Labor Day Weekend is upon us, and while the weather has been very good for catching up on reading for most of the summer, if we can remember the weather based on this week's weather in Maine, it will be recalled as absolutely glorious. This is the kind of weather that makes summer visitors truly sad to leave, because it's difficult to imagine anywhere better than Maine at Labor Day. Those who have more leisure time, or the luckiest ones-- those of us who live here, say farewell to summer, but are already feeling the change in the air and seeing the touch of color in some leaves that tell us we are entering another truly magical time-- autumn in Maine.
These three-day weekends are a natural choice for weddings, so we've seen lots of brides and grooms lately, and an equal proportion of couples celebrating important anniversaries. Couples are intrigued with one of our newest wedding band choices- bands made with polished meteorite set in gold or platinum. That these rings came to earth on what we commonly call a falling star seems to make them especially appropriate to symbolize the hopes and dreams of a couple embarking on their life together. ( http://www.crossjewelers.com/products/details.asp?ProductID=265 )
One man this week selected a pretty spectacular gift for his 40th anniversary-- somthing that I imagine will make her feel as special as she did on their wedding day. He was so excited just thinking about giving it to her, that he was more like a young boy in love than a man who may very well have grandchildren! It is one of the best parts of helping people select these special gifts, that we get to see these little glimpses of lives filled with love, and celebrations to mark the milestones that those blessed with true love enjoy.
At Cross Jewelers, we're celebrating the end of summer with the launch of our new website-- early reviews have been very positive, and we continue to work to add to the products and information on the website-- check it out and check back often!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
A Magical August Afternoon
August is here and the party which is summer in Maine is really going now-- the weather is fine, the water is warm (as warm as it's gonna get, anyway), and a moose walked into the lobby of a building in Camden this week-- it's like an annual ritual that a moose has to show up somewhere unexpected-- young moose have wandered into downtown Portland on many occasions.
One of the things that makes me smile this time of year is noticing the Queen Anne's
Lace flowers. Growing wild along the side of the road, or along a walking path, they are beautiful in their own right, but as with many things, it is a special memory that makes an object into a symbol. For me, it is the memory of taking my very young daughters to visit their grandmother one August afternoon. From a large unmowed field behind her farmhouse, Nana had picked Queen Anne's Lace flowers, and had them waiting in vases when we arrived. While her granddaughters watched in delight, my mother-in-law added food coloring to the water in the vases, and we watched the flowers change color. My daughters thought it was magic. It was definitely a magical August afternoon.
Lace flowers. Growing wild along the side of the road, or along a walking path, they are beautiful in their own right, but as with many things, it is a special memory that makes an object into a symbol. For me, it is the memory of taking my very young daughters to visit their grandmother one August afternoon. From a large unmowed field behind her farmhouse, Nana had picked Queen Anne's Lace flowers, and had them waiting in vases when we arrived. While her granddaughters watched in delight, my mother-in-law added food coloring to the water in the vases, and we watched the flowers change color. My daughters thought it was magic. It was definitely a magical August afternoon. In our little upstairs jewelry store, the gifts that people select become symbols of celebrations and memories... of a life and love and joy that is shared. A wildflower can become very special.
To see our beautiful platinum and diamond Queen Anne's Lace pin, come and visit our little upstairs jewelry store, or click here: http://crossjewelers.com/glc/mushrooms.htm . And keep your eyes open for Moose on the loose!
To see our beautiful platinum and diamond Queen Anne's Lace pin, come and visit our little upstairs jewelry store, or click here: http://crossjewelers.com/glc/mushrooms.htm . And keep your eyes open for Moose on the loose!
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Nature of Love
I met a man who came to our little upstairs jewelry store shopping for his first anniversary. He told me that they had an understanding about the family budget for gifts, and he was looking for something simple, so that he would still be able to take her back to the restaurant they went to on their very first date. He still remembered that evening as the best date he’d had in his whole life, even though it was with someone he had just met. He was specific—he really remembered that date—the excellent conversation—how he found her interesting and fun and smart and challenging. You could tell he was really looking forward to his anniversary.
It was a very nice moment—a glimpse into the nature of love—the way we want to honor those we love, and the thought that goes into choosing a gift that symbolizes what is truly special and important. It was my pleasure to gift-wrap his selection, and I took a moment to make sure the satiny ribbon that gives a hint of what’s inside was tied just right.
Portland has so many great restaurants, it would be hard to guess which one might be the special place to host their anniversary dinner, but I imagine that those seated nearby will go home talking about what a nice moment they happened to share by being in the right place at the right time-- of course, if you're with someone you love, you're in the right place at the right time.
