A Case of Wayward Jewelry

A Case of Wayward Jewelry

I recently sent some of my best jewelry pieces to New York City to be in a pop-up shop, and was soooo excited about it. I shared it in my newsletter, posted on my social media, told my friends and family. It is always nerve-racking sending valuable work anywhere, but once I received confirmation that the jewelry had been signed for, I relaxed. The pop-up weekend progressed and I watched from afar as I saw posts on instagram, and hoped mine was making good sales. 

On Sunday evening, I finally received an email from the organizer asking if I had gotten a couple emails from her (I hadn't)...because apparently my jewelry NEVER ARRIVED. I was at the tail end of a blitz weekend of getting our house ready to sell, and was so mentally and physically exhausted already, that I just sat down and cried. "Never arrived?! How could it have never arrived?! I sent it to the event space! It was signed for!!" I cried, and then I got to work responding, providing the shipping address, signature confirmation, and any other pertinent information. 

Over the next few emails, myself and the organizer realized (much to my embarrassment and hers) that due to a lack of clarity in the event emails, I had sent my jewelry to the Event space rather than her offices. And much to MY embarrassment, I was the only artist who made that mistake (oof!). What's funny is as I was prepping to ship things, and was combing through the emails trying to discern which address to send them to, I had this *tiny* thought that I should just email them and clarify. I should have listened to that intuition, but it was so faint that I just pushed it aside. 

Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that Sunday night, imagining that my jewelry had been stolen by someone who had no business signing for the delivery. Luckily, over the course of the next couple days, the organizer was able to get ahold of the building manager and their assistant, and tracked my jewelry down. After my initial panic, and with the feedback of some fellow jewelers, I decided that it must just be sitting on someone's desk somewhere in that building and that everything would be okay. I trusted in the universe whole-heartedly, and that is exactly what happened! The building manager's assistant and I chatted, and arranged for him to ship the items back to me. I happily reimbursed him for shipping (plus a tip!) and they will be back in my arms by Monday.

For myself and the show organizer, I think some valuable lessons were learned here. If you ever have any doubts, just contact someone and clarify things. No question is stupid, and you won't be judged 99% of the time. I live my life under the precept of Communication is Key in Everything. I faltered in my communication and missed out on a great opportunity (although I will be in their Mother's Day Pop-Up to make up for it!); their communication was unclear and led to a misunderstanding. No situation is one-sided and I'm grateful that this particular organizer was so gracious and helpful in recovering my jewelry. That alone would ensure that I continue to work with her in the future.

As far as the jewelry goes, I will be restocking my galleries with it for the Holidays!

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