Posters of original research, analyses, insights etc retain all rights to their work. Such research etc cannot be used in any format without the written consent of the author.

Should the board continue? Posted by Beth on December 10, 2019, 5:55 am Should the board continue?

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by Janet on December 10, 2019, 6:27 am, in reply to "Should the board continue?" Hi Beth Could I be cheeky and perhaps ask you to share your views. I am sure that no one here wants the board to close, equally, however I appreciate that it creates a burden and pressure on you and nobody would want you to feel that you are stuck or forced to do something which is causing you any difficulties. I think it would help many of us express our views more openly, if we knew what you wanted. For me, I love the board but will respect your views. Previous Message Should the board continue?

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by Mike on December 10, 2019, 6:33 am, in reply to "Should the board continue?" Hi Beth. Personally I would be upset if this board discontinued. In terms of topics I like the broad flexibility you provide As you know I have not contributed much of late owing to a family issue Your efforts are appreciated greatly even if there are people like me who do not Express this Previous Message Should the board continue?

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by Vincent on December 10, 2019, 8:17 am, in reply to "Re: Should the board continue?" I think that this board should definitely remain open ! But on the other hand I think that, maybe, you are putting too much work on your shoulders Beth. I would suggest that you take one week, of two... off. And think about it ! This is your work. It takes a lot of time and sometimes you don’t get as much feedback as you expected. But this is the way the game goes. Sometimes, we have a lot to discuss... sometimes, we have a lot less... But what you have created here is a board which is very open, most of the time very polite, and not limited to “the queen and the British royal family”. Your research always give new informations. You open new theories on many subject. In a few words : your board is interesting and clever. Don’t stop it now. Just let it be more quiet when you are busy or tired of you (and we) don’t have a lot to say. In any case, you have done a super job so far. I would miss it.

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by mauriz on December 10, 2019, 8:37 am, in reply to "Should the board continue?" I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts and would miss to do so if the board was discontinued, but admittedly this pleasure is very one-sided and there's a difference between a message board and a blog. In fact, many members seem to perceive (and enjoy) the site rather as a blog than as a discussion board and I don't know how to change that. Speaking of myself: Apart from the occasional problem of time, work- or family-related, there are two reasons why I don't post much lately: 1) With English not my mother tongue any contribution which is more in-depth than a couple of phrases to express a casual thought is rather time consuming and would often simply exceed the spare time I've at my disposal, so I refrain. 2) I'm not terribly interested in royalty and find many pieces in royal collections rather mediocre from an artistic and aesthetic point of view. I'm interested in their history, I might enjoy trying to identify them in a blurry photo for the purpose of challenging dates or setting records straight, but it's not the type of jewellery per se that makes me want to enter a lengthy discussion. On the other hand the type of jewellery I'm interested in – roughly studio jewellery from the 1960s onwards with some significant predecessors since 1900 – doesn't seem to be of interest for anyone else here around, although I hasten to add there's neither lack of famous pieces nor important collections in this field. In retrospective I believe though we covered a broader spectrum when the board started.

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by J-F on December 10, 2019, 9:24 am, in reply to "Re: Should the board continue?" Hi ! I came here every day, most of the time to see if new informations or pictures showed up. I too hope that this board will remain open. I also think as Vincent did: maybe Beth you took to much on your shoulders. I think we are all free to start a new discussion. No pressure to post every day. Glittering events, royal weddings, jewelry exhibitions, are not taking place every week ! Also, we don't have equal access to archives, books, etc. As for myself, I put infos and pictures to share when I found new photos, or evidences about the provenance of a specific piece (for me, the most exciting thing). If I'm not taking part of the discussion every time its simply that most often, I have nothing to add or simply no infos to share on the matter. A big thank Beth for all you work done. J-F

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by Knightship on December 10, 2019, 8:06 pm, in reply to "Re: Should the board continue?" First - thank you for sharing so much of your findings Beth! It's been very helpful in my own research. Personally, I'm most interested in the provenance and history of Royal European jewels, but I have a limited knowledge and don't post if I don't feel I have anything to add to the discussion. I do hope the board remains an open forum, but don't feel any pressure to post every day. I will try to contribute more in the future but finding the time for hobbies is always a challenge… Previous Message Hi ! I came here every day, most of the time to see if new informations or pictures showed up. I too hope that this board will remain open. I also think as Vincent did: maybe Beth you took to much on your shoulders. I think we are all free to start a new discussion. No pressure to post every day. Glittering events, royal weddings, jewelry exhibitions, are not taking place every week ! Also, we don't have equal access to archives, books, etc. As for myself, I put infos and pictures to share when I found new photos, or evidences about the provenance of a specific piece (for me, the most exciting thing). If I'm not taking part of the discussion every time its simply that most often, I have nothing to add or simply no infos to share on the matter. A big thank Beth for all you work done. J-F

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by Dave on December 10, 2019, 10:49 am, in reply to "Should the board continue?" Hi Beth, you are the driving force and most predominate person on here and in your absence their wont be this space. Maybe your sense of responsibility and vigour is making you over worry a bit much and pushing you to maintain very high constant standards which becomes draining especially if you feel your not getting the required feed back. As I said earlier, I'll support you on whatever decision or course you take. But maybe regular three week or longer breaks are required so that when you re-emerge their are plenty topics to touch on. Kind Regards, Dave. Previous Message Should the board continue?

