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E-BENCH <=> <=>
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The E-Mail Newsletter
for Bench Jewelers
August 2005
Volume 6 Issue 8
circulation over 3,700
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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
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E-BENCH is a BENCH MEDIA Publication
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daniel@spirerjewelers.com
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Bench Jewelers SHOW
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International to bring you a fantastic line up
for a one day seminar.
Seats still available in
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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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The
Ganoksin Project
www.ganoksin.com
The Gem and Jewelry Pre-Eminent Online
Resources. Open to the
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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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Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
From Alan Revere
A FILE-SAFE PLAN:
Modifying Files for Working Near Stones
Most flat and square files—both large hand
files and small needle files—have cutting
surfaces on all four sides and edges. The
sharp edges are great if you want to carve a 90
degree groove into a piece of metal, but then
can be problematic for certain applications,
such as finishing a bezel setting. If you want
to clean up the top of a setting, a file with
sharp cutting surfaces and edges all around
will put the stone in danger. However, with a
little effort, you can modify a file that will
allow you to play it safe.
First, prepare a safe surface on the one side
of a fine-cut (#4 or #6) square needle file.
(Note: You can also use the following steps to
modify barrette needle files, which are great
for finishing prongs.) To do this, carefully
lay one side of the file against the spinning
wheel of a bench grinder and draw it across,
removing the abrasive cuts on that side of the
file. Repeat until the cuts are completely
removed.
After rough grinding, take the file to an oiled
sharpening stone—the kind you use to sharpen
gravers, drill bits, blades, etc. Hold the
file flat against the stone and rub it back and
forth to smooth the new surface and remove
marks left by grinding. When the surface is
smooth, knock the cuts off the edges on both
sides of the newly cleaned surface.
With all remnants of the original cuts removed,
use progressively finer grits of abrasive paper
to bring the surface and adjacent edges to a
polish. Begin with 220 grit paper held against
a flat surface. Proceed to 320, 400 and 600
grit. Finish up with 4/0 polishing paper. The
file should shine on one side.
And with that you have a file that is “safe”
for finishing bezels and prongs. Keeping in
mind that all stones can be damaged by
abrasion, place the safe surface very lightly
against the stone and file the setting to
perfection.
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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That everyone may eat and drink, and find
satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift
of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:13
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<=> <=> FEATURE ARTICLE <=>
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Design Considerations for Pendants
When making a pendant the bail should be
something that is incorporated into the design
of the pendant if at all possible. Often
jewelers will take something and stick a bail
on top and call it a pendant, resulting in
something that looks like something added onto
it, rather than a complete design.
Rather than sticking a standard bail on top,
why not incorporate the bail into the design of
the pendant? In order to do this, it's
important to know what type of chain and what
size of chain the pendant is going to be worn
on before you begin designing it.
In most cases pendants need to have a broad
base and not be very tall. Most chains are
flexible enough that the pendant can roll
sideways. You don't want to taper the sides of
a pendant as much as you would if you're
creating a crown for a ring. The crown for a
pendant needs to be less tapered, and more
straight up-and-down. This will give you a
broader base, and the pendant will lay flatter
and not roll as easily.
In addition, if it is a tall pendant the center
of gravity is high and the pendant will have a
tendency to roll and turn over as the customer
is wearing it. When you construct a pendant
try to keep everything as low as possible.
That will help to keep it from rolling or
turning while the customer is wearing it.
When creating a pendant that has stones set in
it, there is a design element that I like to
include that isn't talked about often. If you
look at stones (diamonds in particular) they
are cut so that the light will reflect back out
of the table of the stone. Looking at the
stone straight down on the table will give you
the most brilliance and the most sparkle from
diamonds. Also well cut colored stones are cut
to give the most color and the most life to the
stone when viewed from the table.
If you set the stones into a pendant so they
are straight (in other words the table is
parallel with the back of the piece) all of the
brilliance or all of the color will come
straight out from the pendant. Because
pendants are worn on a chain around the neck
they are worn below the line of sight and so
the most brilliance and color from the stones
is going straight out from the pendant---not at
the angle that people will view the pendant.
Because of this, when fabricating the crowns to
set the stones, and when you set the stones, I
believe they should be on a slight upward
angle. In other words the table should be
slightly lower at the top of the pendant than
at the bottom of the pendant. This angle
should be very slight, not so drastic of an
angle that the stones look crooked, but just a
couple of degrees. Then the stones are all
angled toward the person’s eyesight and when
they view the pendant they will see the most
brilliance and color from the stones. This is
just a little thing, but often it’s the little
things that make the biggest difference.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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Too many of us are not living our dreams
because we are living our fears.
