The Jewelry Artist Diaries 2: A Sharp Encounter with a Customer
by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved
Several years ago at an art show, a lady came by my jewelry booth (I’ll call her “Lady M”).
Lady M was a passionate follower of the arts – I often saw her at all sorts of art events in our area.
She also tended to be disorganized and flustered.
At this particular art show, Lady M purchased a couple of pieces of my finished jewelry, and also placed a custom jewelry order.
After getting out her credit card to pay for her purchases, she dug through her purse and scrabbled up a handful of pencils.
We then had this conversation:
She (waving her pencil collection): “Do you have a pencil sharpener?”
Me (packaging her jewelry): “I’m sorry, I don’t have one here with me.”
She (flustered and handing her pencil collection to me anyway): “Could you take these home and sharpen them for me?”
Me (too astonished at this bizarre request to think of a polite refusal): “Um – OK.”
So after the art show ended, I did take Lady M’s pencils home and sharpened them.
It appealed to my sense of silliness.
I don’t normally do odd jobs like that for jewelry customers. (In fact, none of my other customers have ever asked me to!)
About a week later I went to Lady M’s house to deliver her finished custom jewelry order.
I presented her with her new custom pendant, and she ooh’ed and aah’ed appreciatively over it.
Then I presented her with her freshly sharpened pencils . . . along with a package of two small pencil sharpeners – one for her purse and one for her home. 🙂
