February 2008
Volume 9 Issue 2
circulation over 5,200

Two Great Events - One Fantastic Weekend

Bench Jewelers Supplier’s Expo
Friday & Saturday April 25 – 26

Bench Jewelers Educational Conference
Thursday through Sunday April 24 – 27

at the Marriott Hotel Los Angeles Airport,
5855 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA  90045

www.BenchConference.com

ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER

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Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
from Alan Revere

Bending Tubing

As every bench jeweler has discovered, bending tubing is easier said than done.  When using your hands or a clamp, tubing just folds and creases, like a plastic straw.  But unlike plastic, if you know what you are doing, it is easy to form metal tubing into a smooth and even curve.

Let’s say you want to bend a piece of tubing into a bangle bracelet, which will make it a lot lighter and less expensive, than using a solid rod of metal.  In order to bend tubing without crushing it, you need to support it, either on the interior or the exterior.

Here is a way that works well all the time.  Go to a hardware store and find a steel spring that fits snugly over the tubing.  (You can even buy springs made expressly for this purpose in some hobby stores.)  You will need a piece of tubing that is longer than called for in the final bracelet, in order to gain leverage.  Anneal the tubing and then put the spring around it.  Now use a curved form, like a bracelet mandrel or piece of plumbing pipe, slightly smaller than the desired curve of the tubing.  Spread out your fingers and apply even pressure, as you force the tubing/spring assembly against the mandrel.  It will naturally recoil a little as you release the pressure, depending on the alloy and hardness.  Now slide the spring along a little further and bend the next section, proceeding in this fashion until the entire tube is formed into a circle with overlapping ends.  Then pull the spring off; sometimes it is necessary to use a lubricant and an "unscrewing" tug to remove it.  Amazing!

This Tip is from “101 Bench Tips for Jewelers" written by Alan Revere and published by MJSA/AJM Press.

Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts http://www.revereacademy.com

Quote Worth Re-Quoting

"Nothing can stop the man with the right
mental attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help the man
with the wrong mental attitude."

Thomas Jefferson

E-Bench Sponsor

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Handling Colored Stones

from Gemstone Cutter Wayne Emery

Hematite

Hematite is an iron oxide, quite literally a form of rust.  It is most often seen in jewelry in the dark gray to black form used for beads, intaglios and carvings.  But you are probably most familiar with it as rouge.  That’s correct: jeweler’s rouge is powdered hematite held together with an organic binder!

Hematite pieces will take slow heating quite well.  It ranges in hardness from 5 to about 6.5, depending on its compactness (darker is harder) and is fairly resistant to sudden changes in temperature, but extremes should always be avoided.  Placing a hematite piece in your pickle is safe to the piece, but may contaminate your pickle.

The steamer, as usual, is to be avoided.

You can contact Wayne Emery at wayne_emery@msn.com

Quote Worth Re-Quoting

"Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt.
Only by being open to change
will you have a true opportunity
to get the most from your talent."

Nolan Ryan

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.

Tips & Tricks from Brad Simon

Cutting Azures

Azure is the American English derivative of the French term a jour or ajoure.  An azure is a countersunk cutout on the back of a piece of jewelry, behind bead, channel, or flush set diamonds.  Usually azures are a square or triangle shaped, resulting in what looks like bright cutting on the backside of the jewelry.  It is an important aspect of diamond setting that is often neglected today.

The easiest method to cut an azure is to taper the hole using a bud or cone bur.  Then polish the taper with a hard felt point in your flex-shaft.

On finer jewelry, you will want to cut a square or triangle shaped azure.  Traditionally bench jewelers would either hand cut azures with a graver, or feed a saw blade through each hole and meticulously cut each opening.  Although resulting in fine cut azures, both methods are extremely labor intensive.

Professional looking azures can be cut fairly easily using a combination of burs in considerably less time than cutting by hand using gravers or a saw.

