Woah. Well, it looks like Herr Miltenhausen finally realized the error of his ways and turned back west (although it would have been faster to just keep heading east at this point). Apparently he decided that he needed a quick dip off the coast of South Africa. It doesn’t seem to have worked out well for him…

Yikes! Well I guess if we don’t hear from him again we’ll know how he met his demise. =(

Yet another month has passed since we’ve had word from Miltenhausen, and this time, he’s sent us a note along with his photo.

We can’t read Japanese, but we’re assuming it means he’s okay.

Apparently good soba is so difficult to find that Miltenhausen was willing to travel all the way to Kyoto. Or maybe he was just looking for a geisha…

We wonder where he’ll be next!

Q: Why do you measure jewelry in millimeters?

A: The United States is one of the only countries in the world that still uses the Imperial measurement system. The majority of the world uses the metric system, and thus, much of our dimensions follow this format.

The millimeter is the most accurate way for us to measure our jewelry. If the item is very large we will measure in inches, and necklace lengths are always supplied in inches, as that is the industry standard here in the US. We try to supply the most accurate descriptions we can. Most standard rulers have both inches and millimeters on them, like in the picture above. Below is a conversion chart, but if you want a more accurate representation, you can search Google.com for “mm to inch converter” and you will find many calculators that will do what you want.

At-A-Glance Conversion Chart

3MM is approximately 1/8 inch

6MM is approximately 1/4 inch

13MM is approximately 1/2 inch

19MM is approximately 3/4 inch

25MM is approximately 1 inch

50MM is approximately 2 inches

75MM is approximately 3 inches

Common Measurement Terms

dwt — pennyweight

ft (or ‘) — foot

g — gram

in (or “) — inch

mm — millimeter

oz — ounce (avoirdupois)

Historically what made the U.S. strong was a healthy combination of sweat, hard work, the ability (through our diverse nature) to come up with unique solutions to old problems, MANUFACTURING, and JOBS (due to healthy consumer culture for items we made).

You see it’s a bit like the “Ourobouros” (a mythical serpent who is eating itself …tail first representing the endless cycle of life). When we have jobs manufacturing items…we need to sell them to maintain our jobs.  It’s a circle.

“We The People” have been frightened enough!

I guess the next thing you may be thinking is … I don’t need jewelry.  It’s a freakin’ luxury for heck sakes! You’re absolutely right. I have no problem with that logic.  I’m not expecting to be on the top of your’ “to do” list.

Eating, clothing, housing, and the health of our families should be our first priorities.

That’s a “no brainer”!

After decades of spending on items we didn’t need with money we hadn’t earned our economy collapsed. When the collapse occurred we found that we were led to the edge of that financial abyss by big business, and our own lust to have more “toys” than the Joneses.   The next step was convincing us that we’re to blame for all of our woes.  Big business hasn’t shouldered any of the responsibility for the fall.   Instead we’ve been frightened into believing that our finances are so precariously balanced that we can’t purchase anything.  I just want you to think about this – when we shop locally and spend nationally we create more jobs.  If  we  are creating more of the items that we consume it provides the wherewithal for us to buy those items.  As citizens, and as consumers we have a right to be aggravated with big business.   They’re in bed with the charlatans on Wall St., with government, and special interests.

With the help of these “fat cat insiders” in less than a decade the rich have gotten much richer and the middle class has shrunk like a wool sweater in a dryer.

Q. So how do we feed our economy and yet let them know how upset we are?

A. Well, for one thing…shop at small, local, independent businesses. The “little, local, guys” not only want your business they’re willing to work hard for it.  ( I work hard to earn the trust and business from my customers.)  When you shop locally make sure you express your desire to see as large a percentage as possible of USA made products.   Small business is more likely to be GREEN and to give back to their community.  Small, hometown shops have always offered conveniences like FREE LAYAWAY  (the big retailers act as if they’re doing you a favor to layaway an item),  perks and extras for regular customers, free gift wrapping, special or custom orders, and even house calls for services.   Ask your local retailer, car repair shop, or independent trades-person about their efforts to serve and give back to their hometowns and customers as well as how they attempt to reduce waste, and to recycle?   Reward them for doing the right thing.   Trust me – they will be thrilled to pay you back in service, knowledge, skill, and more.

