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….
