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<=> <=> <=> <=> E-BENCH <=> <=> <=> <=>
The E-Mail Newsletter for Bench Jewelers
April 2004
Volume 5 Issue 04 circulation over 2,900
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<=> <=> ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER <=> <=>
E-BENCH is a FREE monthly newsletter for Retail
Jewelry Store Owners, Shop Managers, Bench
Jewelers and Anyone Else That Is Interested.
We encourage you to forward this newsletter to
anyone that you think may benefit from it,
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E-BENCH is a BENCH MEDIA Publication
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Bradney W Simon – Publisher
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<=> <=> <=> TABLE OF CONTENTS <=> <=> <=>
REVERE’S TIPS FOR JEWELERS
Tips for Jewelers,
Who Do Repairs from Alan Revere
FEATURE ARTICLE
Learn how to make your shop more profitable, a
new technique, or brush up on basic skills.
STEWART'S BENCH TIPS
Bench Tips from
Stewart’s International School for Jewelers
AT THE PLATINUM BENCH
Tips for working on Platinum from
Platinum Guild International
FAVORITE TIPS
Tips and Tricks to make your work on the bench
a little easier and more productive from
Bradney W. Simon CMBJ and E-BENCH Readers.
GERRY’S GEMZ
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR JEWELERS
Tips from Charles Lewton-Brian
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Jewelry Dealers World Trade Network
http://www.JewelryDealersNetwork.com
<=> Bench Jeweler Discussion Channel <=> >
Ask questions, share tips, and take part in the
ongoing discussions, or just read and take in
all the advice from many excellent jewelers
from around the world.
Membership includes: Topical Discussion
Channels, including
Bench Work, CAD-CAM, Stone Setting, and many
more. You may buy, sell and trade on the
Buy/Sell Channels, Plus Much More.
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<=> <=> REVERE’S TIPS FOR JEWELERS <=> <=>
Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
from Alan Revere
Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
Making A Setting Snake
Setting a valuable gem in a difficult setting can be nerve wracking, lonely
work. As an example let’s say you’re setting a heavy bezel with a punch and
hammer, but the stone—which is a little too small—swims around whenever you
move the metal. It’s times like these that every setter needs the comfort of a
pet—a setting snake.
Setting snakes don’t eat much, they’re easy to care for, and they show their
appreciation by helping you hold stones down during setting. Here’s how to make
your own.
Take a small piece of sticky wax like the microcrystalline wax setters use to
pick up diamonds (beeswax will work, too). Roll the wax until it becomes a thin
worm, about 1 mm in maximum diameter at the mid-section. Now your setting snake
is ready to slither into action.
Neatly place the snake right across the top of the setting and the stone,
securing it like a strap to hold parts in place. Now you can use a punch and
hammer without fear of dislodging the stone. When the job is done, just roll
the snake back up into the wax and save it for another day.
This Tip is from the forthcoming book
"101 Bench Tips for Jewelers"
written by Alan Revere and published by
MJSA/AJM Press.
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Some people count time, others make time count.
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BENCH ROM
The Multi-Media Magazine for Bench Jewelers
BENCH ROM is an affordable method to learn new
skills and develop your career.
Discover New Techniques
Learn New Tips to Improve Your Work
See New Products and Technologies Demonstrated
All right from your home or shop without having
to travel to a seminar or trade show.
“Bench Rom is great,” says jeweler Bill Scores
“It’s like being in the shop of a Master
Jeweler and watching over his shoulder.”
Log onto www.BWSimon.com/BenchRom for more
information or to subscribe
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<=> <=> <=> FEATURE ARTICLE <=> <=> <=>
Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo Huge Success
The Inaugural Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo, held in Chicago April 23 -25, was by all accounts a huge success. Two hundred forty-five bench jewelers attended seminars during the Educational Conference on Friday and over 450 bench jewelers flooded the show floor during the Supplier’ Expo on Saturday and Sunday.
Friday’s Educational Conference provided bench jewelers a smorgasbord of seminars to choose from, including wax carving, casting, stone setting, laser welding, platinum fabrication, and many other topics. The day’s events were capped off by a banquet featuring a platinum seminar given by Jurgen Maerz and a keynote address by Brad Simon. The evening program was as entertaining as informative and was the perfect end to a very busy day.
