One of the annoying tasks that I had to do every 3 months as a self-employed bench jeweler was inventory so that I could accurately submit my quarterly taxes.
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“Conscientious Practice” is when we practice movements in a deliberate way, repeatedly. By conscious, repeated practice, we internalize the movements and they become second nature. This is what we strive for as jewelers because we want to not be able to think about most of what we do so we can concentrate on the design of what we are making or repairing. By always taking practicing, a little every day, even for a few minutes we become better jewelers and better people. This can also be called deliberate practice. It ties into making sure your practice is teaching you and…
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I thought I would share with you how I make my own small chisels. This is a good way to show that sometimes your tools can be handmade much less expensively than buying them. Many times you will need a chisel for whatever reason. If you work with historical processes, chisels were used to cut metal before the jewelers’ saw was invented. I am also attaching the picture I made showing the angles on my chisels. I edited this to make more sense outside of the conversation I was having. ============= I do a lot of work in the same…
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I have been asked many times for advice about becoming a professional jeweler. So here are my musings, thoughts, and opinions on how to become a professional jeweler. This might ramble a bit but I feel this all ties together.
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It is my hope that this competency profile can be used by administrators in trade schools, 4-year colleges & universities, Postsecondary vocational schools, technical colleges and high school trade classes. I will be using this as a basis for my teaching and the book I hope to write very soon helping others learn the basics of goldsmithing.
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Understanding how to choose the appropriate file sizes, shapes and styles for the work you do will help ensure high-quality, repeatable results for all your jewelry designs.
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This style of hooked fastener was very popular during the early Tudor era. (1500 - 1575). As there is no soldering, it is a good first project for new jewelers. The process used here can be easily used to make other items.
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I have seen that many online educational videos tend to assume that you have some experience with bench work. Many also assume that you have access to tools. Lots of tools. Very expensive tools. This was a pet peeve of mine when I was just starting in the 80's and it seems that nothing has really changed.
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This video shows how to make a basic, but often used tool at the jewelers bench. The sanding stick. You should make several of these in different grits of paper.
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Every jeweler starts somewhere This page is where I will share information that I have learned over the years.