I remember while growing up, I asked my friend what his father did for work. To be honest, he really didn't know. No, his father wasn't employed by the secret service, and I don't think they were in the witness protection plan. It's just that his job working for the Underwater Sea Lab was... complicated.
With Mother's and Father's Day around the corner I thought it would be a fun time to ask the question "Do your children really know what you do at work?" I'd love to hear if you have an interesting job and how you may have explained it to your young children.
My parents both worked together to build Grader Jewelers from a Mom and Pop clock shop into a three location fine jewelry store. I knew that my father came from Europe with watchmaking skills and my mother had business savvy from her accounting studies at Hofstra University. I also knew that a family business was different than many other types of work. I was often exposed to the many varied aspects of the jewelry business. My memories of traveling with my parents to trade shows and seeing truly extraordinary gems will live with me forever. There's nothing more fun for a person in the jewelry trade to do than show off their most extravagant gems... especially to a young kid.
It was with those memories that I was inspired to bring my children in to see what I did at work. My favorite recollection was when my wife and I brought our kids with us on a diamond buying adventure in Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp, known for fine diamond cutting, is not particularly known for being "kid friendly". With this being said many of the diamond cutting houses were also family businesses and found it in their heart to clear the children's passage through the high level security entrances and "buzzed in" foyers.
When they entered the inner sanctum they found themselves in the company of thousands of loose diamonds in a miriad of sizes and shapes. It's a sight that very few people will ever see, especially as a child. It was a day that I hope will live in their memories just as my experiences with my parents did before that!
That's all for now! Please feel free to share your story with us.
Your Friend in the Jewelry Business,
Mark Grader
Grader Jewelers, Inc.
Groton, Waterford, Norwich
