Happy June!
The unofficial beginning of summer finds us all breathing a little easier as more and more residents get vaccinated and opportunities to resume many parts of normal life reappear. Old friends are returning to the shop in person to say “hello” and “we’re so glad you’re still here!”.
(Believe me, we are, too.)
It seems that we are finally reaching “the other side” that so many of us yearned for. The time when we can see and hear each other more clearly, and can interact with less fear of causing or inviting a mortal health risk. “See you on the other side”, we said a year ago. And now here we are.
However, some habits developed during the pandemic are not so easy to abandon quickly and completely. Nor should we. Many people, especially those who were the last to become eligible, are not yet fully vaccinated. It’s impossible to know for certain who is and who isn’t. Regardless of status, we want all visitors to feel comfortable and safe in our shop.
For this reason, along with most of our main street neighbors, we are still requiring all visitors to wear masks inside our store.
We feel it’s a small price to pay for being cautious until we know how the most recent easing of restrictions affects different groups of people. Until then, please keep your masks handy and put them on when entering our shop.
Another pandemic-induced change we’ve come to appreciate is having people make appointments for custom design consultations. If you have a creative idea to explore, or a collection of old jewels to repurpose, or a diamond to reset into a more modern design, please call or email ahead. It is far better to make an appointment than to just drop in. Doing so allows us to be prepared for your specific request, in the right mindset to provide ideas, and to give you our full attention while you’re here. It means that the best person on our staff to help you won’t be at lunch, or with another client, or on a tight deadline. So please help us to serve you the best we can by giving us a heads-up if you want to have a sit-down!
Finally, we will continue to ask that you leave your jewelry overnight for cleaning. Our multi-step process takes time, and we charge a $25 fee regardless of whether we made the piece or not. We will perform a thorough cleaning, disinfecting, inspecting and light polishing of your jewelry. Yes, we used to do this for free, and you are welcome to clean your jewelry at home using this effective and simple procedure. However, we consider $25 a very modest price for an annual, expert check-up of your most valuable and frequently-worn pieces. The most important part is the careful inspection of your gems and settings, when we look for damage and wear that you cannot see without training and magnification. Many valued items have been lost or irrevocably damaged because the prongs or bezels became thin over time, or clasps became loose and failed. Jewelry does not last forever without care. We can recommend action before it’s too late, and isn’t that worth $25 per year? Consider it like maintenance for your car. You have that inspected every year, right?
We’re looking forward to seeing you throughout the summer, and wish you all the happy celebrations we all put off for so long!