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<=> <=> <=> <=> E-BENCH <=> <=> <=> <=>
The E-Mail Newsletter for Bench Jewelers
August 2004
Volume 5 Issue 08 circulation over 3,200
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<=> <=> ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER <=> <=>
E-BENCH is a FREE monthly newsletter for Retail
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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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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
PLATINUM TECHNICAL TRAINING TOUR 2004
Technical Training for Bench Jewelers
This bench jeweler session will feature invaluable, practical information about
working with platinum, straight from PGI’s Director of Technical Education Jurgen Maerz.
Among the topics:
– Platinum alloys
– Ring sizing and repairs
– Finishing techniques
– Casting techniques & porosity
REGISTRATION
Call 800 207 PLAT with your choice of tour location, number of people who will be attending and payment info.
Upon receipt of registration, a final confirmation will be faxed.
FEES
Payment Methods: Credit card, check or cash (at
the door of event)
Bench Jeweler Training: $30 per person.
Stores sending five or more people receive a
group discount rate of $25 per person.
Beverages and appetizers will be provided for
general sessions. Each session will feature
raffles with exciting giveaways, and every
attendee will receive a goodie bag!
TOUR SCHEDULE:
DALLAS – SEPTEMBER 8
Omni Dallas Park West
HOUSTON – SEPTEMBER 9
Marriott JW Hotel
BOSTON – SEPTEMBER 21
Marriott Boston Burlington
DC METRO AREA – SEPTEMBER 22
Marriott Fairview Park
MIAMI – OCTOBER 7
Marriott Miami, Dadeland
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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 Florentine Graver-File
Ordinarily, jewelers use the cutting face of a
highly sharpened Florentine graver to apply a
standard overlapping Florentine finish. But
here’s a neat trick for adapting the graver to
work in a new way. It is excellent for applying
this finish to wedding bands or other curved
surfaces.
Take a separating disc and cut a series of
about six parallel grooves into the belly of a
Florentine graver, toward the handle end. Each
groove leaves sharp edges, which will act like
multiple cutting faces of a graver.
Now use the belly of the graver to “file” over
the surface to be engraved, at an angle of 45°
to the side of the ring. Go back and forth,
making parallel marks on the entire band, as
you move the graver-file along to the next
area. Then come back at 90° for the overlapping
cuts...all made with your new Florentine
graver-file.
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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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind
divided between many studies confounds and saps
itself.
Leonardo da Vinci
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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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<=> <=> <=> FEATURE ARTICLE <=> <=> <=>
FIRST THINGS FIRST
A Bench Jeweler’s Guide to Scheduling Daily
Work
Part 3 of 4
Now that you have decided on all the jobs you
will work on during the day, you then need to
determine what to work on when.
Urgent Jobs
Your first priority would be jobs that need to
be picked up later in the day. If you have a
job that needs to be done today place that job
and the whole group that the job is in, at the
front of your work tray. This will be the
first group of jobs you will work on.
Additional Work
Next, look for work that involves additional
work that needs to be done before you can do
your work, such as jewelry that needs thorough
cleaning before retipping. Take these jobs out
of their envelopes and place them in the
cleaner, and place the envelopes in the back of
your work tray to be worked on later in the
day.
If someone else needs to appraise a stone
before you set it make certain they have the
stone and check to see when they will be
finished. Then schedule time later in the day
for you to set the stone after they are done
with the appraisal.
If engraving needs to be done on a charm by
someone else before you can solder it onto a
bracelet, make certain the engraving is being
done, and then schedule time for you to solder
it onto the bracelet later in the day by
placing the envelope in the back of your daily
work tray. Anytime you have a job to do that
requires something to be done before you can do
your work, make certain the other work is being
done, and schedule time later in the day for
you to do your work.
Frogs
Next, look through your remaining jobs and see
if there are any jobs that you particularly
dislike, any type of work that you would put
off doing if you could. Take these jobs and
put them in front of your work tray. If there
is a job that needs to be done right away then
put these jobs second.
Mark Twain once said “If you have to swallow a
frog, it is best not to look at it too long.”
What generally happens when we have one of
those “frogs," a job we do not particularly
like to do, is that we tend to put that last
and do the other jobs first. By the end of the
afternoon we become tired and think that we
really do not have to do this now and put it
off until the morning. We procrastinate. The
job keeps being put off, and it doesn’t get
done.
Not only does that job not get done, but while
you are working on the other jobs during the
day, you are thinking about that frog. It is
there in your tray and you spend your whole day
dreading that one job. Because of it, your
productivity suffers.
Instead, do the work first that you dislike and
get it out of the way. When you get that job
completed you receive a sense of accomplishment
and look forward to the rest of your day
because that job is finished. The fun work is
left and it makes your day more enjoyable. As
a result you are more productive during the
remainder of your work day.
Remaining Jobs
How you arrange all the rest of the jobs has a
tremendous effect on how productive you will be
during the rest of the day. Each jeweler will
arrange these jobs differently. The following
methods will help you establish the BEST
arrangement for you to increase your
productivity.
