[Fredslist] The Wizard of 47th Street - Ed Bienstock

[JanPresent at aol.com]

Yes, boys and girls, there actually are a few, very few but still a few,  
individuals who care about art and craftsmanship, and generosity of spirit. And  
you all know one of them, whom I have just christened "the wizard of 47th  
Street", Ed Bienstock.
 
I have to write this. I am compelled to write this because I need to  keep 
everyone in the Gotham family from making the mistake of buying a  piece of 
precious jewelry from anyone but Ed.  You  know from a message I wrote last year 
that he created a dazzling pair of diamond  drop earrings for me to wear at our 
50th wedding anniversary gala. 
 
Here is my latest story.
 
Our family insurance company has been all over me to have the "family  
jewels" reappraised, since they have not been looked at since 1999. Foolish lad  
that he is, Ed offered to do it for me. I do not think he quite anticipated the  
enormity of the problem inasmuch as my mother was a major collector of serious 
 "bling bling" which I had the great good fortune to inherit, and my husband 
has  added to the collection over the past 50 fun-filled years. So there is a 
fair  amount of "stuff" and the awful possibility of my kids quarreling over  
divvying it up when I croak unless I figure it all out ahead of my croaking  
time.
 
Ed charges $30 per appraisal, which in and by itself is an  extraordinary 
bargain. (You need to know that, five years ago I  was charged $1000 to have my 
engagement ring appraised at a retail  neighborhood jeweler, does that tell you 
anything?)  But should he also  identify the slightest flaw in the look of 
the piece, he feels obligated to  polish and repair, at no additional charge 
because he could not possibly return  it in anything but perfect condition. 
 
In addition, a trip to Ed's astonishingly secure office allows  you an 
introduction to his father, his brother, his sister and, in my case,  a visiting set 
of cousins from Switzerland plus another resident genius named  Izzie, 
(father of six children with the seventh is on the way) who appears  to be young 
40ish and knows pearls the way Ed knows diamonds. Its a quinella.  Its a 
happening. And everyone in the office is smiling, all the time, having a  nice day. 
His family is a joy-filled group.
 
I mentioned to him earlier that I wanted to wear some "stuff" to parties  
this weekend, so, in spite of my offering to come downtown and pick everything  
up, he dropped it off at my apartment around 9:00 PM this evening. I will say  
that again, he dropped it off at my apartment  this evening. 
 
Now get this part. I gave him some gold to scrap, a couple of pairs of  
earrings which I hated and which I knew I would never wear nor would any of the  
descendent women in the family. He said he would sell it, which he did, took his 
 fee out of the scrap, returned the remainder to me in cash 
and............gave  me a "Gotham discount."  This project, started yesterday, took hours and  
hours of his time because he wrote an appraisal of every piece, how could I 
not  owe him money? It boggles my mind.
 
I think Ed will never be a very rich man, not in the way we all think of  
rich. He can't possibly make a great deal of money being so generous with his  
skill and creativity and his sense of perfection. But he is already a rich  man, 
he has a wonderful family, he has talent combined with kindness and  courtesy 
and a sense of humor, and trust me, boys and girls, at my age I have  met 
every kind of personality. He is genuinely one of a kind. I am so happy to  know 
him.
 
As Gotham grows, as you youngsters network yourselves into the millions,  you 
will want to buy nice things, cars, houses, clothes, jewelry, maybe even for  
these holidays. Don't make a mistake. Go off to see the wizard. You will 
thank  me for it.
 
 
 
 



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