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E-BENCH <=> <=>
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The E-Mail Newsletter
for Bench Jewelers
December 2005
Volume 6 Issue 12
circulation over 3,900
((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))
3rd
Annual
Bench Jewelers
Conference & Expo
Pre-Conference
Seminar April 27th
Seminar Descriptions and Registration Pages are
now available On-Line at:
http://www.BWSimon.com/Conference/
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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E-BENCH is a FREE monthly newsletter for Retail
Jewelry Store Owners, Shop Managers, Bench
Jewelers and Anyone Else That Is Interested.
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<=>
<=> <=> TABLE OF CONTENTS <=>
<=> <=>
REVEREs TIPS FOR JEWELERS
Tips for Jewelers
Who Do Repairs from Alan Revere
COLORED STONES
Learn all about handling Colored Stones from
stone cutter Wayne Emery
FEATURE ARTICLE
Learn how to make your shop more profitable, a
new technique, or brush up on basic skills.
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
GERRYs GEMZ
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR JEWELERS
Tips from Charles Lewton-Brian
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BENCH
VISION
A Video Magazine for
Bench Jewelers on DVD
Each quarterly issue contains 1 hour of video
training including: Stone Setting, Jewelry
Repair, and Custom Jewelry Manufacturing. Plus
Bench Tips, Bench Visits, and New Product
Reviews.
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<=>
<=> REVEREs
TIPS FOR JEWELERS <=> <=>
Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
From Alan Revere
THE TINIEST TIP:
USING HYPODERMIC NEEDLES FOR TORCHES
Jewelers use torches for everything from
heating metal when casting ingots to soldering
jump rings, repairing small chains, and
retipping. But no bench torch can do it all,
since a flame that can heat 5 ounces of metal
will be too large to solder jump rings.
Fortunately, most bench torches can be easily
adapted for even the smallest soldering
operation. If you want to control a very tiny
flame, but your torch tips do not go down small
enough in size, try using an old hypodermic
needle. These needles come in a range of
sizes, and they fit perfectly over many
torches, including the Meco Midget.
You can get old needles from a veterinarian as
well as tool suppliers, among other sources.
To prepare one, use a separating disc to cut
off the sharp, tapered end, and then twist a
small bur in the end to remove the flashing on
the inside. Remove the flashing on the outside
as well, using a needle file.
Now just press the plastic end onto the torchs
nozzle. Open the gas a bit, light it, and then
make fine adjustments with the oxygen and gas
until you have a small, well-shaped flame—-one
that is perfect for the tiniest soldering job.
This tip is from 101 Bench Tips for Jewelers
written by Alan Revere and published by
MJSA/AJM Press.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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Do not wait; the time will never be just right.
Start where you stand, and work with whatever
tools you may have at your command, and better
tools will be found as you go along.
Napoleon Hill
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JewelersTraining.com
JewelersTraining.com is the first and finest On
Demand Jewelry Video Training Website.
JewelersTraining.com is designed by Jewelers
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mission is to provide
jewelers with the best online jewelry education
with On Demand Videos and other training
resources.
Log onto JewelersTraining.com Today and sign-up
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<=>
<=> <=> COLORED STONES <=>
<=> <=>
Learn all about handling colored stones from
stone cutter
AMETHYST
Amethyst is the pinkish-violet to purplish-
violet variety of quartz. It can range in
saturation from the very light pinkish Rose de
overtones of the material from
purple, with a slight grayish or brownish
modifier, so familiar in the commercial quality
stones from
quantities and in every jewelry store in
While most amethyst in the 5 to 10 carat range
wholesales for $15-25 per carat in fine quality
and $30-45 per carat in extra fine quality, the
vast majority of stones seen in jewelry sell
for much less. On the other end of the scale,
well-cut goods in top colors easily bring $75
per carat and more, and sell very rapidly to
design-oriented studio jewelers.
Amethyst is hardness 7 on the Mohs scale, and
considered fairly tough. Gemstones softer than
amethyst are considered to be on the soft side.
With normal care, amethyst worn in a ring will
gradually show signs of wear at the faceted
edges, but can be easily repaired or replaced,
except in the highest qualities. It has proven
to be very durable in pendants and earrings,
and really should give the wearer many years of
enjoyment if the ring is not worn continuously
or for sport activity.