“I learned a lot from the vendors, the seminars, and especially from the other attendees! I met so many other jewelers, either in the hallway, or at the lounge in the evening, and learned TONS from them,” said Jayme Walsh. Bench jewelers sharing with other bench jewelers the challenges they've overcome is what this event was all about. “The money I save from instituting some of the practices and employing some of the techniques I learned this weekend will pay for the costs of attending the conference. The rewards are not only monetary; I met some of the most incredible people as well,” stated Al Solymosi Jr.
Sales were strong among all the vendors. From Laser Welders & CAD systems to small hand tools, equipment vendors reported strong sales. Finding companies and refiners both reported opening new accounts and getting leads for future purchases. Many companies ran out of catalogs as bench jewelers flocked to their booths to do business with those companies that supported their Educational Conference. “The lead generation here was as good as any of the major show,” reported several of the vendors.
The free seminars held on the show floor were packed. All the chairs were full and jewelers stood in the isles or sat on the floor as they gathered around to absorb the information given during the demonstrations. “It’s like Woodstock” exclaimed one bench jeweler as she was leaving the seminar area at the conclusion of the demonstration.
“We were overwhelmed,” said Brad Simon, show organizer. “The response was tremendous. Bench jewelers felt that for the first time they were being catered to and recognized for their contributions to the industry and they responded. This Conference & Expo has been a dream of ours for years and it’s very special to us to see such an incredible response. Next year’s will be even bigger and better.”
The 2005 Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo will be held in Atlanta, GA April 22 -24, 2005.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
All hard work bring a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 14:23
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
New from MJSA/AJM Press
The AJM Guide to Lost-Wax Casting
Learn from the masters how to achieve smooth,
porosity-free castings! The AJM Guide to Lost-
Wax Casting offers an abundance of best
practices, handy tips, and troubleshooting
techniques. How to create trouble-free master
models to proper breakout procedures.
Contributing experts include:
Charles Lewton-Brain, Jurgen J. Maerz,
Gregg Todd, Michael Bondanza, and many more.
For sample chapters and more information, go to
http://www.ajm-magazine.com/pub_press.php
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<=> <=> STEWART'S BENCH TIPS <=> <=>
Bench Tips from Stewart’s International School
for Jewelers
http://www.stewartsintlschool.com/
Lines on the surface of a platinum ring after sizing are often
caused by improper polishing. You must
CRISS-CROSS when you use your #6 cut file, emery paper and polishing. If you do
all these things and you are still getting lines it is because your buff is
contaminated with a build-up of polishing compound and metal which is
scratching lines in the ring. You must clean this build-up off regularly using
a coarse dressing stone while the buff is spinning.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
When a collection of brilliant minds, hearts, and talents come together… Expect a masterpiece.
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
SIMON SEZ SEMINARS
Bradney W. Simon is a JA Certified Master Bench
Jeweler with over 26 years experience on the
bench. He is the Editor and Publisher of
E-BENCH, BENCH Magazine, and BENCH ROM, and is
an accomplished platform speaker, providing
Keynote Speeches, and Educational Seminars.
Topics include:
Shop Management
Bench Tips
Jewelry Demonstrations
For information on having him speak for your
organization, log onto;
http://www.BWSimon.com/SimonSez Seminars
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<=> <=> AT THE PLATINUM BENCH <=> <=>
Tips for working on Platinum from
Jurgen J. Maerz CMBJ,
Director of Technical Education
for Platinum Guild International
http://www.pgi-platinum-tech.com
Take a separating disc that is in a mandrel and insert it into a flex-shaft. Using a fairly high speed score a second separating disc in four places. Mount the modified disk on a mandrel and use it as you would use a lapping wheel. The advantage of this modification is that you can see right through the rotating disc, which makes it much easier to work.
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Those who say it cannot be done, are usually interrupted by someone doing it.
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
The Ganoksin Project
www.ganoksin.com
The Gem and Jewelry Pre-Eminent Online
Resources. Open to the
public
Free of Charge.
A substantial library of articles,
publications, reports, and technical data on
gem and jewelry related topics; as well as a
sizable collection of art and jewelry
galleries, for both the casual visitor and the
professional, also host the popular Orchid
online forums for jewelers.
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<=> <=> <=> FAVORITE TIPS <=> <=> <=>
Place rings on a steel mandrel when channel setting rather than holding in a ring clamp. This will provide the needed support when hammering.