While you’re doing what’s good for you (personally), please, do some larger good and send a few emails to the “big guys”.   Tell them that you used to do business with them.  Let them know that their greed and lack of service have cost them money and your trust.

Q. Why should you tell them?

A. Even though they may not ever give you the same kind of personalized service that you’ll get with a local business they will, eventually, realize that the losses in customer base will continue until they make some changes in business practice.  If we hit them in the wallet they may rethink some of their policies and ethics?

Q. Will you close them down?

A. Probably not…but, even an elephant can be forced into action by a solitary lowly mosquito.

We are in this together.  There is great strength in our voice (despite their best efforts to convince us otherwise) and there is power in our collective resolve.

I am not suggesting that we become xenophobic.  The reality is that we live in a global world and a global economy.   It’s just that when we buy American Made it supports US.   When you’re confronted with the choice between buying foreign made items and an equal priced and similar quality (or even just slightly higher priced)  domestically made item – BUY U.$.!   If you can’t find a domestically made item…buy the foreign one.  It’s not about seclusion-ism or nationalism.  It’s not a put down or boycott of all imported items.  When we support our industries first we support ourselves and strengthen our economy.

In nature a mature wolf will often feed …first!  Once sated and the energy replenished there is the strength to feed, teach, and provide for the needs of the following generations.  

This is my opinion…I’d love to hear your thoughts.   This is a public forum, so try to be polite.

Bill – “THE BAREFOOT JEWELER”

Who are we?

We could start by listing all of our work experience and history, but we’re not going to. We could tell you how awesome our product is or how much we love animals, but we won’t. What we want to tell you right now, is about US, the people behind the business.

We are human. We are unpretentious. We love to laugh. We love to talk about science, music, and the metaphysical. We’re quirky. We love innuendo, but not ennui. We love big words. We’re bright. We know more than just jewelry. We’re worldly. We’re educated. We’ve been beat down, and now we’re back up. We’re characters. We’re creative.

We love technology. We are voracious readers. We’re cultured. We’re foodies. We’re down-to-earth. We’re misfits. We’re goofy. We’re dedicated. We’re not corporate. We’re individuals. We’re a family.

We are photographers, writers, artists, athletes, musicians, students, husbands, wives, lovers, dog owners, small business owners, smart asses, geeks, and friends.

We are people, and hopefully we can be your Jeweler.

No postcard this time, just a small photo in a yellowed envelope with no return address.

It’s going to be a long time before we see this little guy again.

Here at the Barefoot Jeweler, we really love our animals, particularly dogs. We always have at least two dogs in the shop at all times, hanging out with our Web Commerce staff. Teddy and Bingley bring joy into our lives on a daily basis.

In December 2010, Bill adopted Teddy. Teddy was only an hour away from being euthanized when he was taken by Puppies and More Rescue of Marlton. Bill would say that Teddy rescued him. That’s why we’ve decided to support a few adoption-related charities. One of these charities is http://www.ourcauseforpaws.org/.

Rescue Paw Foundation is a qualified Not-for-Profit Corporation organized in New York. Recognizing that over 1 million animals are put to death each year in the United States, we are committed to raising awareness and funding for No Kill animal shelters throughout the country.

They will provide grants to qualified Not-for-Profit organizations to:

• Operate facilities to provide care and shelter for animals who have been rescued
• Seek qualified adoptive owners for saved animals
• Promote, foster and advance the adoption of rescued animals
• Stimulate interest and concern in the prevention of abuse and neglect of animals
• Promote the prevention of animal overpopulation through spay and neuter programs

We, at TheBarefootJeweler.com would like to stress the importance of “rescue adoptions” for all those wonderful pets that need homes. Please give to rescue organizations and when prudent spay or neuter your pet.

We think they’ve got style, and they’re definitely affordable.

We have two available for purchase right now on our website if you’re interested.

Let us know if you think we should stock more!

We here at TheBarefootJeweler.com love to have a good time, and we appreciate a sense of humor.

But sometimes, well, sometimes we stop having fun. For one reason or another, we get sad. It may be from stress, the weather, or hormones (hey, we all know ManPMS exists), but we need something to help us lighten up a bit.

So we came up with an idea.

We want YOU to amuse us!

