because when you needed your car fixed or diamond ring repaired, you took it to someone that you had a face-to-face relationship with. I also told her that in my work life, I experience tremendous satisfaction on a daily basis and find that I use  both sides  of my brain in solving continually changing situations and challenges. My work still feels like play and I don’t know how many people can say that honestly. Everyday I feel that I infuse my “soul” in what I do and not only does that satisfy me greatly, it seems to enroll others in pleasure as well. So mama,  it’s OK to let your babies grow up to be cowboys or watchmakers, jewelers, auto mechanics, electricians, landscapers, hairstylists, doctors or whatever….

I just had to comment on the incredibly cool birthday present that my wife Sheri gave me a few weeks ago. We are both voracious readers and I had been wondering about the new technology of the electronic books. Far different than audio books (which I love when driving long distances or on my Iphone for treadmill time) E books are downloadable from the internet and then read off of a new device like the “Kindle” or Sony “Ereader” which have the new “E Ink” technology. Well, the Sony Ereader was very cool in style and after I figured out how to charge the battery and download a book off their website, I was reading. The best thing about the sony product was also its downfall. There are little LED lights in the screen that you can turn on so you can read in the dark without a separate light; really cool but, drains the battery four times faster than without light. Really a bummer ’cause I read at night, alot. Last week the Ereader froze and locked up so, I returned it after doing a ton of research on other available products. I have since ordered, received and powered-up my 1st generation Kindle (there are already 2 more generations out, but this one has the items I value most for the best dollar) and have been reading away like crazy. All of that aside, this baby is a game changer! After having it in my hands and reading on it for the past week I am making some  bold assertions here: 1. This will dramatically alter the entire publishing industry (similar to what happened in photography with the advent of digital) with possibly the ultimate demise of large brick & mortar bookstores as we know them now. 2. Every child in school will have one of these with all their books for the year on it and tons of other material, as well as possibly taking all their tests and doing most of their assignments on it (which can all be immediately wired to their teacher when complete) 3. Newspapers and magazines will ultimately be subscribed and read this way (or on new laptop/Ereader hybrids) saving gazillions of trees… 4. I believe we will eventually be carrying one tablet device with us as an Ereader, minicomputer, phone (with bluetooth headset),  biomedical interface and credit card. This tablet could be wired into our doctors, banks, credit card companies and anything else we require. I can see the day when we walk into our doctors office and wireless transfer our medical records when we sign our name and carry all those records with us even for emergencies. I saw all this as I was holding this little plastic tablet in my hands and experiencing the technology for the first time! If you read anything for any legth of time you have to check this out! I decided on the simple 1st Kindle until the technology really improves with nightlights, low battery drain and better, all color screens for a reasonable price. Maybe I’ve just been reading too much science fiction lately…but I love this thing!

I’m referring to the today’s News-Press column “Tell Mel” that was on the front page of the local section. I won’t go over the content (check it out on the web) except to applaud Mel for helping the woman in the article receive satisfaction. I really am not clear why the jewelry store in the article was giving the customer the run-a-round. I’m sure some employee or manager made bad decisions and was hoping the customer would remain ignorant. Big mistake!  Why didn’t they call the customer and ask her what she would prefer? The customer should be informed at the start about what they can expect and what exactly will be done. How much the repair will cost and by when. Will it stay at the store to be worked on and if there is any damage, who will be responsible. Ithink it was in kindergarten where I learned to treat others as you would want to be treated…not mislead, misinformed or treated with indifference. Every client who walks through our door has something in their hands that matters tremendously to them (or wants us to design something tremendous for them!) and they expect us to treat it and them with the same reverence. Each client and piece is important! Service is the lifeblood of any retail business and everyone’s eye HAS to be on that ball…The woman in the article even paid EXTRA to make sure she would have the best service…why not GIVE the best service anyway? Don’t we all deserve it?

Hopefully someone will read this who might see an ad about another jewelry store “liquidating” or “going-out-of-business” for the 3rd time and is thinking of stopping by there for some “Bargains!”. Yes, it may be cheap but there are a few reasons and distinctions I would hope to share with you. When a jewelry store is going out of business or in chapter 11 or trying desperately to raise cash, they sometimes turn to liquidators who come in and try to appeal to your sense of economy by sort-of, discounting the inventory. Mostly what they do is quickly sell-off the nicer stock then pack the store with their own “stock”, mark it up 300 to 400 percent and then “liquidate”  it to you for 1/2 off or whatever this weeks new “all time low” price is.  Most times the jewelry is very poor quality, made in China or India and the kind of jewelry that QVC turns down. But hey, you’re there so might as well pick up a few “cheap” bargains. We know this is going on because our clients trust us and bring these “bargains” to us to see how they did. Most of the time it’s too late and non-refundable because hey, they’re LIQUIDATING! All regular, nice rules need not apply…so not only was it a piece of cr p…but it was a CHEAP piece of CR P…!  The Tanzanites are scratched and/or set poorly, the diamonds can fall out the first time you clean them or the clasps on the chains fail to close properly and the necklace falls off the third time you wear it. The opal inlays are synthetic but, oops, they forgot to mention that because the “new” staff work for the liquidator. So if you are thinking of stopping by one of these “unfortunate retailers” to gleam a cheap bargain while the doors are still open, be armed with the above knowledge of the game being played.

I and my staff have been incredibly touched by all the thank you cards, notes and folks who have stopped in to express their appreciation and gratitude for our Mother’s Day “give-away”. You should know that we discovered for ourselves some amazing gifts that we hadn’t anticipated when we were planning and creating the event. The second most important thing we realized was how much we came together as a  staff to serve a single, committed purpose. In the past, with many of the charitable events that we have participated in, the staff will assist in designing and creating a piece and Cameron or I will appear at the event to present the winner or recipient with our donation. Unfortunately, the rest of the staff doesn’t get to experience the appreciation we receive at the event and there is a disconnect  for the rest of our talented team. One of our goals with the Mother’s Day event was that we all would be on the ground floor, start-to-finish and everyone would share in the emotions and appreciation we created. We just waaaaay underestimated the level of gratitude that our guests brought forth and I was moved deeply to see how much my staff was touched by what we had created!

I learned to not underestimate the power of giving to give…..

But, the most important thing we discovered was that we could create an event  for people who had and were facing horrendous personal circumstances, to come and allow us to share our work and our acknowledgment of what they were going through. We saw that people came not for “charity” but for the opportunity of an authentic gift that they then  could share with someone they loved and wanted to acknowledge for being significant in their life! We were humbled by the poignant dignity that every one shared coming in and waving goodbye… We rediscovered and relearned that we all deserve that dignity, no matter our circumstances…so the bow goes to all of you and my gracious staff….when you soar I soar!