True Tales: Waiting For the Chicken To Die

Published

17 years ago

July 2, 2008

A LADY BROUGHT in two diamond rings on the chance we might buy the stones. The rings had belonged to her deceased mother. The customer told of how one of the original diamonds in the Past, Present, Future ring had been lost from the mounting. I replied how sad it was to lose a stone and to have to use a replacement diamond. “Oh,” she said, “it was lost out of the mounting, but Mother knew exactly where the stone could be found.” It seems the mother had a pet chicken that lived in the house with the family! One day while feeding the bird, the hen pecked at the ring, loosened the stone and swallowed it! Normally you would wait until everything comes out in the end, but not the case with chickens. They don’t pass stones; they stay inside the gullet forever! Quite a dilemma! The only solution was obvious for Mom: Wait for the chicken to pass away to extract the diamond, and restore it to its rightful place with the two other stones in her mounting. Now that’s a better prize than you get with your chicken nugget Happy Meal!
? ANN P., CHILLICOTHE, OH

We have one of those quartz fountains that has a rotating ball propelled by water in the front of our store. One day a parent was in the store with her unruly kids (not the first time for that), but this was a first: The kid was drinking from the fountain! The water is really dirty and contains probably 20 percent bleach! We were disgusted but wanted the kid to know we saw him. I walked up to the front and asked if he was thirsty and would he like a bottle of water!
? SARAH H.,
FREDERICK, MD

Jewelers are a business based on trust. This morning showed me how true that is. I made up the bank deposit last night and went through the drive up on my way to work. The lady inside (who is not a customer) asked me how much we charged to clean and check an engagement ring. I told her it was free of charge. She then sent her ring through the tube for me to clean and said she would pick it up after the bank closed at 3:30. What a great industry to be a part of!
? VIC H.,
MARSHALLTOWN, IA

I once had a schizophrenic who was trying to decide what kind of jewelry her other personalities might like.
? LYNNWOOD H.,
SAN ANTONIO, TX

Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success

After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone. Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently. The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.