A diamantaire said to his son, “If you are serious about becoming a diamantaire You must not ask questions, just do as asked.”
The son assured his father that he would. When they got to the office, the father poured diamonds out on a desk, and told the son to sort them by color. After about an hour, he called in his dad to inspect his work. The father took a quick look and said, “Good.”
He then instructed his son to sort by size. This task was quickly done, and the son had his dad come in to inspect. His father looked over the work, and instructed his son to make a circle of the diamonds at the edge of the table, with the all the culets up.
He called his father in again to inspect his work. The father directed his son to stand next to the desk. He then told his son to face him, pull down his pants, and sit on the diamonds.
The son hesitated, and the father reminded him, that if he wanted to be a successful diamantaire, he must do as told. The son reluctantly pulled down his pants and sat on the diamonds. Like a rocket he jumped up off the sharp stones.
His father looked at him and said, “Always remember, if you want to be a successful diamantaire, you cannot sit on your goods!”
Richard Krauss, owner of Ridgewood Jewelers in Springfield, OH, and past president of the Ohio Jewelers Association, is clearly dedicated to the trade, having worked every Christmas since he was 7. Four generations of the family have been in the jewelry business in Springfield for 125 years. “I like seeing the happiness of the people. They can look at a ring for years, and see a reminder of joy and pleasure. We don’t just make jewelry, we make memories. I hope I have as good a sense of humor as my grandfather, David Krauss. At age 93 he told me that he did not have an enemy in the world. ‘I outlived all the SOBs,’ he joked. I think a sense of humor helps, particularly these days.”
This story is from the September 2010 edition of INSTORE