First you must understand when the best hours
of the day are for you. I am not a morning
person. The only time I have been in the shop
before 8 AM is when I’m still there from the
night before. I would prefer to work late into
the night than to come in early. The first few
hours of the day are not my best hours. So I
plan a group of simple jobs first thing in the
morning. I take a group of sizings or chain
solderings and place them in my daily work
tray, either right in the front, or just behind
any urgent work or frogs. Groups of more
difficult work which requires my best effort, I
plan to work on later in the day when I’m at my
best.
Plan for interruptions. Know what time of day
is the busiest in your store and plan simpler
work during that time. For example; most
stores are busier during lunch from 11:30 until
1:30. Don’t plan to bezel set a tanzanite, or
channel set a lot of diamonds, etc. during this
time. Since the store is busier with
customers, the chance of interruptions is
greater. If you are interrupted while working
on jobs such as these it takes more time to
stop your work and tend to the interruption.
Instead, schedule more difficult work during
the times of day that are typically quieter.
You may still be interrupted, but the chance of
interruptions is less. Plan on doing the
simpler work, such as sizing or chain
soldering, for the busy times. Then when the
interruptions come, it is easier to stop your
work, take care of the interruption, and pick
back up on the work you were doing. By
scheduling your work in this manner
interruptions have less of an effect on your
productivity.
Look for the group of jobs that have the
largest number of envelopes in it and plan to
work on that group sometime in the morning.
Generally, this group is simple jobs that you
can quickly work through such as sizings or
chain solderings. By finishing this group in
the morning, when you return from lunch to
start the afternoon’s work you will see all of
those envelopes in the finished stack, and
fewer job envelopes left in your daily work
tray. This can be a tremendous emotional
boost. If you left this group until the
afternoon, when you return from lunch and see
all the job envelopes left to work on and only
a few envelopes finished, your natural tendency
is to become depressed. You figure “I only
finished a few jobs this morning, how in the
world can I finish all of these remaining jobs
this afternoon”. This may seem like a little
thing, but the difference in your attitude when
seeing the majority of the work already
finished and a comparably smaller amount of
work remaining for the afternoon can have a
major effect on your productivity.
Plan variety into your day. Working on similar
work for several hours becomes monotonous for
many jewelers. Right-brain creative types need
variety in their day. If it is not scheduled
into their day they quickly become bored.
Their minds wander looking for something
different to do, and their productivity
suffers. Break up groups of similar work.
Instead of planning a group of down sizings
followed by a group of up sizings; plan to work
on a group of stone setting or other different
type of work after the down sizings. If you
are doing down sizings in the morning, put off
the up sizings until the afternoon. If you
have a group of chains to solder, plan a group
of totally different work before planning the
group of charms to solder onto bracelets. By
planning variety into your day from the
beginning, you will stay interested in your
work. You’ll be able to concentrate more fully
on the task at hand, and as a result you will
improve your productivity.
Once you have arranged your envelopes in your
job tray place it somewhere beside your bench,
or in a bench drawer. Then take out one group
of jobs at a time to lay out on your workbench.
Do not have this tray sitting in front of you
on your bench staring you in the face. It’s
easy to be distracted by having all the jobs in
front of you.
Seeing all the work that needs to be done
during the day will also add to your stress
level. If you set it off to the side, you can
concentrate your efforts on the few jobs that
you are actually working on at the time, and
not be distracted by work that needs to be done
later in the day.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
Wisdom … is more precious than jewels, and
nothing you desire compares with her.
Proverbs 8:11
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This Valuable Guide Is A Must In Every Retail
Jewelry Store
“For too many years, Simon says, jewelry
store owners have believed the fallacy the shop
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Professional Jeweler Magazine
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<=> <=> STEWART'S BENCH TIPS <=> <=>
Bench Tips from Stewart’s International School
for Jewelers
http://www.stewartsintlschool.com/
KEEPING A BUR FROM FORMING WHILE SAWING
By Jim Stewart
To prevent a bur from developing on a piece of
ring sizing stock from sawing, change to a
sawblade that has more teeth per inch (TPI).
Example: a 2/0 sawblade has 62 TPI; a 3/0
sawblade has 66 TPI. Also lubricate the back
of the sawblade with bees wax and lighten up on
your touch; let the sawblade do the work.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
In the long run you hit only what you aim at;
therefore aim high.
Henry David Thoreau
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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
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Buy/Sell Channels, Plus Much More.
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<=> <=> AT THE PLATINUM BENCH <=> <=>
Tips that make working with platinum or working
at the bench in general - easier from
Jurgen J. Maerz CMBJ,
Director of Technical Education
for Platinum Guild International
http://www.pgi-platinum-tech.com
To repair a kinked herringbone chain, start by
using pliers to gently push the bent links
down. Then use a regular wallpaper roller to
flatten the links. Be sure to roll on a sturdy
surface. Once the chain is flat again, polish
it at the bench with a small, rotating brush.
Do not use a large polishing machine, as chains
can get caught in the buffs.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.
Native American Proverb
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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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<=> <=> <=> FAVORITE TIPS <=> <=> <=>
Cut a piece of urethane and insert it in your
ring bender. Now the outside of the ring stock
is not damaged as it is formed. Works great!
