As I’ve said in an earlier blog, apart from crystals and minerals, most of what we sell on our stall are gem trees of various kinds and seen together, with all their translucent tumble-stone leaves, they make a magnificent display when laid out on a black cloth under halogen spotlights. It’s easily the most sparkling and unusual sight on the market and catches the eye of people walking nearby in every direction. They’re curious. They just have to come over and look.
Collectively the trees look brilliant but as individual pieces they also look delicate, even fragile so the questions we get asked most is how do you pack them or do the leaves ever fall off? Our prices are cheap, what you might call customer friendly, so the biggest issue in selling them is durability and transportation. In the eyes of people who like them, who want to buy for themselves, family or friends, is it worth taking the risk? Shelling out money for something they’d never get home in one piece. This is always the central issue in selling them. The doubt that we have to overcome. It’s the absolutely key element in our sales pitch.
Whatever the trees, from miniatures and ‘tinies’ with their six and twelve hanging branches of twisted brass wire with loops at their ends onto which the leaves are glued, to the ten inch tall spidery Chicos (named after the man in whose factory they’re made) whose leaves are like little cubes, their frames are all strongly glued onto their bases with a powerful epoxy resin and wire hidden by crushed crystals so no problem there, The customer can see that it’s strong. The weakness then was the leaves, all of which are glued on with a dab of All Purpose Bostik. Out it went from the tube onto the loop, six at a time, and on went the stones. A little press with the fingers and in seconds it dried. The bond strong enough but never a hundred percent guaranteed.
We import the wire frames glued to the bases and with the exception of the Chicos stick on the tumble-stone chip leaves we buy locally ourselves. All easy enough, but how about the fragility problem? If we used epoxy resin to glue on the leaves there wouldn’t have been any, only that was impossible. Too sticky, too messy and too difficult to apply. Naturally we’d tried it. Making trees by the dozen that way takes ten times as long as dabbing glue out of a tube so the problem was always there with us.
“Will the leaves fall off?” or “can I pack it into a suitcase?” were questions that had to be answered.
And answered they were sharp and sudden. I’d pick up a tree and collapse the branches down with the palm of my hand then crush it all in my fist. Then I’d open my hand and let the customer see it was well and truly done in. Seconds later I’d straighten out all the branches and show that the leaves were all there.
The best was yet to come! To the disbelief of the customer I’d come out to the front of the stall, throw the tree 20 feet into the air and let it land with a crash onto the concrete to gasps from the punter and my fellow traders alike. Then I’d pick it up, straighten it out, smile and say something like “see!”
The demonstration with a spidery Chico was different. More sensational! I’d pick up a selected tree by one of its little cube leaves and swing it round my head. Sometimes quite fast! This little stunt always had the same effect. Gasps of amazement all round.
Okay you’ve now got the picture, so how was it done? Yes, I’m sure Derren Brown’s worked it out. For one thing, any tree I select is what I’d describe as an Araldite Special. There are always three or four out on the stall, usually at opposite sides of the display so when I casually select one it’s made to look random. These are indeed special. Their leaves glued on with epoxy which, when left to dry, creates an unbreakable bond between the polished surface of the chip and the wire. You’d need a Kango Hammer to do any damage! It was only the specials that were demonstrated to incredulous customers. In fact, it’s true to say that my performances often give other traders a serious laugh, and more important than anything, nearly always result in a sale.
Okay, so someone buys one of your trees. A pretty little number in amethyst with the leaves only glued on with Bostik. I mean, don’t you feel worried all the time about some falling off? You must have customers bringing them back by the dozen!
It’s a fair question though the answer may surprise you. In all the time I’ve been selling trees on the markets I could count the number brought back on the fingers of one hand and this out of a total of thousands. Why it is I haven’t a clue. If leaves fall off for whatever reason maybe customers think it’s their fault and glue them back on themselves. Or maybe they live too far away to be bothered. But then, speaking for myself, I’d like to think there’s something deeper at work!
Maybe it’s not a case of Autumn Leaves after all, but the simple magic and power of the crystals.
aka… Pull the other one, it’s got bells on it!
