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E-BENCH <=> <=>
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The E-Mail Newsletter
for Bench Jewelers
April 2005
Volume 6 Issue 4
circulation over 3,600
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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.
We encourage you to forward this newsletter to
anyone that you think may benefit from it,
provided you forward all of it without
modification and not just portions of it.
This document may NOT be distributed for
profit. E-BENCH is a
copyrighted newsletter
and all rights are reserved!
We assure you that your email address is kept
strictly confidential and is not shared with
anyone for any reason.
E-BENCH is sent to you each month FREE of
charge because of the generous support of our
SPONSORS. Please
support them with your
purchases.
E-BENCH is a BENCH MEDIA Publication
BENCH MEDIA is a B W Simon Company
Bradney W Simon – Publisher
Daniel R. Spirer - Proofreader
daniel@spirerjewelers.com
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<=>
<=> <=> TABLE OF CONTENTS <=>
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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.
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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ME HOW Seminars
A Full Day of Seminars Featuring Writers of
Bench Magazine
Live Bench Demonstrations Topics Covered
Include: Stone Setting, Jewelry Repair,
Fabrication, Bench Tips
Doubletree Hotel San Francisco Airport
Radisson Hotel
Only $195 with advanced registration.
www.BWSimon.com/Conference
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Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
from Alan Revere
Put A
Because of their size and shape, some jewelry
tools pose unique challenges. Small punches,
for instance, can cause fatigue if held in one
hand for too long. And once you’ve put it
down, there’s no guarantee it won’t roll away.
So try putting a cork on it! Find a used wine
cork and, drilling from both ends, create a
hole straight through its center. The hole
should be slightly smaller than the diameter of
the punch – for a 4 mm shaft, drill a hole
that’s about 3.5mm. Now slide the cork onto
the shaft and use a rasp, a coarse file, or a
very coarse abrasives paper to create one flat
side on the outside of the cylindrical cork.
Now you have the most comfortable, most grip-
able, and most controllable punch possible.
And it will never roll off your bench.
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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Take care of the minutes, and the hours will
take care of themselves.
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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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<=> <=> FEATURE ARTICLE <=>
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2005 Bench Jewelers
PASSION AWARD
Design Contest Winners
Winners of the first Bench Jewelers Passion
Award Design Competition were announced at the
Banquet on Friday night at the Bench Jewelers
Conference & Expo April 22nd in
All of the 1st & 2nd place winners were on
display during the Conference & Expo and
jewelers attending were able to vote on a
Jeweler’s Choice Award which was announced on
Saturday evening at the All American Gala.
The Passion Award Jewelry Design Contest
consists of two divisions, one for finished
jewelry and one for CAD renderings. “The
intention of the contest is to recognize the
bench jeweler who designs and makes the jewelry
themselves,” explained Brad Simon, Contest
Administrator.
The contest was a huge success with 69 entries
from 5 different countries. “The quality of
pieces submitted was fantastic,” said Contest
Chairman
select the winners.” In addition to Mark
Grosser, the contest was judged by,
Chuck Koehler, and Wayne Emery.
Below is a list of all the winners.
To view the winning pictures log onto:
www.BWSimon.com/DesignContest.
Jeweler’s Choice Award
Karen Olsen Ramsey
Finished Jewelry Division
Ladies Jewelry Category
CAD Rendering Division
Men’s Jewelry Category
Greg Stopka, JewelSmiths
Award of Merit
Deric Metzger, Demer
CAD Rendering Division
Ladies Jewelry Category
Deric Metzger, Demer
Michael McFarlin, McFarlin's Jewelry
CAD Rendering Division
Ladies Ring Category
Andrew Zavala, Eana Designs
Greg Stopka, JewelSmiths
Award of Merit
Sterling VanDerwerker
CAD Rendering Division
Jewelry Suite Category
Greg Stopka, JewelSmiths
Deric Metzger, Demer
Men’s Jewelry Category
Dmitriy Pavlov,
Brody Rice, Lee Ayers Jewelers
Award of Merit
Jody Huffcut, Sun Setting
Finished Jewelry Division
Ladies Jewelry Category
Karen Olsen Ramsey
Elichai Fowler, The Gem Gallery
Award of Merit
Jeff Olson, Genesis Jewelry
Award of Merit
Greg Pope, G. A. Pope Fine Jewelry Inc.
Award of Merit
Brenda Emanuel
Finished Jewelry Division
Ladies Rings Category
David E. Lee, David Lee Jeweler
Ron Simons, Ron Simons Jeweler
Award of Merit
Kevin Wood, Ringer Inc
Award of Merit
Benita Edwards, Benita Edwards Design,
Finished Jewelry Division
Jewelry Suite Category
Todd Reed, Todd Reed Inc.
Greg Pfleger, Vincent's Jewelers
Congratulations to all the winners!