Cross Jewelers has been helping people celebrate the love in their lives for 101 years now. That's a lot of people, and a lot of love. It's a nice business to be in.
It was a very nice moment—a glimpse into the nature of love—the way we want to honor those we love, and the thought that goes into choosing a gift that symbolizes what is truly special and important. It was my pleasure to gift-wrap his selection, and I took a moment to make sure the satiny ribbon that gives a hint of what’s inside was tied just right.
Portland has so many great restaurants, it would be hard to guess which one might be the special place to host their anniversary dinner, but I imagine that those seated nearby will go home talking about what a nice moment they happened to share by being in the right place at the right time-- of course, if you're with someone you love, you're in the right place at the right time.
Cross Jewelers has been helping people celebrate the love in their lives for 101 years now. That's a lot of people, and a lot of love. It's a nice business to be in.
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Fog Crept in On Little Cat Feet
Remember that line from Carl Sanburg about fog? As July comes to a close in our little upstairs jewelry store, we pay tribute to the typical July weather in Maine-- a forecast that often includes fog. Goodness knows we got our fair share this year in July, but we also know that the foggiest week ever in Maine is still better than a whole lot of weeks in a whole lot of other places. Fog is soft and gentle and it makes even the sounds of the world softer—what else can do that? Fog slows us down like nothing else. We drive slower, we listen more carefully, we watch ordinary buildings emerge from the clouds and it seems like magic, though many times they are places we’ve passed a thousand times.
In the world of gems and jewels, the foggy gems are often underappreciated, much like a good Maine fog. Chalcedony, moonstone, we have some cat’s eye Maine tourmaline that are like adding pink to the color of fog, and then catching that beacon of light from a lighthouse as light reflects across the surface. Chalcedony is said to bring serenity to the wearer, and I find that wearing mine can bring a softness to the day when I look down on it on my finger, that can be sorely lacking on a harsh sunny day. Moonstone remains on my personal wish list for a gem I’d like to own someday.
Fog makes the most beautiful photographic background. Brides and grooms wed on a foggy day will have dream-like settings for their celebrations. We used a foggy day photo on one of our earliest Nature of Love catalog covers, and it remains one of my favorites.
Fog allows us to see spider webs, and to appreciate the intricate lacework that probably inspired the earliest human lacework. We must give credit where credit is due-- to the fog.
This morning, walking in the park with my dog, I listened to the music of fog—the call and answer of the fog horns, the chiming of the bell buoys just off the coast, and the song of the birds, who know better than to complain about perfectly good weather.
Enjoy the fog—if you’re not in Maine yet, there still may be a chance you’ll get a good foggy day when you’re here. Don’t give up hope.
In the world of gems and jewels, the foggy gems are often underappreciated, much like a good Maine fog. Chalcedony, moonstone, we have some cat’s eye Maine tourmaline that are like adding pink to the color of fog, and then catching that beacon of light from a lighthouse as light reflects across the surface. Chalcedony is said to bring serenity to the wearer, and I find that wearing mine can bring a softness to the day when I look down on it on my finger, that can be sorely lacking on a harsh sunny day. Moonstone remains on my personal wish list for a gem I’d like to own someday.
Fog makes the most beautiful photographic background. Brides and grooms wed on a foggy day will have dream-like settings for their celebrations. We used a foggy day photo on one of our earliest Nature of Love catalog covers, and it remains one of my favorites.
Fog allows us to see spider webs, and to appreciate the intricate lacework that probably inspired the earliest human lacework. We must give credit where credit is due-- to the fog.
This morning, walking in the park with my dog, I listened to the music of fog—the call and answer of the fog horns, the chiming of the bell buoys just off the coast, and the song of the birds, who know better than to complain about perfectly good weather.
Enjoy the fog—if you’re not in Maine yet, there still may be a chance you’ll get a good foggy day when you’re here. Don’t give up hope.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The talk lately, in our little upstairs jewelry store, has been focused on the weather. Today, Maine served up a picture-perfect day. If today's weather was punctuation, it would be an exclamation point! When even a gentle breeze coming off the ocean feels warm, you know that life is good-- even if you can't expect it to happen every day.
It made me start thinking about the punctuation of life-- we remember those days that catch us by surprise: the sparkling snow on a Christmas night, that "small world" feeling when we find unexpected connections to people... even vacation is a type of life punctuation. Changing the pace of our lives helps us to stand back and see them in a different perspective.