Heat needs to be avoided when working with
amethyst. Even slow application of torch heat
is likely to convert an amethyst into a citrine
and the change is not reversible. Additional
heating will turn the stone colorless. Also,
some amethyst has been known to fade when
placed in a sunny window for long periods
(weeks or months) and exposure to the UV rays
of a tanning booth can also fade some amethyst.
Sudden quenching can shatter any quartz, but
the ultrasonic is generally safe. I suggest
warming the stone in water first. The pickle
will present no problem.
A fine amethyst set in dark rose gold is a real
thing of beauty!
Synthetic amethyst is readily available and may
now account for over 50% of the stones seen
today. The cost of natural, fine-colored
amethyst is relatively high compared to what
can be obtained for finished gems, especially
when considering the loss involved of proper
cutting, so if you are seeing dark amethyst at
low prices, you can bet it is synthetic. The
synthetic material is beautiful and durable,
and generally avoids the zoning seen in most
natural material. Native cut synthetic
material trades for under $10 per carat, while
custom cut synthetic will range to about $25-30
per carat in 5 carat stones and larger.
The same handling cautions apply to synthetic
amethyst as natural amethyst, because the
material IS amethyst.
You can contact
wayne_emery@msn.com
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
<=> <=>
Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do
today.
Benjamin Franklin
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United Precious
Metal Refining
United is a full service refiner for Gold,
Silver, Platinum, & Palladium. We specialize
in Refining for the jewelry Industry,
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Technical assistance on all phases of
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phone call away. Call
us today at
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the Best
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<=>
<=> <=> FEATURE ARTICLE <=>
<=> <=>
How much is that Doggie in the Window?
Part 2
Last month we looked at two myths to setting
prices on your jewelry repairs. This month we
will look at a preferable method to determining
what to charge.
Imagine for a moment, that there is no money.
You cannot buy anything; you must barter. For
example; if you need the oil changed in your
car and your mechanic needs a ring sized, you
could size his ring in exchange for the oil
change in your car. Everybody would be happy –
until you drove 3,000 miles and needed another
oil change. You return to your mechanic only
to find he does not have another ring that
needs to be sized. So, you find a window
washer who needs a ring sized, and you size his
ring. In exchange, he washes your mechanic
windows, who in exchange, changes the oil in
your car. Once again, everybody is happy,
until…
As an alternative to this trading system, man
devised money to simplify his life. (I bet you
never thought of money as simplifying your
life, did you?). You size your window washer
ring and in exchange, he pays you an amount of
money equivalent to the value of the service
you provide. You then go to your mechanic for
your oil change and pay him an amount of money
equivalent to the value of the service he
provides. Your mechanic then goes to your
window washer and he has his windows washed and
pays him an amount of money equivalent to the
value of the service he provides. Once again,
everybody is happy. That is of course, as long
as everybody has set their prices correctly.
You see the ONLY reason to set a price is to
establish the value for the product or service
being rendered. Then a fair exchange of your
service for their money can be made. And there
is only one person who decides what the value
of your services are – and it is not you - it
is your customer. Your customer decides the
value of your services and whether or not it is
worth parting with their hard-earned cash in
exchange for it.
Pubilius Syrus, a first century Roman writer
stated: A thing is worth whatever the buyer
will pay for it. Old Pubilius was my kind of
guy. He was able to boil down the essence of
pricing to 11 words. The Internal Revenue
Service and Treasury Regulations is a little
wordier. Here is an excerpt from Revenue
Procedures 66-49. Fair market value is the
price at which the property or service would
change hands between a willing buyer and a
willing seller, if neither one is under any
compulsion to buy or sell… Sadly, over the
years we have forgotten Pubilius Syrus advice
when we set our prices. All we think about is
the second part of the Treasury Regulations –
the willing seller. How much am I willing to
sell my services for? How much does it cost
me? How little can I sell it for? Instead we
should be asking: How much is MY customer
willing to pay for my services?
You see, the ONLY reason a doctor or lawyer can
receive more money for their services than most
other people, is because their clientele
believes their time is more valuable. In order
to set your prices correctly you need to find
out how much your clientele perceives your time
is worth. When you find this out, then you
will be able to price your shop services
properly. There are a number of methods you
can use to find this information including:
ASK
We all have a group of people we feel
comfortable discussing business with. Ask them
to review your prices. See what they feel is
the maximum they would be willing to pay for
your services.
