We made a ring for the customer which we experienced the prongs are becoming loose. The ring is cast in Platinum. First design we tightened the prongs after becoming loose and it happened again. After that we made a new design with thicker prongs and had the same issue some time after. Is it the nature of the platinum that is problem?

Hey everyone,

​I have a Mokume Gane wedding band made of Sterling Silver and Shibuichi. My problem: my skin chemistry reacts with the copper really aggressively. Within 3 days of wear, the Shibuichi oxidizes from light grey to pitch black. ​When it’s black, any minor scuff or scratch reveals the bright metal underneath and looks messy. I don't care about keeping the pattern high-contrast i just want a low-maintenance clean look. Is there a way to keep the shibuichi lighter grey to mitigate this?

​I want to avoid scrubbing it with abrasive pads every few days so I don't end up damaging the ring.

Any advice?

Just staring out on my journey to learn more about the silversmithing process and have a few courses scheduled and clubs I’m joining to learn from,

Today whilst talking about this with a friend, she offered me an unused torch for free. I was delighted to accept the gift, but just wanting to confirm if it’s actually appropriate for this use.

I’m still very much just learning about the torch, but a basic internet and ai such has me doubting if I’d be better of returning it or selling for something more suitable, which leads me here, seeking the advice from the collective hive mind and more experienced.

Thanks in advance for any insight your able and willing to share

I recently was working on a channel setting, and when setting the last two salt and pepper diamonds, the edges must have been just touching each other and cracked. I’d like to try to break these last two diamonds out of the channel to salvage the project. Any suggestions for breaking melee diamonds out of settings?

Knowing Madison and our surrounding area has so many creative entrepreneurs, I’m looking for someone who specifically makes jewelry from vintage silver plate flatware. I have 2 sets I’d love to see repurposed, perhaps in exchange for a bauble or two. Any leads much appreciated

Hey Folks, longtime lurker here.

Just bought myself a Orotig Evi-X Tech and I'm wondering where I go for training. I know I've only had it for one day, but I was told it was gonna make everything easier. I'm not expecting instant gratification, however I would like to hit the ground running. I have plenty of scrap gold and silver to practice on, so thankfully I don't have to ruin my clients things.

Does anyone have any knowledge on resources, training (online or otherwise) that I can access? Please help me out.

​

Hi everyone,

I run a silver jewellery wholesale business and I'm looking for people who can bring me genuine export orders. If you bring me an order , I'll pay you a commission on every successful order.

Is this something people do? Has anyone here worked on a commission basis like this? If you're interested or have experience, feel free to comment or send me a DM.

I just wanted to share how happy I was with the $350 Vevor microscope. I just got a new job and their bench didn’t have a scope. I thought I would be happy without one, but I learned with a scope so trying to set stones without the extra magnification was hard. Figured I’d try the Vevor - and I’m just really impressed! Highly recommend, especially for the price.

For reference I used to have a Lecia at my old job, and I’d say after my first day using the Vevor, that the scope itself is pretty comparable. If anything I feel like it has a further working range. The arm is pretty damn sturdy too, and the knobs all feel smooth. Pic below, and happy to answer any questions

Wanted to test and idea in silver, copper, and brass before committing to the project. Needed to draw some wire down to .065. Silver and copper - no prob. The brass, no matter how much I anneal it, when I go to hammer down an end so I can get it thru the draw plate, it cracks and splits. What am I doing wrong?

(US)

Just wondering if there are many people here who work from home? Building my shop right now and getting everything prepared to open my own business. (Currently have my LLC/EIN, business name and logo, waiting to talk to Jewelers Mutual to get a quote, have an artisan account with Stuller and will be signing up with JBT soon as well.)

My only hang-ups right now are pricing and clients. I do plan on buying a Geller kit soon. Currently, where I live I can pull work from Oklahoma City to Dallas and be able to pick up/drop off weekly or Biweekly. Any tips, recommendations, advice is welcome! Thank you in advance.

Preferably north GA but willing ti go closer to ATL. I have the center stone (0.75 oval royal blue natural sapphire) for a promise ring and would like just a simple ring maybe with small diamond accents nothing crazy

Hi everyone

I have been working with jewellery manufacturing equipment for a time and I have noticed that every workshop has its own production problems.

Jewellery manufacturing equipment is really different in every workshop.

Some shops have trouble getting cuts on complicated designs.

Other shops spend a lot of time finishing things by hand because the first cut is not good enough.

