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| Recent Archives |
Established in 1947, Lapidary Journal has been the authority on what's current in the gem and jewelry world for over half a century. The vast library of issues that have been created over the years is like a diary -- a record to what was going on in the industry at any given moment. Just as it's fun to read old entries in your personal journal, we at Lapidary Journal thought it would be a good time to begin reminiscing on topics past, to see what has changed over time and what has remained the same. Starting with the June 1954 issue, each month we will take a look back to an issue 50 years old. If readers are interested in receiving photocopies of these or any past articles, please send us an e-mail with the subject line of "reprints." The November/December 1954 issue was 6-1/2" x 9-3/4", unlike today's dimensions of 8-1/4" x 10-3/4". It was not until 1960 that the size changed for the first time. It was a bi-monthly magazine and the newsstand price was $0.50 per copy. Personal Facets Moving is a total drag. You have to sort through all of your stuff, throw things away, pack boxes, haul heavy furniture, and then set up shop all over again in a new place. Lapidary Journal is no stranger to moving; the office has changed locations many times over the years and is actually in the process of doing so right now, the end of 2004. Fifty years ago, Lapidary Journal was moving from its home of three years, Palm Desert, CA, to its new location, Del Mal, CA. In the column "Personal Facets" (the equivalent of our current "From the Editor"), the Editor wrote the following about their move: "Our business is strictly a mail order business and no one cares where we are located, just so the Journal arrives regularly every two months. We have always thought that all we ever had to do was back up the truck, put the files and typewriters on it, and move along; but we found it was far from being that simple. The most important thing in a move is to find a printer who has the equipment and the know how to turn out a good magazine. Then comes the problem of getting a place and new help and making the actual move, after breaking ties and established roots." Well, maybe readers don't really care where LJ is located, but I'll tell you, anyway. Up until October, 2004, we were located in Devon, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. We just moved a few miles further west to Malvern in the end of October (and will have been there for a few months by the time you are reading this). Some things don't change with time, and the annoyance of moving is one of them. But other things do, as the editor made apparent in his statement, "The most important thing in a move is to find a printer who has the equipment and the know how to turn out a good magazine." He wrote this because 50 years ago (and even less), magazines were physically laid out on paper. Production was little more than actual cutting and pasting of images and text blocks -- with X-acto knives, wax, and graph paper; very primitive compared to the computer programs used today. Prior to the boom in desktop publishing in the '90s, most publications were produced mechanically. Today we have the convenience of saving and sending files electronically; so for us, moving our office in no way had to depend on the location of the nearest printer. In fact, our printer is in Minneapolis. Here's how the printing process works today: First, when we in the office have completed each page of layout, it is sent online to our pre-press, American Color, in Harrisburg, PA. There, the files are processed to create high resolution PDFs (Portable Document Files). At this point, the office is sent "proofs" of each page -- a final chance to make sure everything is in order before tens of thousands of copies are printed. After we approve the proofs, the files are sent to our printer, Banta, in Minneapolis. It is from there that the magazines get printed and distributed, under orders sent from Palm Coast, FL, our subscription headquarters. It's amazing how much things have changed. In 1954, Lapidary Journal was once only a staff of three -- the Editor & Publisher, the Circulation Manager, and the Business Manager. Today, a staff of about 30 work full time to create Lapidary Journal, along with its sister publications Colored Stone and Step by Step Beads, not to mention the Step by Step Guides, hosting Bead Fest and Jewelry Arts Expo, and the various other projects we've expanded to over the years. Of course, this number does not even begin to include all of the people outside of our home office who work all over the country in our corporate offices, our circulation department, the fulfillment house, freelance writers, photographers, temps, and countless others. Taking all of this into consideration, moving three people 50 years ago seems like a cake walk compared to our recent move! Our new address and contact information is Lapidary Journal 300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, (610) 232-5700, lapidary.journal@primedia.com. More highlights from our archives coming next month from the January/February 1955 Lapidary Journal. |
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