Jewelry is a type of life punctuation. The events that bring people into Cross Jewelers are those moments that require exclamation points. Watching a man try on his wedding band two weeks before his wedding date, and the look on his face-- it definitely would be described with an exclamation point! His parents arriving just then and seeing their son in that moment required two more exclamation points!! That band of platinum will be there for many more significant moments in his life.
Every time a woman who received diamond earrings for her birthday yesterday wears them, she will smile into the mirror remembering the love of the man who gave them to her. Her heart, skipping a beat, will make her smile more broadly. Those diamond earrings represent a day that punctuates her life-- helps to mark it, remember it, and appreciate it. I never thought about it in that way before, until today's extraordinarily beautiful weather made me think about punctuation.
I can't predict the weather or what the talk will focus on with visitors to our store this week, but I know there will be a great deal of punctuation going on...
Friday, June 26, 2009
My Favorite Reality Show
In our little upstairs jewelry store in Portland, Maine, a reality show has been in the making for 101 years. There are no TV cameras (except for the security type), and the audience is rarely more than twenty between our staff and customers, but the stories for me are just as compelling as what prime time television seems to be made of these days.
Earlier this week, a man got down on one knee and asked his girlfriend if she would "spend the rest of her life" with him. She said yes, and he slipped a green diamond and white diamond engagement ring onto her finger right there in front of us.
A few days later, a stunningly handsome young couple (ready for the paparazzi beautiful) found the right engagement ring and beamed with happiness as she put it on. For them, their search had been about finding a ring that would reflect her commitment to helping people around the world as a Peace Corps volunteer. A diamond from Russia and a ring made here in the United States made them feel peaceful and they quickly moved into excited and on to blissfully happy as they celebrated the beginning of their life together. She brought in a little bowl of spices from Morocco to thank the jeweler who helped them-- they may never know what a touching gesture that was, as he was struggling with the sudden death of a friend. Their love of life and their love for each other really helped him that day. I'm sure each time he experiences the aroma and tastes of those spices, he'll be bouyed by the thought of that couple and their kindness, and what they will bring the world with their work.
A couple from Pennsylvania drove up to select a special diamond ring to commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary-- I love it when we have an engagement and a 50th anniversary in the same day-- it gives one faith. It may not have the drama of that reality show with the highest ratings this week, but it gives you the hope that those eight children in that family have a real chance to grow up and find a love that will be theirs and will be celebrated year after year as they grow old together.
In the background, the young members of the fifth generation of the Cross family are beginning to explore what their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have committed their lives to. One works to improve our ability to communicate in the digital age by bringing our website out of the Jurassic period (it' s almost ready!), and another began a hands-on jewelry making class at the Maine College of Art, to explore whether she might have "the right stuff" to consider the family business as an important part of her future.
If we were on TV, maybe no one would watch, but the stories I see every day and every week are why I love being a jeweler, and why I love to work at Cross Jewelers. Life is good. We see it every day. Thank goodness.
Earlier this week, a man got down on one knee and asked his girlfriend if she would "spend the rest of her life" with him. She said yes, and he slipped a green diamond and white diamond engagement ring onto her finger right there in front of us.
A few days later, a stunningly handsome young couple (ready for the paparazzi beautiful) found the right engagement ring and beamed with happiness as she put it on. For them, their search had been about finding a ring that would reflect her commitment to helping people around the world as a Peace Corps volunteer. A diamond from Russia and a ring made here in the United States made them feel peaceful and they quickly moved into excited and on to blissfully happy as they celebrated the beginning of their life together. She brought in a little bowl of spices from Morocco to thank the jeweler who helped them-- they may never know what a touching gesture that was, as he was struggling with the sudden death of a friend. Their love of life and their love for each other really helped him that day. I'm sure each time he experiences the aroma and tastes of those spices, he'll be bouyed by the thought of that couple and their kindness, and what they will bring the world with their work.
A couple from Pennsylvania drove up to select a special diamond ring to commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary-- I love it when we have an engagement and a 50th anniversary in the same day-- it gives one faith. It may not have the drama of that reality show with the highest ratings this week, but it gives you the hope that those eight children in that family have a real chance to grow up and find a love that will be theirs and will be celebrated year after year as they grow old together.
In the background, the young members of the fifth generation of the Cross family are beginning to explore what their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have committed their lives to. One works to improve our ability to communicate in the digital age by bringing our website out of the Jurassic period (it' s almost ready!), and another began a hands-on jewelry making class at the Maine College of Art, to explore whether she might have "the right stuff" to consider the family business as an important part of her future.
If we were on TV, maybe no one would watch, but the stories I see every day and every week are why I love being a jeweler, and why I love to work at Cross Jewelers. Life is good. We see it every day. Thank goodness.
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