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by kat max on December 10, 2019, 6:45 pm, in reply to "Re: Should the board continue?" I'd be sorry to see it go, though the burden of keeping it humming seems to have mostly fallen on Beth which is unfortunate.

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by Juscha on December 11, 2019, 10:40 am, in reply to "Should the board continue?" Dear Beth, first of all, thank you very much for your work and the time you spend in your research. This leads to real results instead of speculative guesswork. In view of this I strongly believe that the forum should remain open. In particular, the fact that it is not just about royal and noble jewels for me makes the forum interesting. Events with all the glammer are really nice, but always the same juxtapositions of pictures of the Nobel Prize awards I find redundant. The theme is so much more. Why not take up the Renaissance or the pearl trade or the handling of jewelery at the court of Louis XIV.? Modern jewelry? It might also make it easier for other participants to participate, perhaps because it is a bit closer to their own profession. It seems to me that many others are concerned with me; often there is hardly any time left next to the job. Although it is of course a good exercise, it takes time to produce a reasonably understandable post in english. Typically, the number of posts, e.g. in the RJWMB decreases during the weeks before Christmas. There is so much to do ... In addition, I agree to Vincent and other speakers: Protect yourself a little. There does not have to be a new post every day. If one wants to have that, then he or she will have to become active and take on a topic. Previous Message Should the board continue?

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by JR76 on December 11, 2019, 3:21 pm, in reply to "Should the board continue?" I agree with what Vincent wrote. I've enjoyed reading all the posts since I've become a member and was very happy about all the very nice comments made when I made my first post. This is such a friendly and inclusive forum which sets it apart from *ahem* other bigger forums where you have to literally beg to become a member. I have wanted to do more posts but every time it's floundered on the need to create accounts somewhere else to post pictures through (I'm neither the most Internet savvy nor the most patient person). If it's getting too much for you maybe you could bring in an administrator to help take some of the workload of you? If you do decide to shut down the forum I'd want to thank you for the lovely time I have spent here. Hugs JR

Re: Should the board continue? Posted by Stefan on December 11, 2019, 6:14 pm, in reply to "Should the board continue?" I echo the ent4cned and please let the board contie. I may not post much here but in enjoys looking at it almost every day and lookm and read the Posts. And yes you need to prtioedt youirself and i think the Idea of perhaps a Moderator who can help you wopuld be a good Idea. Previous Message Should the board continue?

To clarify my position Posted by Beth on December 11, 2019, 9:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Should the board continue?" Many thanks to those who have taken the time to post responses. I appreciate the concern that many have shown, but the question was never about me or my ability to write posts. I wanted to gauge the opinion of board members, but I think that things are going in a direction which was not in the spirit of what I had hoped, so I think I should clarify my position. I apologise. I should have made my views clearer initially. Thank you Janet for asking for my point of view. I asked the initial questions because -- I was concerned that the board was perceived as boring because there were so very few (or no) responses to some very interesting topics. I hasten to add these were not topics I posted; however, I think that if I identified the posts in question, I would embarrass the posters. One of those posts was on a major item, and presented some entirely new material of significance. I suspect that the Australian members will understand my next comment better than those in other societies/cultures. I would like to sincerely thank those who have made kind comments about the board, but I have to confess that I found the praise extremely embarrassing. Never in my wildest imagination did I anticipate that people would respond on those lines. If I had, every Australian within "coo-ee" would have been "down on me like a ton of bricks". Expecting praise is a major cultural no-no in Australia. It is something which is embedded in our DNA- to use a phrase. It is on a par with "dobbing"! (another major cultural no-no in Australian society) Apologies to members who are not Australian for using some specific Australian terms, but I think it is the best way to explain my approach to things. To our Australian board members - thank you for tolerating what must have seemed like a painful litany as you have read some of the recent comments. I apologise.I should have stopped things yesterday. I hope that in the future we can all help each other with queries relating to how to post images etc. I remember when I first tried to master that art! Oh! Then, a very kind poster from the RJWMB gave me some advice. It came from a very knowledgeable poster (who rarely posts) who kindly gave me some advice via the Private Message system. To that person I owe a great debt of gratitude, as I do to the many others who have helped me over the years. They have never wanted to be acknowledged publicly; yet they have been in many ways crucial to what I have been able to do. Thank you all!