SURVEYS
Compile a short survey asking various questions
concerning marketing and advertising. Then
include questions about prices. For example;
What is the maximum you would pay for ___? Add
in various repair services such as: sizing a
ring, repairing a chain, retipping a prong, and
replacing a post on an earring.
LABOR RATE COMPARISON
Many times a customer will come into your store
paying you what you charge for a repair. Then,
they leave and spend two to three times that
per hour to have their electronic equipment, or
cars repaired. An excellent method to
determine what your customers will spend for
your services is to consider what they are
spending for labor on similar work to be
performed. What is the going labor rate in
your area? This is not what the laborers are
being paid but what the stores are charging for
labor. Some industries to consider include;
Accounting, Appliance Repair, Auto Mechanic,
Carpentry, Cleaning Services, Commercial
Artists, Computer Repair, Electricians,
Electronic Repair, Graphic Artists, Plumbing,
Lawn Services, and Shoe Repairing.
SERVICE COMPARISON
Another excellent method to use is to compare
what your customers willingly pay for other
similar services and then price your services
correspondingly. Consider such items as: a
doctor office visit, an oil change in a car,
painting a room in a house, having a book re-
bound, filing tax returns, tune-up of a
lawnmower, and repairing a toaster. For
example, an oil change for your car takes about
the same time as sizing a ring. The cost of
the oil and filter is about the same as the
gold needed for sizing. However, the skill
level of the high school kid changing your oil
is lower than your goldsmith. Therefore, the
oil change has a slightly lower value than the
ring sizing, and you can reasonably price your
sizing slightly higher than what your customers
pay to have their oil changed.
TEST PRICING
To do this, raise the prices on all repairs for
a period of time. At the end of the period,
raise them again. Gradually raise the price on
each item until you receive significant price
resistance. When you receive price resistance
on an item do not raise that price anymore, but
continue to raise prices on the other items.
When significant price resistance is received
on each item, you have reached the peak market
price for your store.
What method you use is not nearly as important
as that you find out the information from your
customers. The clientele in each store
perceives the value of those services
differently. Therefore, management in each
store must make their own pricing decisions
based on their clienteles perceived value of
the services they provide from their shop.
When you know what value YOUR clientele places
on the services you provided, and therefore
what prices they would be willing to pay for
them, then you will know how much to price that
doggie in the window.
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<=> <=>
QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
<=> <=>
It is not what you are that holds you back, it
is what you think you are not.
Denis Waitley
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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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<=> <=>
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
Through a Glass Darkly:
Protecting Your Vision – Without Limits
When soldering and welding platinum you MUST
have proper eye protection. The melting
temperature of platinum alloys can reach as
high as 1,780 degrees C and only #5 safety
goggles will do. However, goggles can
sometimes limit your vision, which in itself
can be a hazard. What is a good solution?
Attach a protective lens to your light fixture.
Now you can view the work being done behind the
lens with full vision, and maximum safety.
((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))
<=> <=>
QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
<=> <=>
The indispensable first step to getting the
things you want out of life is this: decide
what you want.
Ben Stein
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MJSA EXPO
March 12-14, 2006
Cutting-edge technologies, the latest
equipment, new supplies, in-demand services,
the finest gemstones in the expanded AGTA
Pavilion, and a premier selection of finished
products in the
all at one location:
largest trade show in the
jewelry manufacturing (more than 450 booths),
and a full schedule of technical and
educational seminars as well as live
demonstrations on the show floor, where
attendees can see the latest manufacturing
techniques and technologies in action at no
additional cost.
MJSA Expo
For more information or to register online,
visit www.expo-newyork.com.
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<=> <=>
<=> FAVORITE TIPS <=>
<=> <=>
Time spent cleaning the shop is not extra time
you need to find. It is
time you would spend
looking for stones etc. if you did not do the
cleaning. It is just spending
your time
differently. If your bench
and shop are
organized and you clean it regularly it does
not take that much time.
< <
< < < <> > > > > >
Workers should always wear an apron in the
shop. This keeps gold from
filing, grinding,
and polishing operations from accumulating in
their clothes and being washed down the drain.
Thin leather with a tanned smooth surface is
best. Cloth aprons, such as
denim, are better
than nothing, but they will accumulate precious
metal down in the fabric.
If cloth aprons are
used they should not be washed but sent to the
refiner to be burned and the gold recovered.
< <
< < < <> > > > > >
Always use your lap tray to collect metal
filings and save these filings in a container
to send to a refiner. Some
refiners will
supply you with a plastic jar with a screw top
lid for these sweeps. Any
type of container
with a wide mouth top may be used; an old
coffee can with a plastic lid works well.