Les Brown
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Jewelry Dealers
World Trade Network
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<=> 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
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Membership includes: Topical Discussion
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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
CD’s make great sanding surfaces. Glue the CD
to the back of sand paper and cut it out around
the CD. When placed on a polishing spindle, it
makes a perfectly flat sanding or polishing
surface.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.
Greek Proverb
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NEW from
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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.
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<=> FAVORITE TIPS <=>
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What is the surface just below your buffing
wheel made of? Most likely it is metal. I
cover mine with corrugated cardboard cut to
fit. Then, on the rare occasion when my buffer
snatches something from my hand, it has a much
better chance of surviving the blow.
Peter Nestler
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A quick and simple mini flexible
lap is on the
back of your snap on sanding
discs. Flip the
disc over, run against
another disc to remove
the 'glaze' and then apply
the desired
polishing compound.
Jeff Demand
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This is a valuable method of saving patterns
for repeated engravings and layouts. After
your initial pattern is drawn, engrave your
design with a fine onglette or round graver.
Next take a piece of paper, about the thickness
of a standard job envelope and moisten with a
bit of water and hard bar soap, making sure the
paper is not over saturated. Place this with
the damp side down over your design and burnish
into the design until the paper looks smooth
and shiny. Allow transfer to dry. Next take
the metal to be engraved and polish, clean, and
place in your holding device. Next take a
little of your soap and water and apply a thin
film onto your metal. While still wet lightly
dab on a bit of powdered magnesium carbonate
leaving a dull surface. Lay transfer on your
article and gently burnish making sure to cover
the entire transfer, [DONT MOVE] carefully lift
the paper and you will be left with lines that
can be followed with your graver. These
patterns can be used many times. Our shop
still uses transfers that were made over 50 or
more years ago.
Mark Lofgren
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Take an old burr, capture it
in a pin vise,
break off the tip, and
sharpen the shaft into a
neat little round bottom
engraver. It holds a
great edge and works well in
close quarter or
for fine detailed work.
Larry Perleberg
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I found that Super glue works amazingly well on
those little cuts that we receive from saw
blades and any minor cuts for that matter.
Super glue (the real super glue) dries fast,
does not sting when applied and helps keep dirt
out while continuing to work. Just simply
close the cut as best as you can and apply,
sometimes this takes two people, and it lasts
for a few days.
Joey Ragas
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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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Most misfortunes are the results of misused
time.
Napoleon Hill
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101 Bench Tips for Jewelers by Alan Revere
Alan Revere—acclaimed designer, author, and
educator—now shares his most valuable bench
tips and tricks in 101 Bench Tips for Jewelers.
Based on the monthly column in AJM, this book
will help any jeweler speed production, improve
quality, and raise profits at the bench.
Filled with helpful illustrations, this
publication covers all aspects of bench work,
from soldering to stone setting, piercing to
final polish. This book
is sure to be a
resource you’ll reference for years to come.
For more information, visit
www.ajm-magazine.com/pub_press.php
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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
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 #009
round burs, nothing too large, but small enough
to ‘free’ the culet from touching any metal. I
will literally dig down to the depth the ball.
I will also visualize the location of the
intended culet and ask myself: Is the hole well
positioned? Will it free the culet? Will the
hole cut interfere with the security of the
adjoining claws?
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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
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Big goals get big results. No goals get no
results or somebody else's results.
Mark Victor Hansen
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Metal Refining
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<=>
<=> WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR
JEWELERS <=> <=>
Workshop Safety Tips From Charles Lewton-Brian
Exposure Routes
The main exposure routes for chemicals are by
breathing them in (inhalation), eating and
drinking materials (ingestion)-which can also
happen when large particles are breathed in,
brought into the throat by lung clearing
mechanisms and swallowed, and by touching
things (absorption). Do not eat or drink in
the workshop. If you have to have a drink use
the kind of containers with a cap on the end of
a straw - this may reduce your potential
chemical contact. A friend of Mark Parkinson
had his vitamins in the studio, accidentally
downed a ruby instead, and searched all over
for the stone before realizing where it was.
Smoking, besides being bad for you in all the
ways you ought to know by now, seems to react
synergistically with many chemicals and dusts
jewelers have been exposed to; in some cases
multiplying the risk of damage really
dramatically so don't smoke.
Don't wear jewelry when working in the shop.
It too can get caught on things. It is best to
not wear a ring at the bench, not only to avoid
the dreaded 'degloving incident' (where a ring
gets caught on something, a machine part or a
hook of some kind and tears the skin of the
finger inside out) but because chemicals and
dusts can get trapped under the ring and more
readily cause dermatitis.
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
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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
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the services of a competent professional person
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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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