Simple (but late) answer - yes Posted by Bryce on December 12, 2019, 1:03 am, in reply to "To clarify my position" I think that maybe I am a good (or maybe bad!!) example of the plight of this Board of which Beth addresses. As one of the original members of this Board I have followed it diligently - usually daily...but like these last weeks, I have been so busy that I have not had a chance to even glance at it and to see all the latest goings on. I am a bit embarrassed to be responding to this at this late point is the discussions but I am glad to see that I am of the same mind as many of the posters. Beth, you were/are the driving force behind this board and for that I thank you for your tireless efforts. I am always amazed at your care to try to respond to as many posts as possible - pretty daunting! Vincent makes a good point !! That being said, I do not think that it peoples' lack of interest or willingness to engage but rather the pressure of time that sometimes keep us from responding. As an example - I was going to respond to all of your recent posts regarding the Canadian tour but, as I have mentioned, have been so busy. I hope to get to it on the weekend. As for topics, I think that is it nice that the whole jewellery theme is available ad it is not policed as being off topic (as some boards have been in the past) I hope that you can see that the overwhelming hope is the board continues. This may best sum it up for me... "...In history's page let every stage Advance Australia fair..." Cheers!! Bryce

Even later - another yes :) Posted by Torkel on December 12, 2019, 2:45 am, in reply to "Simple (but late) answer - yes" First of all, I am another infrequent poster who enjoys the Board very much, but rarely have the time to do any actual writing and searching myself. I understand why you asked this question, Beth, and I very much respect all the work you and other posters put into some of the posts. I suspect the lack of replies to many posts is not really due to lack of interest (there are quite many views for many posts). I suspect many - like me - really appreciate the work many posters do when they present new info here, but there is perhaps a feeling that one should not comment or post unless one has something new to add, which many of us do not always have. I was originally rather sceptical about whether there would be room for both this Board and the RJWMB, but I have been convinced this Board has a future, as it covers a much wider area, and there have been many interestings posts on issues not covered on the RJWMB. Perhaps there will not be that many lenghty discussions on this Board, and perhaps there is no need to expect such discussions too often. Many of us will not have access to any sources that can shed light on interesting problems, but whenever any posters do have something new, I for one thoroughly enjoys reading it. Whichever direction you choose, I have enormous respect for the work behind keeping a board like this open, and feel I should add that it is your decission to make.

Re: Should the board continue Posted by OmerH on December 12, 2019, 3:26 am, in reply to "Even later - another yes :)" Firstly apologies for being late to this discussion!! I concur with all my fellow posters that this board is one of the most interesting and knowledgeable places to be when it comes to royal and noble jewels. What I particularly like is the non-patronizing attitude of fellow posters. This might seem like a trivial thing but believe me as someone who has experienced ridicule on other boards for asking a genuine question because others deemed it to be 'in the public domain' Like others I also am unable to post more frequently due to work and family commitments as well as my poor knowledge of subjects at hand but this board and all the topics covered here are regular sources of information and joy and the internet will be a poorer place without it. In the end let me thank you as well as congratulate you Beth on hosting this decent, polite and knowledgeable platform for all of us to share and enjoy.

Re: Should the board continue Posted by JohnAF on December 12, 2019, 10:00 am, in reply to "Re: Should the board continue" Another late responder! I've only just come across this thread, and am glad to read already that the board will continue. The topics are always interesting to read and we can learn a lot. If I don't contribute much it's because I don't have the knowledge, but I thank all of you who do take the time & effort to share your knowledge, it's much appreciated.

Re: Should the board continue Posted by Kasper on December 13, 2019, 3:01 am, in reply to "Re: Should the board continue" This messages board is MY bible. Im in love with it, its a daily fix. But I dont treat it nicely enough with my very few post. I would so much like to contribute much more, but I have so much on My palet. This is such a rare gem we have here, and upon the royal events and just on weekly basis, its amazing to see all the contributers knowledge and commitmen. But especially your gift dear Beth, im amazed by you and your treasure of information. I personale feel so priviledge to be part of this board. Im in heaven theese days with the Nobel awards and dinner, wich i watched in tv and the diplomatic reception in GB. Wauw, and in april My dear queen turns 80,i expect grand jewelry here for days🤗 Tak, merci, Thank you to all of you🥰 Previous Message Another late responder! I've only just come across this thread, and am glad to read already that the board will continue. The topics are always interesting to read and we can learn a lot. If I don't contribute much it's because I don't have the knowledge, but I thank all of you who do take the time & effort to share your knowledge, it's much appreciated.

« Back to index