< <
< < < <> > > > > >
A shop vacuum cleaner is a necessity. This
makes clean up easier, and you will then be
more likely to do it more often.
This vacuum
is for shop use only, and should never be used
outside of the shop. Save
all bags and send to
the refiner with the polishing waste.
< <
< < < <> > > > > >
All broken sawblades should be collected and
not thrown away as fine particles of gold are
caught in the teeth and can be refined. Also
all old emery paper, burs, bristle brushes,
rubber abrasive wheels, anything you use to
sand, grind, or polish gold needs to be saved
with the polishing waste after they are worn
out.
< <
< < < <> > > > > >
If you have a tip you would like to share with
our readers send it in an e-mail to
((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))
<=> <=>
QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
<=> <=>
The problem with most failing businesses is not
that their owners do not know enough about
finance, marketing, management, and operations
-- they do not, but those things are easy
enough to learn -- but that they spend their
time and energy defending what they think they
know. My experience has shown me that the
people who are exceptionally good in business
are not so because of what they know but
because of their insatiable need to know more.
Michael Gerber
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Southeastern Findings
Southeastern Findings has been a leader in the
wholesale jewelry business for the past 27
years servicing the Independent Jeweler. We
are Findings, Diamonds, Wedding Bands, Jewelry
Boxes, Platinum, Batteries, Tools, and So Much
More.
Call us Today at 1-800-282-8285 or visit us on
the World Wide Web www.sefindings.com
Namano /
Southeastern Findings
Your Home for
Southern Hospitality
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<=> <=>
<=> GERRYs
GEMZ <=> <=>
<=>
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
by Gerald N. Lewy
Modify Your Tools
Even simple tools that are your own can yield
new avenues of exploration. Remember, tools
amplify our capacities, so even the small tool
can make a big difference. Never be complacent
with what you buy at a tool store. Modify your
basic tools at every possible moment. For each
tool you buy, two more are lurking on the
horizon!
((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))
Manual of Diamond
Setting by Gerry Lewy
This new book and CD set on diamond setting is
geared to the Hobbyist, Student, Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced Jeweller/Setter. It
is a compendium of 5 years of writing for Bench
Magazine and has over 613 pictures taken during
the setting process.
This Manual sell for
$69.95 US Special Price for all E-Bench Readers
is only $54.95 plus Shipping and Handling.
For more information or to order
E-Mail Gerry Lewy at: gemz@ican.net
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<=> <=>
QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
<=> <=>
I wish above all things that thou mayest
prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospereth.
III John 2
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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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<=>
<=> WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR
JEWELERS <=> <=>
Workshop Safety Tips From Charles Lewton-Brian
Modeling On Others With The Same Problems
To avoid unnecessary work look for examples of
people who have solved the same kinds of
problems you have to solve and see if you can
adapt some of their ideas and approaches. This
means you ask around, do reading, research to
find examples you can use. This saves on
mistakes. Your answers may lie in another
field than metalsmithing. For instance define
the problem exhausting fumes generated from
brazing, and then figure out who has the same
problem. A number of industries do, from
electronics to jewelry production. Approaches
used in another field may have application to
what you are doing.
For more information on Workshop safety from
Charles Lewton-Brian log onto:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm
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<=>
<=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=>
<=> <=>
DESIGNER DAY
March 11, 2006
THE
March 12-14
Co-sponsored by
Jewelers Resource Bureau, Designer Day is held
one day prior to
the opportunity to receive advice from renowned
designers and industry experts.
New this year, the
buyers training, laser technology, casting,
marketing and branding, and much more. It will
also feature Thinking Ahead: The CAD/CAM
Experience, a part of the
Initiative. This three-hour-long
interactive
presentation will offer insights into how you
can profit from the power of CAD/CAM
technology. And MJSA At
the Bench Live
seminar series will feature tips, tricks, and
the latest bench techniques from experts such
as
Alan Revere, Bradney Simon, and Kate Wolf.
For more information or to register, visit
((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))
<=> <=>
Thank You for
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,
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< <
< < < <> > > > > >
For editorial suggestions, comments, ideas
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Bradney W. Simon mailto:Brad@BWSimon.com
Copyrighted, 2005, BENCH MEDIA.
All rights reserved.
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< < < <> > > > > >