Expert eye

 Steve Jobs learnt to pay attention to basic details from his father. 

The other day, I tagged along with my mother, when she went shopping for some gold with a friend’s family. Her approval is sought after in the family and friends circle, thanks to her good taste, eye for detail and thrifty economic sense. 

The models in the market were 

numerous, unique and wondrous. They zeroed in on some of the designs and laid it out for the expert’s approval. She duly unscrewed each ear stud and 

examined it before rejecting them.  When this exercise was repeated more than once, no one else except the shop attendant seemed to be bothered much. 

The hassled assistant said that we sidelined exotic designs and seemed to be more concerned about the stem and the screw which would anyway be concealed behind the lobe of the ear. His barbed remark sent a ripple of discomfort amongst us. 

However, my mother was unfazed. She gently said that the stem and the screw of the beautiful and valuable pieces have to be sturdy. It was imperative that the stem should be integrated firmly at a pivotal point of the stud and should hove matching grooves to hold the threading on the screws securely. Hence, she said that a mandatory check on the requisite features is a must before investing a handsome sum on an exquisite piece of jewellery.

Even as she said this, the goldsmith across the counter chimed in and said that the students in the subject had to prove their skills by turning out perfect screws, hooks and rounded beads before being led into the path of creativity. 

A fellow shopper mentioned how Steve Jobs learnt to pay attention to basic details from his father which went a long way in helping him make world class gadgets. Another person said that skyscrapers can stand tall only when based on a strong foundation which invariably remains concealed. 

An elderly matron who sat alongside nodded in agreement and said that the sartorial world also judged expertise of the tailor by turning garments inside out and checking the tension of the stitches. 

I too recollected that my craft teacher would evaluate our embroidery after inspecting the reverse side of the work.

It was heartening to note that there were so many people who were aware of the importance of what is not necessarily showcased in the big picture. Strangely, the pathos of the lines “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness on the desert air.” struck me like a bolt from the blue. The lines can be rendered obsolete if only everyone learns to appreciate the importance of sound fundamentals for a job to be well done.