You have a better ring shank and with no
additional cleanup needed you improve
productivity.
Archie Woodworth
< < < < < <> > > > > >
When prong setting stones partially bend one
prong over the stone. Then, bend the prong
directly opposite it, not adjacent to it.
Continue working down the prongs a little at a
time on opposite prongs until the prongs are
all down tight on the stone. This procedure
will help keep the stone level while setting.
< < < < < <> > > > > >
When sizing rings with heat
sensitive stones
hold the stones under water
while soldering.
To do this use a metal
water cup (the bottom of
a soft drink can works
particularly well).
Fill the water cup ¾ full
of fine white sand
and cover with water. Then the jewelry you are
soldering can easily be
held in place by
sticking the stone into the
sand. In addition,
place a small piece of
firebrick through the
finger hole of the
ring. This helps protect
the stones, but more
importantly, it reflects
the heat back up to the
bottom of the shank,
making soldering much
easier.
< < < < < <> > > > > >
Be careful when retipping
any stone with points
such as pear, marquise, and
princess shape
stones. The thin points of the stones heat
quicker than the body of
the stone; un-even
heating of the stone can
cause it to crack. In
addition, metal and stones
expand and contract
by different amounts when
heated and cooled. A
problem develops during
retipping if solder is
allowed to flow completely
around the point of
a stone. The solder will contract as it cools
squeezing the point. This may cause it to
break off.
The best method to retip a
stone with a point
is to make a cap in the
shape of the prong.
Then with a minimum of
solder, attach the cap
to the top of the
prong. Move the flame of
your torch over the length
of the stone,
gradually raising the
temperature evenly in the
entire stone. Do not allow solder to flow
under the stone, completely
encircling the
stone point. If the prong is worn to the place
that it needs more work
than just a cap, it is
best to remove the stone
and replace the crown
or prong.
< < < < < <> > > > > >
To tighten a loose diamond
in an invisible set
mounting push on the top of
the loose diamond
with a wooden doll
rod. A section of bamboo
skewer works well, but any
wooden doll rod will
suffice. The downward pressure on the diamond
will cause the metal in the
support channel to
spread, tightening the
diamond. Push lightly
then check for tightness.
Repeat as necessary.
CAUTION: If the side walls
are thin be certain
to place the mounting in
shellac or a plastic
substitute to keep the
walls from bending out.
< < < < < <> > > > > >
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 <=> <=>
Strength does not come from physical capacity.
It comes from an indomitable will.
Mahatma Gandhi
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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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<=> <=> <=> GERRY’S GEMZ <=> <=> <=>
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
by Gerald N. Lewy
Protecting the culet is one of the most basic
and most overlooked areas of setting any size
of stone. As this part of the diamond is one
of the most vulnerable areas, it can chip
easily. So how do we adjust for this potential
calamity on claw settings? I always use a #009
round bur, nothing too large, but small enough
to ‘free’ the culet of any touching of metal.
I will literally dig down to the depth the
ball. I will also visualize the location of
the intended culet. Is the hole well
positioned? Will it free the culet? Will the
hole cut interfere with the security of the
adjoining claws?
“Gerry, the Cyber–Setter!” very attached to
gemz@ican.net and also involved with
www.gemzdiamondsetting.com …get my drift?
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
Achievement comes when you decide to live your
possibilities.
Anonymous
((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))
<=> <=> <=> 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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<=> <=> WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR JEWELERS <=> <=>
Workshop Safety Tips From Charles Lewton-Brian
If you know what the chemicals are that you use
and what their dangers are you will be less
likely to hurt yourself with them. You should
have a list of the chemicals in your workshop
(a chemical inventory), MSDS sheets and
chemical profile sheets which tell you
important information about the chemical. A
chemical profile sheet is theoretically easier
to read than a standard MSDS sheet. There are
several places on the internet where chemical
profiles are available. One is
http://nsc.org/ehc/ew/chemical.htm.
Mishandling of chemicals is the main cause of
accidents with them: spills, accidental
reactions, contamination, breathing, etc.
Because so many products contain chemicals you
should ideally have information for every
product in your workshop that contains
chemicals as well as those clearly identifiable
ones that you think of immediately when one
says "chemical."
For more information on Workshop safety from
Charles Lewton-Brian log onto:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm
((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))
<=> <=> Thank You for Reading <=> <=>
We are on the World Wide Web.
Visit us at http://www.BWSimon.com
A complete archive of back issues of E-BENCH is
located there.
Visit often, as we will be making changes to
our site, adding additional useful information
for bench jewelers.
<=> <=> SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION <=> <=>
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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
advice or other expert assistance is required,
the services of a competent professional person
should be sought.
< < < < < <> > > > > >
For editorial suggestions, comments, ideas
or requests, please send an E-Mail to
Bradney W. Simon mailto:Brad@BWSimon.com
Copyrighted, 2004, BENCH MEDIA.
All rights reserved.
BENCH MEDIA
106 South Pinepoint Dr.
Spartanburg, SC 29302
864 - 680 - 4416
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< < < < < <> > > > > >