2009-2014 World Outlook?

The 2009-2014 World Outlook for Engraving and Etching on Precious Metal and Pewter Hollowware and Non-Precious Metal Clad or Plated to Precious Metal Excluding ... Metal Plated to Non-Precious Metal Base


Anyone read this yet? Kinda pricey - 204 pages... at $795.00... (but the shipping is free)


http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...+Outlook+for+Engraving+and+Etching+&x=14&y=17


Guess it would be cheap if you could depend on whatever conclusions are offered?



Brian Marshall
SJAS
Stockton, CA USA 95209
209-477-0550
instructor@jewelryartschool.com
http://jewelryartschool.com/

Sweatshops?

Just out of curiosity, has anyone on this forum, anywhere in the world - been contacted by the "Icon Group" responsible for putting out these reports?

I'll bet not...


Brian


No customer reviews yet. Be the first...

has anyone on this forum, anywhere in the world - been contacted by the "Icon Group" responsible for putting out these reports?

Click to expand...

Brian,
They operate on a global scale with large international companies, not at the end user level. This is one of their reports on the sugar industry which gives an idea of the scope of their research. Their reports would be bought by large corporations for global strategic planning.

http://www.icongrouponline.com/pr/Amfac_JMB_Hawaii,_L_L_C_US/PR.html

I kinda guessed that we weren't very important in the grand scheme of things

At least not nearly as important as we think we are.


Brian


However, it would still be interesting to find out whether the big international companies are planning to eat well in the next 4 years... we might get some of the crumbs?


Not interesting enough for me to pay $795 for a "pill" to put me to sleep at night - or to keep me awake - if that's what the conclusion they made would do.

Brian believe it or not we are more important than their report would make it out to be. What would the jewelry industry be without bench workers? It's the same without hand engravers. It would be a monotone industry with very little interest, and nothing but mass produced throw away product. The same as if there were no musicians just synthesized music. They can write all the reports they want but until they hit the streets they don't have a clue. At $795 they're just writing it for the universities.

Welcome to the new world

Mike,


It would be a monotone industry with very little interest, and nothing but mass produced throw away product.



It's almost there now.

There was a story in one of the jewelry trade magazines sometime last year. In that article it stated that in the USA we had lost over 4,000 "Mom & Pop" (family or indivdual owned) jewelry stores in the past couple of years.

Those stores will NEVER reopen. Their children and their bench workers used to be sent to places like mine to add skills. They were once the main group of students I saw. I haven't seen a young 'un that was gonna take over the family store in a couple years now.

Guess who is now the largest retailer of jewelry in the world? Selling jewelry made thin enough that you can fold it between your fingers like foil. A variety of stones that no self respecting jeweler would allow in a showcase. Frozen spit for diamonds and aquarium gravel grade colored stones...

You are old enough to remember when we had leather shoes, right? Made in USA. (or Italy?) And we used to resole them and keep them for 3 or 4 years - sometimes longer...

Compare that with "modern day values". Now you buy a pair made in a sweatshop of mostly cloth, rubber, and a tiny bit of leather. You wear them for a while...

And then - you throw them away because they're dirty! Not because they are worn out! Because they got dirty. (There's an idea for a modern day entrepreneur - a shoe laundering service!)


Welcome to the new world. Disposable jewelry. Drop it on the scale for a $15 credit on your next piece... (no credit for the stones)

You got your low end goods, and you got your high end goods. Not much in between anymore.

The largest volume of upper middle range goods is now sold at warehouse clubs. (ie Costco - etc.)

The jewelers that haven't already gone into the gold buying business are going to survive on repairs - more now than ever. People can't afford new baubles and trinkets with gold running up around $1,280. So they will repair the old stuff and wait for a better time.

Think we're gonna live long enough to see it come back to where it was 4 or 5 years ago?


Brian


I just saw something else I never thought I'd see... go look at the front cover of MJSA for this month. (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America) Hidden message there?

Thanks Brian, I always enjoy your insights on the jewelry business.
Ken

Hi Ken,



You serious? You LIKE reading the stuff I just wrote?

That little rant was inspired by another end of the week job that got done just under the wire...


Plus, I've been seeing too many stainless steel and carbide ring ads whilst perusing the trade magazines in the privy.

And in one of my wifes' magazines there's an ad trying to sell industrial grade black diamond encrusted jewelry to women who don't even own a drill...



Brian

Brian,

I didn't mean it was encouraging Just insightful.

Ken

Don't worry Brian ... the world will end soon enough


Right now I'm taking bets on how long this thread lasts before it gets locked. :big grin::big grin:

oh by the way ... that book should be 1/2 off since 2013 and 2014 will never be seen by civilization as we know it. :big grin::big grin::big grin::big grin::big grin::big grin::big grin::big grin:

I'M buying two copies. one for the outhouse. i know someone is gonna dump this ! it's already outta hand.

OK....I'm going to show my ignorance here and I have to ask ..........

What is this book about and who puts it together???

I followed the link and other than headings and price I couldn't see anything else about what it is.

As for shutting the thread down..........there's no rule against personal observation in the industry, doom and gloom or even a good debate. It's only when politics or nastiness/insults start flying that we have to do something about it........... Leave those 2 things out of it and the thread can go for as long as you want

Cheers
Andrew

Thanks Ken... I was researching some technical information when the book that started the thread popped up.

And I wasn't expecting anyone to actually "enjoy" the rant part of it but me. Amuse a few maybe? Provoke some to think?

Monk - I am curious, exactly how was this thread getting out of hand? Were you referring to losing your grasp on the wad of newspaper in your outhouse? Or losing the book out of your hand, down the hole?

Thanks Andrew - I think?

If things aren't skating right up on up to the edge once in a while, I feel like I'm failing somehow...



Ever the optimist,

Brian

Brian you make a lot of good points.

In my opinion the industry has just evolved slightly with marketing aimed toward low priced impulse buys. Most consumers don't know a diamond from a lucky stone or machine engraving from hand engraving. You really need to take the time to educated customers these days in any business, they do know that $2.00 is more than $1.00 so it's a necessity to explain why $2.00 is better. As you mentioned more than 4000 jewelry stores has closed in recent years. I think if it was looked at with a microscope it would be found that most shouldn't have even had a store or shop or whatever they had considered themselves. They really didn't know their product. The jewelry market really got saturated with a lot of wannabes. I'm sure there were many beat up by the economy but that's going to always be. A lot of the stores that went out of business had the mentality that if you build the field they will come, that doesn't seem to work anymore. During the depression of the 30's Jewelry stores were the least hurt, they just adjusted they're business. The ones that survived went on to be very successful.

Many times I have customers that will say the repair cost more than the item, I don't care. If you wreck your car it cost x amount of money to repair, x is not based on how much you paid for the car at all. You can't lower prices just because it is a low quality item. That wouldn't be fair to other customers with high quality items, and would encourage the purchase of junk. It's crazy though people will pay more for a repair than the item cost as long as it is explained why it cost what it cost.

Sorry for rambling.

Andrew, what comes to my mind is 'vanity press'. Ordinarily books that see print have been 'vetted' by editors who estimated the success of the book in question.
In 'vanity press' if you pay they will publish for you.

There are quite a few publications that are directed to a certain group who the publisher hopes will become subscribers thus making a profit for the publishers.
It's more the presentation than the content. Then comes 'hype' about how necessary this publ. is for anyone interested in the future of -----.
Kevin P.