Am I Being Too Picky?

It seems like every time I open a new beading magazine or book, I see photos of sloppy work. What set me off today is this photo of a not-even-close-to-closed loop on an otherwise lovely piece of jewelry. Although it's not easy to tell from the angle of the shot, I'm relatively certain that the dragonfly charm would be in grave danger of flying off the dangle.

A recently published jewelry "how-to" book is another national publication containing several examples of what I consider to be shoddy workmanship. My long-suffering co-workers had to listen to my righteous indignation over the many half-closed loops and misaligned jump rings prominently displayed in the photos. Did a professional jewelry crafter make these mistakes or were the pieces made on an assembly line by someone other than the designer? Did the photographer not notice the boo-boos while setting up the shots? Or not have enough jewelry savvy to recognize them? What about editors and whoever else has final say over what gets included in a publication or ad campaign?

There have been many times I have redone jewelry pieces several times because I thought the loops or crimps or what-have-you don't look very nice and I will most assuredly redo many more. Now, don't misunderstand, I don't in any way consider my work to be perfect nor am I trying to sell myself as the jewelry making goddess of the new millennium. I do, however, take pride in what I make and want to do the best work I possibly can so that my customers don't feel as if they are being ripped off by purchasing from me.

Am I being too picky?