A Winter Journey

By Mark Smelzer -- JCK Online, 4/1/2007 2:00:00 AM

So, there I was in São Paulo, Brazil, when Hedda says to me, “You should really think about rescheduling your Presidents' Day weekend flight to Palm Springs. There's a big storm coming.”

“Not to worry,” I reply. “I'm sure I'll miss it.” (Cue ominous music.)

The flight day came … and went. Over 1,000 flights were canceled on the East Coast. Chaos reigned.

The next day I made it as far as Columbus, Ohio, where I was delayed for another 24 hours. Happily, my sister and her family live in nearby Logan, Ohio, so an impromptu family get-together was arranged.

The next morning we all gathered for brunch. As I chatted with my sister, I noticed something sparkling on her neck. On second glance, there it was: a Journey diamond pendant, in the classic S shape.

I blurted out, “Wow, you got a Journey pendant.”

“Yes,” she responded. “Tom [her husband] gave it to me for Christmas. He got it at Penneys.”

I wanted to jump into a behind-the-scenes conversation about the Diamond Promotion Service, the launch of the Journey program in late 2005, the spectacular foldout poster we created with DPS in the May issue of JCK last year, an explanation of who Beryl Raff is and how she personally selected the pendant on my sister's neck, etc., etc.

However, when I caught her look of love for Tom and his beaming pride, I realized I didn't need to break the spell by revealing all the backstage details. I decided to just let it be what it is: a thoughtful gesture from a loving husband to his appreciative (and loving) wife.

Just when you think you might get a bit jaded in this business, the underlying magic of it all pops up to remind you what it's about.

Many thanks for our clients' and friends' hospitality and warm welcome at the JCK New York Invitational, the São Paulo Feninjer Show, the Munich Inhorgenta Show, and in offices, showrooms, and restaurants all over the place. See you all in Basel!