What's Past is Prologue

The saga of the Rose Quartz Crystal Necklace spoke of a disappointment I endured while fabricating a new necklace design. It was to be, perhaps, the most delightfully glamorous necklace to come off my bench yet. But come off my bench it did, breaking a prominent crystal right in front and rendering the necklace a total ruin as fine jewelry art.

Fixed, so to speak
At that point, attempts at salvage prompted me to epoxy the bottom of the broken crystal to the top of the broken crystal. That worked. But what I have now is a broken crystal glued together, still prominently situated near front and center of a glamorous necklace with an obvious fix to an obvious flaw. Who is going to pay big bucks for a designer necklace with a broken stone?

The necklace is perfectly wearable and still looks lovely from afar. But I know that broken stone is in there. Besides, with anything more than a casual observance, that broken stone is obvious as well. Such a flaw is the kiss of death for the successful sale of artisan jewelry. It becomes the goods of flea market offerings, if one is interested in a stop-loss sale, which I'm not.

Thanks go to Y!CN friends
Upon expressing my distress, my faithful readers offered solace, comfort, even advice on dealing with my disappointment and suggested paths for what to do next. Now it's my turn to thank you all for your concern and express the principles with which I will deal with this stroke of ill fate.

Sadie Heilemann mentioned a 'next iteration': There won't be one, Sadie. I despise doing stuff twice. Three times and you're out in my book! I will find value in something I did three times over or not at all. My time on this earth is limited. I cannot and will not waste it seeking some level of perfection that continues to flee from me.

Sadie went on to suggest a 'need for the imperfection': Don't want one. Don't need one. My customers will not pay for imperfection, no matter what good I can say it's for.

Speaking of what imperfections are for, Inga suggested that inadvertent imperfections might have been justified by Navajo artists as "spin," or explanations for avoiding the so-called 'blanket sickness' and an escape for the artful creativity of the piece. I called her on the carpet for that apparently jaundiced view of things, but it opened the possibility that she might be right! After all, what is it these days that carries no "spin" to justify what we think about something? Life is full of "spin." Maybe "spin" started with the Navajo after all! Inga always expands my perspectives on things.

Mary Oberg called the ruined necklace "a masterpiece for someone to treasure." Yeah, if they get it for free. And because it's for free they won't treasure it or value it highly, if at all. I believe that about unsolicited gifts and donations. They are not valued unless somebody pays something--even a little--to get what they get.

So, we are back to square one. The person who treasures it will be me, as it will remind me to be thoughtful and careful, prepared for fabrication foibles, intolerant of my own mistakes, with a strategy for successfully producing a perfect piece of jewelry art. One that rewards whoever buys it for making their investment in me.

Kathryn Neff Perry said "don't quit." Don't worry, I won't, Katt. But I'm going to take a big breather from jewelry for awhile.

Memmay Moore made one last admonishment "Don't ever throw anything out. I'll take any of your mistakes." Throwing those precious metals and materials was never an option. Recycling and reusing the materials is what usually happens, with the attendant labor in undoing one's work and some sacrifice of spent precious materials in the process. So, Memmay, sorry to say the necklace might never have been yours, despite your offer to take it off my hands.

Michele Starkey said "It will never be the same, just different." Indeed, that piece will never be the highfalutin designer necklace I wanted it to be. It will never generate revenue but instead has produced a waste of resources, labor, and time. It, indeed, is already something different: A necklace that will never sell on the open market but will be mine for its personal value to me for the lessons leaned from its imperfections.

I will not recycle the materials.

I will not take the necklace apart for its parts.

I will not offer the necklace for sale, not in prominent galleries nor flea market venues.

I will not say the necklace is perfect when it isn't and hope nobody notices.

I will not opt out to justify the imperfections as serving a higher cause.

I will not give it gratis to adoring friends or family, even to charitable institutions as a donation in kind.

I will not throw it away nor put it out of sight or out of mind.

I will keep that necklace for myself and wear it often as a reminder of the human condition of constant imperfection, wreckless waste, and random unfairness. By golly, I am going to learn to live with all of that.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9000335/saga_of_the_cut_rose_quartz_crystal.html