When setting a straight row channel set band place the ring on a ring mandrel and tap the sidewall over the stones with a hammer handpiece on your flex-shaft. Rest the mandrel on your bench pin and slowly rotate it while hammering the channel edge down. This will help keep the channel wall even and smooth.
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Take a warm ball of Jett Sett (the plastic substitute for shellac) and place in a 2” X 3” plastic bag. Spread it out to fill the bag approximately one sixteenth inch thick, then fold the bag in half to 2” X 1 1/2 “. When hardened trim off the top of the bag. Then, when you have a ring shank or other piece of jewelry that is too thin to hold tightly, place the jewelry between the two halves of the bag and insert in your ring clamp.
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Often oval jump rings are used to attach clasps on the end of chains. The oval shape causes all of the wear on the end of the jump rings. Changing the direction of the oval can extend the life of these jump rings. Place your pliers across the length of the oval and gently squeeze. Then, the ends of the jump ring, which received all of the wear, are now on the side. The former sides, which did not receive any wear, are now on the end to receive future wear from the clasp and chain.
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When soldering pieces of tubing to a piece of jewelry to make knuckles to form a hinge, place a piece of pencil lead (graphite) through the tubing. This will keep the tubing lined up while soldering. The graphite will withstand the temperature for the solder to flow and you can easily remove it when cool. Various diameters of pencil lead for mechanical pencils can be purchased from office supply stores. (A pencil can also be used for a solder pick.)
< < < < < <> > > > > >
Paint whiteout over engraving on the inside of rings before sizing or soldering wedding sets together. This will keep the solder from flowing over the engraving.
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If you have a tip you would like to share with
our readers send it in an e-mail to
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the real labor of thinking.
Thomas Edison
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Run Your Shop Without It Running You
A Practical Guide To Efficient Shop Management
With over one hundred and fifty pages of
information, illustrations, and worksheets,
this is the most comprehensive book on Shop
Management available today.
This Valuable Guide Is A Must In Every Retail
Jewelry Store
“For too many years, Simon says, jewelry
storeowners have believed the fallacy the shop
can’t be a profit center. He destroys that
notion step-by-step with a practical book that
shows owners and shop mangers the keys to
profitability.”
Professional Jeweler Magazine
Only $39.95 (US dollars)
plus S&H - $4.00 US, $10 International
Send your order and check to:
B W Simon
106 S. Pinepoint Dr.
Spartanburg, SC 29307
U S A
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<=> <=> <=> GERRY’S GEMZ <=> <=> <=>
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
by Gerald N. Lewy
When you are working with many diamonds it is advisable to pull out your lap tray under your bench peg. This will surely help you in retrieving dropped stones. I always lay a rubber pad in the tray, as this will prevent bouncing of the lightweight stones.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
One who is serious all day will never have a good time, while one who is frivolous all day will never establish a household.
Ptahhotep
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<=> <=> WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR JEWELERS <=> <=>
Workshop Safety Tips From Charles Lewton-Brian
Eye protection in the workshop usually consists of using safety glasses and/or a face shield. Polycarbonate glasses are good. Aside from protection from sharp objects, flying chunks, dust, chemicals, fumes, liquids and hot metal splashes, we have to deal with glowing materials (infrared light), the blue flame of a high-temperature torch (ultraviolet light) and "sodium glare or flare."
Most glasses and polycarbonates will stop the ultraviolet. So will most contact lenses. The infrared is stopped by a "shade": numbers 2 and up have been suggested. It is important that one understands that a "tinted" lens does not offer infrared protection---only a shaded lens offers protection. Side shields that stop UV and infrared are also a good idea. The sodium flare, which is more of a problem for glass workers, is stopped by didymium glasses.
For more information on Workshop safety from
Charles Lewton-Brian log onto:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm
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<=> <=> Thank You for Reading <=> <=>
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our site, adding additional useful information
for bench jewelers.
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< < < < < <> > > > > >
Information provided in this document is
provided ‘As Is’ without warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied. This publication
is designed to provide accurate and
authoritative information concerning the
subject matter covered. It is provided with
the understanding that the author or publisher
is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting,
or other professional services. If legal
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< < < < < <> > > > > >
For editorial suggestions, comments, ideas
or requests, please send an E-Mail to
Bradney W. Simon mailto:Brad@BWSimon.com
Copyrighted, 2004, BENCH MEDIA.
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