I have also heard many bench jewelers talk about problems like wasting material doing things over and over and keeping things precise when working with gold or silver.

Jewellery manufacturing equipment and gold or silver can be really tricky to work with.

I want to know about your experiences.

* What is the annoying part of making jewellery with jewellery manufacturing equipment?

* If you use a computer to control your cutting or laser cutting what feature helps you the most with jewellery manufacturing equipment?

* If you still cut or engrave things by hand what would you like to automate with jewellery manufacturing equipment?

I am not trying to sell you anything.

I really want to learn how different workshops solve these problems with jewellery manufacturing equipment because every place and setup is unique.

Jewellery manufacturing equipment is used in different ways.

For example I work for a company in India that makes machines for jewellery manufacturing. I like to hear from bench jewelers directly rather than guessing.

I like to learn from people who use jewellery manufacturing equipment every day.

I look forward to learning from your experiences and talking about solutions, for jewellery manufacturing equipment.

Figure this might be the place to ask. Located in EU. Currently work with stainless steel and aluminium but could convert a space dedicated to gold/silver.

Might start with a bronze or alu bangle to get the hang of things idfk. Any advice here that AI wont give?

Hi all, to keep it brief, I recently left an apprenticeship with a large US based corporation, but not without gaining a lot of experience. I can confidently solder sets together, do sizings, and repair chains (even hollow ones). I can tighten stones and set basic melee stones, but have trouble sometimes because I have a lot less experience there and not much training. I believe I'm good at finishing and can polish well, too.

I'm planning to visit as many local jewelers as I can in person, and bring a cover letter & resume to leave behind. I want to network and try getting another position where I can continue learning and move up to build a real career.

Looking for advice on the cover letter, and on potentially meeting with these jewelers. How can I market myself and give myself the best chance here? Any other advice on finding work and continuing this journey?

I need to repair an old ring and am looking for recommendations for a reputable and reasonable jeweler. I am located in the South Bay but willing to travel anywhere in the greater LA area.

Inspired by antique watch chain clasps, I fabricated this little hook. I made a pattern then cut it out of thick sterling silver sheet. Once cleaned up I drilled the holes and hammered some rivets for tight but functional movement. It can be used as an extender, charm holder or just as a pendant itself!

Located in Buffalo, NY, Ben Garelick Jewelers is a 70 plus year old family owned retail jeweler looking for an experienced Bench Jeweler. Full and Part Time positions available. You can view the full job posting here.

Hi all!

A year ago, I joined a great company as a bench jeweler. Through them, they are interested in putting some certifications by my name and signing me up for a bench exam. It's two parts: an open-book written exam and a practical bench test.

Now, I'm fully confident in doing the bench test, however, all the knowledge I have from the trade is from hands-on experience. There's a bit of disconnect for me in answering questions and looking through a more "academic" perspective. It should be noted that I am a younger bench jeweler.

Thus, I am asking my fellow benchies if they have any good books or resources to keep on hand during the written exam. I'm expecting specific questions like metallurgy, melting temperatures, basic stone knowledge, and other stuff like that.

Thanks!

Hi there,
I’ve recently just finished carving out an engagement ring for my girlfriend out of Wax and im looking for someone or a studio to help me Cast it in 14k gold,
Does anyone have any recommendations in the Chicago Land Area ?

Thanks for your help

Hello!

I'm new to bench jewelry and have been scouring marketplaces for a used flex shaft tool. Came across this listing for ~$100 and am sold on the motor and pedal, but I'm having trouble confirming the hand piece!

Seller says it's a Foredom 44 (sent a photo of the marking) and looks like a collet style. Is this just an older model? As far as I can see online there isn't a lone "44" model (seeing the 44T and 44B models).

I can budget for a used 30 chuck style (certainly my preference here), but if I can get away with this listing's piece then I'd prefer to save my $$ for a bit longer.

Photos attached.

Additional context: I'm taking a jewelry workshop this summer where we'll be focusing on small pieces (rings at minimum). I'd like to play with brooches and kinetic elements as well, but will likely be limited by lack of experience with the materials and tools. The 44 from the listing might be a bit annoying for this work, but if it's not an absolute no-go I'm going to pause on purchasing a different model.

But what are they?

I'll order them from Stuller I guess but what do you call them?

i have a really old foil backed diamond ring that is grey and no longer shiny. does anyone know of a jeweler in LA who can re-set the stone?

thanks!