Buzz Session

What’s the Jewelry Word You Can Never Remember How to Say or Spell? Readers Sound Off

You say milgrain, I say millegrain.

Published

3 years ago

August 26, 2020

INSTORE Staff Instore September 2020 Issue

That enameling technique beginning with C 🤣🤦. — Hannah Bent, Bent & Forged, Leeds, UK
Flourecense. I never can spell fluorecsence right. — Kathy Jenkins, Bravo Jewellers, Oceanside, CA
Bale/bail and milgrain/millgrain. Which one is correct? — Jillian Hornik, Jae’s Jewelers, Coral Gables, FL
I have no problem, but my staff always misspell amethyst as ‘amythest’! Drives me nuts! And don’t even ask about ‘labordite’! — Eve J. Alfille, Eve J. Alfille Gallery and Studio, Evanston, IL
Floor Ess Scents. — Alex Weil, Martin’s Jewelry, Torrance, CA
Padparacha … spelling. — Amber Gustafson, Amber’s Designs, Katy, TX
Paparasha? — Laurie Cusher, Hyde Park Jeweler, Hyde Park, NY
Pair a eiba tourmaline! 😂😂😂🤦 — Courtney Lane Pommier, Kay Jewelers, Baton Rouge, LA
I don’t forget jewelry terms, but I have a strange memory with people’s purchases and personal situations, i.e., “Oh, I remember you bought the sapphire for your daughter for her college graduation 10 years ago.” I get stared at incredulously by both my boss and the customers. Like Rain Man. — Mary Jo Chanski, Hannoush Jewelers, Rutland, VT
Nacre. Nacer? Naker? Nakre? Ugh. — Erin McMichael Hess, Extinctions, Lancaster, PA
Andaluscite, Andulusite … Andalusite! — Julie Terwilliger, Wexford Jewelers, Cadillac, MI
Moistenite, Masonite, Moisonite, Moissanite … now I have to delete all these from my tablet’s newly learned word list. — James Doggett, Doggett Jewelry, Kingston, NH
Chaledoncy. Calsydney. The blue green quartzy stuff. Frickin’ can’t say it correctly — can never spell it properly right off the bat — for over 40 years, this is BS! — Denise Oros, Linnea Jewelers, La Grange, IL
My wife has a hard time saying melee (small diamonds), she will 90 percent of the time say mealy (like a bad apple). — Paul Krueger, Krueger Jeweler, Fort Atkinson, WI
Adularesence. Adularence? Adularessence? — Andrea Riso, Talisman Collection Fine Jewelers, El Dorado Hills, CA
We have a joke around here about how everyone says the word “jewelry.” Is it jewlry, jewellery, jewelry? Can you hear that? — Natasha Henderson, Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, Bend, OR
I learned and remembered it the first time I had to ask … solder. — Jill Keith, Enchanted Jewelry, Danielson, CT
Amethyst (spell) I always get the y and s turned around. — Patty Wedemeier, Elegant Jewelers, Sugar Land, TX
Amethyst: always reverse e and y … 🙁 — Tom R. Nelson, Nelson Jewelry, Spencer, IA
Amythest, (no) had to Google that, again! Amethyst! — Karen Edney, Midwest Jewelers & Estate Buyers, Zionsville, IN
Is a bail on a necklace a bail, baille, baile, or bale? FYI — I’m a baile girl. — Sandra Locken, Sarini Fine Jewellery, Vulcan, AB
Culet. I used to say “cutlet,” but after I started attending GIA courses about 5 years ago, I say it right now. — Lyla Ismael, Lyla Jewelers, Oak Lawn, IL
Chrysoprase. I always put in an extra “h” and write Chrysophrase. — Corrie Brown, Parkhill Jewelry, Ephrata, PA
Cabochon cut, and that’s probably misspelled. — Sherrie Schilling-Devaney, Sherrie’s Jewelry Box, Tigard, OR
Chrysacolla. Or is it chrysocolla? 😀 — Janne Etz, Contemporary Concepts, Cocoa, FL
Tuourquoiesze. — Steven Wardle, Forest Beach Design, Chatham, MA
Swarovski took me weeks, now I can sling it like a pro. I put a large phonetic note above my computer “Swore-off-ski”. It worked. This is just between us, right? — Cliff Yankovich, Chimera Design, Lowell, MI

What’s the Brain Squad?

If you’re the owner or top manager of a U.S. jewelry store, you’re invited to join the INSTORE Brain Squad. By taking one five-minute quiz a month, you can get a free t-shirt, be featured prominently in this magazine, and make your voice heard on key issues affecting the jewelry industry. Good deal, right? Sign up here.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”