To begin, cut a tapered hole with a bud bur.  Then, using a hart bur held sideways cut your corners in each hole.  Next, use a small wheel bur to clean away the metal between the corners.  Then use a polished flat graver to clean up and polish your cuts and, if necessary, a small bristle brush with rouge can be used to polish the azures. 

Cutting Azures with burs is an advanced technique.  Only bench jewelers who have developed their skills of cutting with burs should attempt it.  As with learning any new technique – practice cutting azures on a piece of scrap metal before attempting to use this technique on actual jewelry.

For weekly Stonesetting tips visit our blog Stonesetting with Brad Simon at www.AboutStonesetting.com

Quote Worth Re-Quoting

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind
and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal."

Philippians 3: 13

E-Bench Sponsor

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Technical assistance on all phases of manufacturing and jewelry casting is only a phone call away.  Call us today at 1-800-999-3463 or visit us online at http://www.unitedpmr.com/

Tips That Make Working with Platinum Easier
from Jurgen J. Maerz CMBJ

Pt or Not Pt
Identifying Platinum

Director of Technical Education
for Platinum Guild International
http://www.pgi-platinum-tech.com

Every so often a jewelry item comes in for repair and you just can’t tell whether it’s made of platinum.  While there are several ways to do it, this method is quick and reliable.

Use a sharp graver to cut away a small splinter of metal from an inconspicuous place in the jewelry item. 

Place the small splinter of metal on a soldering surface.  Then using a sharp flame try to melt it.  If it melts into a ball with little effort, it is not platinum.

If it glows bright and is difficult to melt, the ring is indeed platinum. 

When cooled:
If the piece is oxidized the alloy is most likely platinum – cobalt.
(The piece can also be picked up with a magnet.)
If the piece is frosted (lost its shine) the alloy is most likely platinum - ruthenium.
If the piece is unchanged the alloy is most likely platinum – iridium.

For weekly tips on working with platinum visit our blog Platinum Guru at www.PlatinumGuru.com

Quote Worth Re-Quoting

"Anyone who stops learning is old,
whether twenty or eighty.
Anyone who keeps learning today is young.
The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young!"

Henry Ford

      E-Bench Sponsor

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.

 

Tips for Jewelers Taking In Jewelry
at the Repair Counter.

PRONG RETIPPING

Prong retipping is probably the most under-recommended repair, and one of the most important.  Whenever you take-in jewelry with stones, examine the prongs, and if they’re thin, broken, or missing, recommend retipping in addition to the other repairs.

When taking-in jewelry for re-tipping, do not just write Retip Prongs.  Be specific – state how many and which ones.

Don’t just mark the prongs needing retipping with a felt-tipped marker.  As soon as the ring is cleaned to begin the retipping the ink is gone and you can no longer tell which prongs were to be retipped and there is no written record to refer to later as to which prongs were repaired.

Make a simple sketch of the jewelry with the prongs marked that need to be retipped.  Draw a sketch of circles for the stones and a line for the prongs that need to be retipped.  Do not draw any prongs that do not need work.  In this example, 10 prongs would be retipped.  Notice the karat stamp written in.  This helps to align the ring correctly.

For weekly tips on Shop Management visit our blog Bench Business at www.BenchBusiness.com

Quote Worth Re-Quoting

"He who every morning plans the transactions
of the day and follows out that plan,
carries a thread that will guide him
through the labyrinth of the most busy life."

Victor Hugo

E-Bench Sponsor

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Call us at 1-800-545-6566 or visit us at http://www.riogrande.com

Bench Jewelers Passion Award
Design Competition

CALL FOR ENTRIES

The fourth annual Bench Jewelers Passion Award Design Competition will be held in conjunction with the Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo April 24 – 27, 2008 in Los Angeles, CA.  The competition is open to all professional Bench Jewelry Artist and Designers actively involved in the design and production of jewelry.  The Passion Award Jewelry Design Contest consists of two divisions, one for finished jewelry and one for CAD renderings.

