I had a great week in Bangkok \u2026 got so much done.\u00a0 My ruby and sapphire buy list is at 90% complete, and I still have a couple of days early next week to wrap it up.\u00a0 Finally we will be able to be fully in stock with sapphire earrings in all colors and sizes.\u00a0 Our lavender and green earrings were missing some sizes for the past few months, due to lack of availability on the market.\u00a0 I am sorry if some customers were disappointed, but I believe it is better to disappoint a customer with what we don\u2019t have, than to buy an inferior quality stone just to fill the list, and then disappoint the customer with what we do have.<\/p>\n
Besides getting the stones that, in some cases, we have been missing for the past few months, I got a nice quantity of fancy colored sapphires in cushion and radiant cuts.\u00a0 These are one of a kind, between \u00be of a carat and 1 \u00bd carats each.\u00a0 My ex-wife, Bobbie, handles these one of a kind items for our Company.\u00a0 Until last Friday, I was not able to find what she wanted; and then all of a sudden I got lucky.\u00a0 Otherwise, I would have come back empty handed on her special request, and I hate to imagine what she would have done to me.\u00a0 She\u2019s already divorced me (but that was 30+ years ago).\u00a0 Anyhow, those stones are spectacular, and will be in the stores in a few weeks.<\/p>\n
This weekend has been peaceful, and I got caught up on some much needed R & R.\u00a0 For those of you that have been to Bangkok, you know what I mean.\u00a0 For anyone thinking of going over here, email me and I will look at your plans, maybe recommend a couple of things that most tourists don\u2019t see.<\/p>\n
The Japanese food I had for dinner last night was as fine as I have ever had.\u00a0This is the re-opening of a place I used to hang out at, and the food is great again.\u00a0 It was, and soon will be, a hot spot in the evenings as well.\u00a0 They made a deal with one of the best modeling agencies, and the (mostly European, some local) girls get free food, in the bar.\u00a0\u00a0So soon the place was crowded with guys\u2026what a coincidence!\u00a0\u00a0 Not a bad business model.<\/p>\n
Next week, I need to get back to my manufacturing and design center for at least a few hours, to work on some new designs for bridal sets.\u00a0 This is a collection that will be very special,\u00a0and we should have it in the stores within a few weeks.\u00a0 We also have new fashion and gift items that I want to approve, so we can get them manufactured and distributed for the upcoming holiday season.\u00a0 I love working there.\u00a0 It is a six story building that we built a few years ago, and we really have a wonderful team.\u00a0 They all love it when our American merchandisers come over there, and many of the Thai workers have trained in our corporate offices in Denver.\u00a0 We really maintain our corporate culture there, which is not easy in any foreign country.\u00a0 Our Thai workers are tuned in to the American customers that we get, and very proud of being able to be part of our team.\u00a0 It shows up, in the superior quality of their work, which makes it all worth while for me.<\/p>\n
I frequently take the elevated (\u2018skytrain\u2019) public transportation, as well as the underground subway.\u00a0 Both systems are great, and take you directly to most of the malls and shopping areas.\u00a0 They are spotlessly clean, air conditioned, and very clearly signed in both English and Thai.\u00a0 While crowded, everyone is polite, so you feel comfortable and secure.\u00a0 Traffic is so bad on the roads, the worst in the world.\u00a0 I have to drive to our factory as well as to the colored stone district; but otherwise it is easier and much quicker to use public transportation.\u00a0 We can learn a lot about how even a very crowded city can function well, from the Thais.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I had a great week in Bangkok \u2026 got so much done.\u00a0 My ruby and sapphire buy list…\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10104259587489742_110062855004561":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[5,12,13,8],"coauthors":[5384],"class_list":{"0":"post-16","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-tom-shanes-world","7":"tag-education","8":"tag-rubies","9":"tag-sapphires","10":"tag-tom-shane"},"yoast_head":"\n