She Looked for Me for 13 Years

   I was "waitlisted" for the Palo Alto show last weekend, and my name didn't get drawn from the waitlist hat, so I didn't get a booth.
      My husband does that show with his watercolors, so I was there with him anyhow, but it would be great to actually do that show. Maybe next year.

   It amazes me how relaxed the shows are from the other side of the "booth".  Of course, since I wasn't working, I was totally relaxed. I did meet a few friends and sell a few pieces, but the story I want to tell you about here really amazed me.

   I was sitting outside my husband's booth, people watching. Of course I like to look at everyone's jewelry, shoes and clothes. This isn't something I can do easily when I am working. The crowd was thin at the time, so I clearly saw a woman walking towards me from a good distance away, and something about her simple long necklace drew my eye. As she walked closer, I couldn't keep from staring at the unidentifiable object hanging from her long chain. I jumped up and approached her, and I could then see it was one of my glass hearts! I can't believe my eye knew what this was before my brain. Like a crazy person, I pointed to the heart and said " I made that!" I could tell from the size and color that it was a very early heart, made when I first started  the hearts.
         She said, "I am here looking for you!"
        What an amazing coincidence. 
         She bought the heart about 13 years ago at a San Mateo Italian festival my husband and I did only once. She said over the years she has received so many compliments on the glass that she wanted to buy one for her best friend. So she came to Palo Alto looking for me. She didn't even know my business name!
       So now I have a list for my next glass session, and these little hearts are at the top of the list. I love it when the Universe sends me an indisputable message of WHAT to MAKE! I also really admired the way she wore the heart on a very long simple chain. I think I will work on making those available too.

      I have had some of this unique pearl for a few years now.  It is so unusual, and I love to tell the story of how I found it at Tucson. If you have been in my booth in the last two years, you have heard the whole story.
      Last weekend at the Menlo Park show,  I was talking about this unique pearl and I said that it was a very good quality, very weird pearl, and that it took a long time for the mussel to make such a quality pearl. Out of my mouth came the statement that this pearl will either  be copied by other pearl manufacturers, or will never be seen again, once the original crop has been sold out.
      But I finally GOT  that this pearl may never be available again, I got home and  immediately called my supplier.
      I hate it when I am right sometimes.  They are gone. Perhaps we will see it again in the future, or  maybe not. I wish I had bought more now! I have a few left, and I will judiciously plant them in fabulous necklaces!

Bespoke

     August 1. This happens every year, and every year I am amazed it is here so fast.

     My last show in Menlo Park was really fun. I had a GREAT sales assistant, and it was good for me to know that I wouldn't miss seeing or greeting anyone. Some of the shows are too busy for me alone and I know there are times when I don't give the personalized attention to everyone in the booth that they deserve.
      Which brings me to the subject of this blog post. I was unfamiliar with this word, bespoke, and I have always thought I had a pretty good vocabulary. I can't say I have worked to develop my vocabulary. I think it is linked to my disability with numbers, like if you are magically good at one, you suck at the other. So when I heard this word..bespoke.. I was surprised that I really didn't know what it meant. Thank the Goddess for Google.

/be'spok/

British

Bespoke is an adjective for anything commissioned to a particular specification.

     So imagine my surprise that this new word is exactly what I do. Coincidence? My new word made me realize that a major part of what I do is customized my designs for each customer, if desired. Of course a lot of jewelry is purchased as is, luckily, being a great fit right from the get go. But a lot of what I "do" is see where the piece looks best on each individual, and then custom size/adjust the piece. I can change certain elements if one isn't that great on a specific person. I can change the clasp to suit personal taste. So, basically I have a bespoke business. What a great word!
     I have found out the hard way, however, that I don't work as well on commissions that do not include my personal material choices. Sometimes I am asked to work with items the customer already has. This is not my favorite thing to do, and I hate to say I will usually say no, reluctantly to this request. My work is most heavily invested in the choices of my eye, and if that is not engaged, I struggle to design the piece. Not Fun. And if it's not fun, what's the point?