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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The man who starts out going nowhere, generally
gets there.
Dale Carnegie
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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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AT THE PLATINUM BENCH
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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
Platinum Casting Alloys
For torch casting, the most commonly used
platinum casting alloy is platinum 900/iridium
100. This alloy, also referred to as 90/10
iridium, has good working characteristics,
casts well, can be welded, and does not
oxidize. It also offers a bright white color
and has sufficient hardness at 120 Vickers
(HV). It was the universal platinum alloy in
the United States for many years.
In recent years, many casters have begun using
a platinum 950/iridium 50 alloy, known as 95/5
iridium, to comply with the 950 standard.
(Many countries, including the
require any item stamped “platinum” to be at
least 95 percent pure platinum.)
Unfortunately, this alloy is not a good choice
for casting. While it has great
characteristics for fabricating, including
rapid work-hardening, as cast it has a hardness
of only 80 HV-far too soft for jewelry. (A
minimum hardness of 120 HV is recommended.)
With wear, rings bend and scratch, and stones
come loose.
One of the finest 950 platinum casting alloys
is platinum 950/cobalt 50, also known as 95/5
cobalt. This alloy has a very fine grain, high
liquidity, and the ability to fill intricate
detail. With a hardness of 135 HV and the
ability to cast well and take a good polish, it
is one of the most popular casting alloys in
950/cobalt 50 is also slightly ferro-magnetic,
making identification easy (you can simply use
a magnet to detect attraction).
This alloy does oxidize, however. Because of
this tendency, propane and other fuels do not
work well with it. Instead, torch melting
should be done with a hydrogen/ oxygen fuel
mix, which does not permit much oxidation.
This alloy is most successfully cast with
induction heating in a controlled atmosphere.
Another alternative is platinum 950/copper/
cobalt, which is similar to the platinum/
cobalt alloy, except it is not magnetic.
However, it still needs to be cast with
hydrogen/ oxygen or by induction to prevent
oxidation.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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The plans of the diligent lead to profit as
surely as haste leads to poverty.
Proverbs 21: 5
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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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<=> FAVORITE TIPS <=>
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When using a split mandrel
for emery paper, use
a section of emery belt for
belt sanders rather
then cutting strips from
sheets of emery paper.
The emery belts are
designed to be used at
higher speeds than the
sheets and will last
longer.
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Refiners vary greatly in
the minimum fees they
charge and the rate of
return they give. You
should contact several
refiners and receive
their pricing chart before
deciding upon the
refiner to use. Find a refiner whose pricing
structure fits with the
amount of scrap you
have to process.
If you pay the minimum
refining charge you are
paying the highest price to
have your scrap
refined. Always accumulate your scrap long
enough to get beyond the
minimum charge of the
refiner. Never pay a minimum refining charge;
if you do, you are paying
too much to get your
scrap refined.
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When filing hold the work
steady and move only
the file, paying attention
to the angle of
which you are holding the
file. Work with
steady, even, long
strokes. Frantic aggressive
filing or short, broken,
"fiddley” strokes will
produce in-accurate
results.
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Grind a bevel on the end of
the shank on all
your burs. Then they will be easier to insert
into your flex-shaft
handpiece when using.
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A sign in my dentist office
reads “You don’t
have to brush and floss all
your teeth. Only
the ones you want to keep!
The same applies to
take-ins. You don’t have
to check every stone. Just the ones you don’t
want to replace!
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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
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Some people count time, others make time count.
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NEW from
Bench Media
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.
Only $95 per year in the
and Only $125 per year for oversea delivery.
www.BWSimon.com/BenchVision
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<=> GERRY’S GEMZ <=>
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Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
by Gerald N. Lewy
Before removing a diamond, or any precious
gemstone, check for any inclusions or defects
in the stone. Always keep your 10X ‘Triplet
Loupe’ at your side. To avoid your client
charging you for any misadventure that might be
caused by removing that stone, take note of and
record any defects on the job bag and call the
client BEFORE doing any work and have the
client view it themselves if possible. If you
are in doubt of setting a stone, don’t do it.
Being an overly cautious setter is far more
rewarding, than paying for the replacement
stone. If you notice a telltale aberration in
the claws covering the stone, do not let any
jewelry tool “touch the mounting”. You might
be charged in its subsequent “breakage”. Many
setters do HIDE defects under the claws so be
aware of this when removing customers’ stones!
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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Truth is a torch that shines through the fog
without dispelling it. Always be true to your
work, your word, and your friends, and you will
never live a day without peace.
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SIMON SEZ
SEMINARS
Bradney W. Simon is a JA Certified Master Bench
Jeweler with over 28 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
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, and 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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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.
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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.
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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, 2005, BENCH MEDIA.
All rights reserved.
BENCH MEDIA
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