We’ve taken a fairly good photo of Herr Miltenhausen, our office mascot, and we want you to use your creativity to put him in the zaniest, most extreme situations imaginable! You can print him out and bring him with you to some interesting place, like Las Vegas, Paris, or Dubai; you can photoshop him into space, whatever your crazy mind can come up with!

If you are the one that makes us laugh the most, you will win a $20.00 gift certificate useable on our website or in our brick and mortar store. Yes, FREE MONEY! Spend it on whatever you want in our stores.

Here are the rules:

1)      Keep it PG-13 if you want to win.  We can’t post swear words or nudity on our blog. (However if you want to send us something crude just for the hell of it, go right ahead! We don’t have particularly sensitive sensibilities, and we love twisted humor!)

2)      The image must be in JPG or TIFF format.

3)      Feel free to submit more than one image.

4)      Please include in the e-mail your FULL NAME and the TOWN and STATE in which you live. If you win, your image, name, town, and state will be posted on our blog.

5)      Have FUN! Think outside the box. We will judge the winners less on artistic ability than on humor, so don’t think you’re not good enough to enter, you can do it!

6)      All entries must be submitted by March 31, 2012 at 12:01 AM to be eligible.

So what DO you get the woman of your dreams (or at least the woman who allows you to spend time with her on a regular basis)? Well this is a jewelry website, so what do you think I’m going to say? Of course dummy I’m going to say JEWELRY!

So what’s the first step in choosing a gift your woman will love? Figuring out your budget. You don’t want to have to take out a second mortgage on your house to get her a gift she’ll love, and you don’t have to. There are multitudes of romantic gifts available if you just do a little research. In this blog post I’m going to cover three price ranges: moderate, high and hells-yeah-I’m-rich. We’ve got something for everyone at TheBarefootJeweler.com.

Moderate

What’s more romantic than a sweet kiss? Not much. And if your girl loves chocolate as much as she loves jewelry, the Sterling Silver Hershey Kiss Charm Bracelet will be a sweet reminder of your love for her. There are Hershey’s Kiss pendants that start as low as 49.99.  And if you’re really good, you can write her a sweet note to go along with it. Something like “My dearest, here is something you can use to remember my sweet kisses.” Unless her heart is a cold as the dark side of the moon (that’s -280 degrees Fahrenheit for those of you who aren’t science nerds like me) she will adore you for it.

High

Ria Smith's Sterlnig & 18K Healing Heart Necklace

Want something a little fancier, but that still shows your love? Maybe something a bit more traditionally Valentine’s Day? As in something with a heart shape. Sure, it’s typical.  But some ladies love to get what everyone else is wearing. This is a way to get something similar without it being exactly what everyone else has, because let’s face it: she’s special. So how do we get that stereotypical heart shape without losing the charm of being different? Try the Healing Heart Series by Ria Smith. Ria makes her large heart pendant out of sterling silver and plates it with luxurious 18k yellow gold for that two-tone look. Plus it comes with a beautiful sterling silver chain. At $600, it’s a pricier option than the Hershey’s bracelet, so it’s good for those who bring home a little more bacon or for those who are really deep in the dog house. You know who you are.

Diamonds of a different color…

As a special offer, and if you order soon enough we’re selling 3/4ct total diamond weight heart pendants in Sterling Silver and White, Yellow, or Blue Diamonds…all for only $599.99.    These are custom made by EK Diamond Jewelry just for us (that means just for you,too).  She feel really special that you had it made just for her…and you did!

Hells-yeah-I’m-rich!

Paul Brian Triple Oval Pendant

Okay, so you wanna spend just a bit more money on your honey this Valentine’s Day this year. Maybe you got a promotion, won the lottery, or maybe you just got your inheritance. You want something really interesting and unique, and something that doesn’t really scream. Trust me, I’ve got you covered on this one.

Paul  Brian makes flat out gorgeous jewelry. A woman would have to be a fool not to like this stuff.  Their motto is – “Your Beauty, Our Color!”

If she already shops with us you might contact us to see whether she’s got a “Wish List” with us.   The website and the store have their own provisions for Wish Lists and we’ll be happy to help cupid get you the perfect item for her.

But whatever you get your special lady this Valentine’s Day, make sure she knows how special you think she is by telling her as well as giving a gift, because what she really wants is to hear how much you love her from your lips. That, and something shiny to show off to her friends. =)