For details, contest rules, and to enter the competition log onto: www.BWSimon.com/DesignContest

For information on the Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo log onto:
www.BenchConference.com

All jewelry submitted for the Finished Jewelry Division must be original, and designed and made by the jeweler entering the contest.  No trade shops or other jewelers can work on the piece of jewelry.  The Finished Jewelry Division categories are: Men’s Jewelry, Ladies Rings, Ladies Jewelry other than rings, Laser Fabricated Jewelry, and a category for jewelry that was designed by a Design Team.

All renderings in the CAD Rendering Division must be original and created by the jeweler entering the contest using 3D computer software.  The jewelry rendered must be able to be made by a jeweler using reasonable skills.  The CAD Renderings Division categories are: Men’s Jewelry, Ladies Rings, and Ladies Jewelry other than rings.

Jewelers may enter both divisions and may enter one piece per category in up to three categories in each Division.  Photographs of the finished jewelry or CAD renderings must be submitted over the Internet with a completed entry form.  Entry fees must be paid with a credit card at time of entry.  To submit entries log onto:
www.BWSimon.com/DesignContest

1st and 2nd place will be awarded in each category.  All Passion Award winners will receive a Trophy, Cash Award, and Publicized in trade publications.  Winners will be announced on Friday April 25, 2008 during the Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo.  Jewelers entering the contest are encouraged to attend; however, attendance at the Bench Jewelers Conference & Expo is not necessary to enter the contest or to win an award.  In addition, a Jewelers Choice Award will be presented on Sunday April 27, 2008.  Jewelers attending the Bench Jewelers Conference and Expo will select the Jewelers Choice recipient from among the Passion Award winners.

Deadline for submissions is March 15, 2008. 
Contest Chairman: Mark Grosser
For details, contest rules, and to enter the competition log onto:www.BWSimon.com/DesignContest

Workshop Safety Tips from Charles Lewton-Brian

GIVE YOURSELF A GRADE

I am a teacher, and one of the things I do when I grade my students is to be as objective as possible. I take into account their individuals skills, how much they have personally developed and pushed themselves, how hard they worked and how they excelled against their own goals and aspirations. I do not look at just what they did to fulfill any parameters of the projects I set for them.  This means that I have to judge myself by the same criteria in order to avoid being a hypocrite.  As an educator one has to be a sort of role model as a form of continuous education.  This can be kind of rough.  So grade yourself in terms of your safety efforts.  There is no shame in a mediocre grade, merely an indication that one can do better. You don't put yourself down for doing one's best-that is as good as it gets.  So, assuming you are doing your best for yourself then give yourself a grade in that regard.  Then try again.  One tends to get better and improve this way.  Judge yourself as you would judge another persons performance given the same problem to solve or project to carry out.  And give yourself credit.  If it is an 'A' grade then that is what it is.  Enjoy!

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm

Quote Worth Re-Quoting

"Success and happiness are not destinations;
they are exciting, never-ending journeys."

Zig Ziglar

E-Bench Sponsor

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New this month join by the month or year, whichever fits your budget.

A Complete Television Network Exclusively For Bench Jewelers Broadcasted Over the Internet www.BenchTelevision.com
Tips, Tricks, Tools, Techniques, and Technology, it is all here.  Everything you need to become a better Bench Jeweler Bench Jewelers Television Network is produced BY Bench Jewelers FOR Bench Jewelers We Know and Understand Your Needs and Concerns

For details go to: www.BenchTelevision.com

This innovative educational initiative provides jewelers with a comprehensive source of in-
depth information and suppliers with unique advertising opportunities never before seen
in the jewelry industry.

Do you feel misunderstood? 
Do you feel you are unappreciated, underpaid, overwhelmed,
burned-out, or frustrated?  Then you need to watch these videos
by clicking on the links below.

Are you a Veteran of the Bench?
Have you worked for years in the industry and have a lot of experience repairing jewelry, setting stones, and making custom designed jewelry?  Then you need to watch the following video.

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Copyrighted, 2008, BENCH MEDIA, LLC.  All rights reserved.

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