I’ll never forget when I very first started full time in our family jewelry business. I started in customer service which I loved, but quickly was whisked out on the sales floor after having some beginner’s luck early on in my career. That luck has carried me through for quite some time. Right around the time I made this shift, I was introduced to a man who made a big impact on me personally and professionally. One of the most passionate people I’ve ever met in my career, he revolutionized an industry and tends to leave a life long imprint with just about anyone he comes in contact with. His name is Scott Kay, and we’ve carried his line of jewelry for decades. He came to our store and spoke about metal my first year in the business, I remember how impressed I was by exactly how much he knew and his love for the art. Both the way he spoke and the message he delivered inspired me to push myself to higher levels.  To evolve my efforts, talents and skill level at a very early stage of my professional journey.

Today I look back and think about his many roles and the overall impact he has had on the jewelry industry. He was the driving force for bringing Platinum into the main stream jewelry market in the mid-to-late 90’s. While this was very forward thinking at the time, he knew just how to present it to the public correctly in order for it to be accepted.  He is a big part of why platinum is so widely accepted today.  Since then a lot has changed and as times have changed, so has Scott. He has recently introduced many new metals and has tried lots of new things. His latest success has been introducing Cobalt to the Men’s bridal market and it is doing very well, to say the least. This desire to constantly evolve and think of what is next has helped to reinvent what his brand can offer to us, the retailer, and therefore the consumers.

I saw Scott at the Couture Jewelry show during Jewelry Market Week in Las Vegas and it was great to get a chance to catch up. During our lengthly conversation he said something that really stood out and stuck with me. He’s very aware and sees all what the next generation of industry people are doing in this new digital age. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, online video, texting, emailing and all the other digital ways of marketing, communicating, forming relationships, reconnecting with others, and growing existing ones.  While he saw the opportunity to meet new people and engage with clientele, he reminded me of something that we must not forget.

“Don’t forget the art is the heart and soul out of the business.
This is truly who we are and what we are doing. It’s an experience”.

A Strong Message is sometimes what it takes to remind me of some important things I must not let myself forget. In this case it’s that the core of the jewelry industry has never changed. Sure, the world has, but what we are looking to accomplish has not. We may communicate in new ways, but we still are making art and that is something that comes from within the heart. His message hit me like a ton of bricks. I still believe that we must adapt to this this new hyper-communicative world, but agree with Scott that we have to find balance in remaining true to the creative process, the craftsmanship and the art which define the true heart and soul of our industry.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by, greatly appreciated and I’d  love to know your thoughts and comments on this subject.  This message has inspired me to change up the Samuel Gordon Jewelers Blog a bit and starting writing more contextual reviews of what I love in the art of the jewelry business.  If you’d like to you can check it out here.