The Jewellery District

It is down Broadway, I think maybe from 5th to 10th, I'm not quite sure. But I was down there, wandering as I do, inspired in part by a reprint of an old whitebordered "linen" postcard, showing a color view of Broadway, looking south from 8th Street. It looks different now, but not so much as one might think.

The stores on the street itself are usually small, and display great fistfuls of neck chains, of all descriptions, hanging against the shop windows. I stopped in one business little wider than my arm span to buy a silver watch chain for my pocket watch. The gentleman had more than a few, all mounted on yellowing slips of cardboard, printed in blue with descriptions of the item so fastened. Amidst the detritus of relentlessly forgettable factory-stamped bagatelles was a single cuff bracelet. Tarnished silver, almost long enough to serve as armour, and showing the subtle signs of age and having been crafted for purposes not involving Westerners. I asked about it, the gentleman was evasive, I let the matter drop.

That was the only interesting item I saw in the Jewellery District as I went up the street. I was alittle surprised at just how disappointed I was by what I saw. Everything I saw in the windows was utterly ordinary stuff. Really, really, ordinary factory product. One window after another. A few strands of ill-nacred-pearls did not help. Later I wondered if the whole area really is like that. I'm hoping that I just did not know something essential about the place. I'm not expecting it to live up to the stories people tell of visiting the Tuscon Gem Show, but I am wanting it to be more than this.

I had to skip stopping in at Clifton's Cafeteria to eavesdrop in order to catch my train home.