‘Vision’ vs. Execution

From my first magical moment of clarity – not only seeing the path to which I was being called, but also knowing with certainty that I would be very good at it – I can honestly say I have never been without ‘the vision.’ Without any conscious thinking, planning or effort to ‘stir the creative juices,’ I am blessed to have more design ideas swirling in my head and crying out to my hands than I will ever have time to execute. When I purchase gems, it’s almost always because I can see the finished product. 

For someone whose previous professional life required living in a world of empirical data, rationality and business process, I still find this fact quite astounding. Not to mention that I had never thought of myself as particularly creative – certainly not in any ‘artistic’ way. I just greatly admired artists from afar because they had some magical thing IN them that the ‘rest of us’ did not. 

However – and that’s a big ‘however’ – what I want to pass along is: just because the vision is clear doesn’t mean the execution is. Vision is the easy part. That’s why it’s called ‘vision’ – because it’s mental, it doesn’t exist in the physical plane. Execution, on the other hand, is pure reality. It can be quite technical with lots of trial and error. And so one learns the many ways that something doesn’t work. Until it does.

The ‘Mohs Scale'...and Why You Should Care

Devised by the German mineralogist Frederich Mohs (1773-1839), the oft-referred-to Mohs scale measures the relative hardness of ten minerals, numbered 1-10 -- chosen at the time because they were common and/or readily available.

The scale starts with talc (#1) a very soft and unstable substance. However, the scale is somewhat arbitrary and is not scientifically linear. For instance, while #9, corundum – a category that includes sapphire and ruby -- is twice as hard as #8 (topazes), the diamond (#10) is more than four times as hard as corundum.

1. Talc (plastic)
   
2. Gypsum (salt, fingernails, gold)
   
3. Calcite
   
4. Fluorite
   
5. Apatite (copper coin, window glass)
   
6. Orthoclase (includes moonstone & labradorite)
   
7. Quartz (tourmaline, crystal quartz and all colored quartzes)
   
8. Topaz (also beryl’s – emerald & aquamarine)
   
9. Corundum (sapphire & ruby)
   
10. Diamond
    

One can see why calcite -- #3 on the scale and therefore relatively soft -- was a favorite material for Egyptian sculptors. Also known as ‘Egyptian alabaster, calcite was used to create the canopic equipment that eventually contained the internal organs of individuals removed during the process of mummification (and which can be seen firsthand in many museums).

So – all very interesting you say…but why should I care about this? The biggest reason I think is the ‘ole gotcha, “caveat emptor.” Whenever one is purchasing gems it seem a good idea to be an educated buyer.

For instance, it’s become very popular for the public to attend gem fairs where they can purchase faceted stones to be set later. However, one should know, for instance, that although fluorite and apatite are both beautiful stones with a huge color range, they are not recommended for rings -- because they are soft enough to scratch easily or even crack. Therefore they should be used only for necklaces and/or earrings that don’t experience the same kind of wear.

On the other hand, quartzes (#7) are beautiful, come in a wide range of colors, are relatively inexpensive and -- can take a lot of daily wear.

I Guess It'll Do...

“Good decisions are based on experience. Experience is based on bad decisions.” One of my favorite aphorisms, as a jewelry artist, this saying has never been more applicable than to the experience of buying gems. There are costly gems, there’s junk…and there’s a lot of stuff in between. 

I know. I own products in all three categories.

It took a while after I started designing for me to realize that when I’m at a gem show or vendor’s showroom and I hold up a strand of beads and think, “well, I guess this’ll do,” that I should just flush the money down the toilet and be done with it. Because every couple of weeks, I find myself throwing away a strand or two of something I paid good money for but now wouldn’t think of passing on to my customers.

At a gem show, standing at the booth of one of my favorite vendors, the person next to me asked, “does he have good products?” I said “yes, the best.” She asked, “does he have good prices?” I said “no… because he has the best products.”

So the next time you’re in a situation that you find yourself thinking, “I guess it’ll do,” don’t. Insist on/wait for the best.