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I have a sizable sterling silver mesh-type purse collection. When one makes it across my workbench it has long since lost its newness: missing links, broken clasps, busted hinges, bent frames. I can fix most with existing supplies and tools.

More desirable purses use a sequin-style connector, essentially a four-pointed star with thin rays and a square center. The rays fold back on themselves forming a hook, leaving only the center diamond shape exposed. A round jump ring connects to each hook.

Even with the best cutters, the stars cannot be made ad hoc like jump rings. They are far too delicate, small, and intricate. Unless you have a stash of them - probably harvested from a similar purse - you are high-and-dry. Not every purse uses the same shape and size, either.

They have to be punched out with a custom die cutting tool. The number of American companies I called to make such a tool highlighted our dismal domestic manufacturing capabilities. Given the hassle with the whole experience, I bailed.

Fast forward a few years. It's time to shit or get off the pot. I loathe sacrificing one purse to fix another and there's no guarantee the pieces would fit properly. Ergo, a tool must have all sizes and plus a few extras just in case. I contacted several companies in India. Two said they could do it for an amazing price.

This isn't the first and won't be the last time I will (be forced to) buy foreign goods. Perhaps that's the place to start? What choice does a consumer have? Foreign labor has enriched HUGE corporations at the expense of our manufacturing base. We are addicted to low prices (and increased profits for the corporations) so returning to stateside manufacturing is improbable.

If the pandemic didn't re-re-re-bring supply chain instability into focus again AGAIN then we are too stupid for our own good. If a country can't support its own people with domestic goods then there has to be a fundamental shift in consciousness and attitudes - lose the power, greed, and control - to cooperate on a planetary scale. We are so far from that happening.

For instance, world governments turn a blind eye to big oil countries that murder innocent journalists and repress women, gays, and non-conforming individuals. For fast fashion and whatnot, shifting the environmental and social burdens to countries that are ill-equipped to handle the strain exploits them to unconscionable levels.

We can't even assemble the most advanced warship on the planet without buying from foreign companies. You'd think the business of war, the largest expenditure on the planet, would impel our country to bring jobs back home. Predictably, the almighty dollar says otherwise. Innovation, which we excel in, won't solve the problem.

Posted by M: June 10, 2022

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