A Tool Snafu

Packages have been arriving at the shop - things ordered by DH and things ordered by me. On Friday a package arrived from Maine with some hammers that I had ordered while I was at Bead & Button Show. A quick bit of background - once a Revere School attendee/graduate, always a Revere School attendee/graduate. Therefore, when I saw that Alan Revere had designed two hammers that had been made by Bill Fretz, I had to get them.

Fretz Hammers not only look fabulous, but they handle perfectly with
great balance and perfectly shaped heads. I have several seconds that I
adore, but this was the first time I've ordered top-of-the-line ones for myself.

I looked through their catalog and saw them - they were beautiful, dark handled, sexy even. I knew that if they were Fretz, they would handle beautifully and feel like nothing in my hands while being workhorses on my bench. I had to have them...

Jewelers use many different styled hammers, each one affecting
the metal in different ways. Some spread it out, some dimple it, some
move it in one direction only, others in all directions. Hammers are
a science in themselves.

I handed them my credit card (by this time I was already out of cash - LOL) and signed it. The order on the credit card was correct - one each R-GF and R-CR. The credit card slip was stapled to an order form where I filled in my shipping address and contact information. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the order form, just glanced at it. Shame on me. The order form was marked one line off, so instead of what I paid for, the form was marked for one each of R-GF and HMF-22.

I already own two different sets of the Revere jewelry pliers. They
also work extremely well and are sturdy and well made. I love using
them, which is lucky because I use them often.

I received my box on Friday and had a chance to open and take a good look late in the day. I took a quick glance and then closed the box up until yesterday morning when I opened it again and took a slow and careful look. OOPS! They ended up sending me an R-CR and an HMR-21, neither of which had actually been marked on the order form, and only one of which I had paid for.

Fancy tools aren't necessary to make stunning jewelry, but they
don't hurt. After all, jewelry has been made for centuries before
modern tools and electronic drills etc were available. But fine tools
can increase our production and allow for a better end result.
AND I LOVE GOOD TOOLS!

Today the HMR-21 goes back to them and they, in turn, will be sending me the R-GF that I still need and that I paid for. What a snafu! Both the guy on the phone and I were laughing about how really badly this order went. I can understand being fried at the show - by Saturday vendors are hanging onto their strength and sanity with their fingernails. It's an intense show with long hours and many, many people, so it is major exhausting for any vendor. But this was truly a mess. The things I will do for a good tool...