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<=> <=> <=> <=> E-BENCH <=> <=> <=> <=>
The E-Mail Newsletter
for Bench Jewelers
November 2005
Volume 6 Issue 11 circulation over 3,800
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<=> <=> ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER <=> <=>
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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Bradney W Simon – Publisher
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daniel@spirerjewelers.com
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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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<=> <=> <=> 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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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
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 will reference for years to come.
For more information, visit
www.ajm-magazine.com/pub_press.php
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<=> <=> REVEREs TIPS FOR JEWELERS <=> <=>
Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
From Alan Revere
GO WITH THE FLOW: Basic Tips to make Soldering Easier
While soldering is essential to jewelry work, it can also be one of the most challenging operations at a jewelers bench. Controlling the torch requires understanding and experience. The following are a few basic tips to make soldering easier.
(Note: This applies to silver and gold, but not to platinum, which behaves differently during soldering.)
Before soldering, it is important to make sure the surface is clean and fluxed. Dirt, polishing compound, and fingerprints can impede the flow of solder. Clean all surfaces well with sandpaper, a scraper, or a plastic abrasive pad prior to soldering, and then apply flux. When heated, flux becomes a river of glass, sealing the surface from contaminants as the solder flows below it and joins the parts.
Solder flows toward heat. Whenever possible, put your solder on the far side of a seam and heat the near side. When the solder flows, the heat pulls it through the seam.
When soldering two items together, it is important to heat them so they reach the flow point of the solder at the same time. Otherwise, the solder will flow onto the piece that reaches that temperature first. When soldering items similar in size, keep the flame moving gently and heat the parts equally.
On the other hand, when soldering items dissimilar in size, apply the heat unevenly; soak the larger item while avoiding the smaller item. When the larger item reaches soldering temperature, minimal heating of the smaller item is needed. (Again, both items should reach the flow point of the solder at the same time.)
Try using a pair of tweezers to hold the smaller item in place; the tweezers serve as a “heat sink,” drawing some of the heat away so the smaller item will not heat up as quickly as the larger item. You can also block the flame from hitting the smaller piece by placing tweezers or a solder pick in the way.
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 <=> <=>
Always bear in mind, that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing. Abraham Lincoln
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
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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<=> <=> <=> COLORED STONES <=> <=> <=>
Learn all about handling colored stones from stone cutter
General Handling Rules for the Bench
Always err on the side of caution. Remember that the stone may not be properly identified on the job envelope, so if you are not sure what it is, treat it as very expensive glass.
If the stone is to be removed, assume it is brittle and use proper prong pullers or saw the prongs off. NEVER pry between a bezel or prong and the stone.
There is a big difference between hardness and toughness. Although diamond is the hardest substance, even a slight strike with a small hammer can shatter a diamond, while jadeite, which is technically much softer, will hardly be effected. But please do not test this on a clients piece!
Remember that while many stones can survive SOME heat, sudden changes in temperature from torch application or from dunking in pickle should always be avoided, even with diamonds. In recent years, the application of heat to or near a gemstone (including diamonds) has become more dangerous with the increased use of “fillers”, most of which are some form of glass. Glass and heat
do not mix well.
Good files have safe sides for a reason. Although many common gemstones are much harder than tool steel, facet junctions or edges can easily be chipped by a file, requiring a trip to the lapidary.
You can contact
wayne_emery@msn.com
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
We have got to have a dream if we are going to make a dream come true.
Denis Waitley
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
JewelersTraining.com
JewelersTraining.com is the first and finest On Demand Jewelry Video Training Website. JewelersTraining.com is designed by Jewelers for Jewelers. Our 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 for our free educational newsletter.
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<=> <=> <=> FEATURE ARTICLE <=> <=> <=>
How much is that Doggie in the Window?
Part 1
Do you remember the song How Much Is that Doggie in the Window that we sang way back in our childhood?
How much is that doggie in the window? The one with the waggley tail. How much is that doggie in the window? Oh I do hope that doggie for sale.
Ever since retail began people have wondered how to price their products and services. Pricing decisions are perhaps the single largest determining factor as to whether a company makes a profit or not and how much of a profit it will make. If you set your prices too low, you will end up with a loss. If you set your prices too high, customers will go elsewhere to purchase the product.
Services, such as jewelry repair, can be even more difficult to price than products. Services are non-tangible; you cannot touch or hold them. You can see, hold, and feel a ring but you cannot see, hold, or feel a ring sizing. This creates pricing difficulties, as you do not have tangible things like stones or metal to base a price on. Rather than being able to see advantages such as the number or size of stones customers have to depend on such ambiguous characteristics as reputation or image of the person providing the service.
Services are also non-transferable. A ring sizing cannot be returned. You cannot transfer a ring sizing to another ring, nor give it away or hand it down to another person. Services are also non-storable. You cannot stock up on ring sizings during the slower summer months and have them available for the rush during the Christmas season.
In addition, with the services you perform you do not have a manufacturers cost or suggested retail price to work with, as you do with the jewelry and watch products in our stores. This all leads to problems when we try to set prices for our jewelry repair services.
In the jewelry industry, there are two myths that flourish among retailers as to setting prices for jewelry repairs. This further complicates the already difficult process of setting repair prices. The first myth is that you should set your prices based on what others charge.
There is a story of a man who worked in a factory. He lived on the opposite side of town from the factory, and every day he would walk through town on his way to work. Each morning as he past though the downtown shopping area he would stop in front of the finest jewelry store and stare in the front window. He would gaze through the window for a moment, look at his watch, and then continue to work.
The storeowner grew so perplexed by this mans behavior that one day he went outside to meet him. He said that everyday he saw him staring though his window and he was curious as to what he was looking at. The man told the storeowner that it was his job to blow the noon whistle everyday at the factory, and he took his job very seriously. So everyday he would stop in front of the store because it was the finest jewelry store in town. He would look through the window at the stores clock and check his watch to make certain his watch was correct. This way he was assured that he would blow the noon whistle precisely at 12 o clock.
The storeowner told the man he admired his dedication to his job. In fact, the storeowner said, you are so accurate in performing your job, that for years we have set the clock in our store by his noon whistle.
After years of carrying out this ritual, is there any way that either of them had a clue as to what the correct time really was?
For years, jewelry store owners have set their prices for jewelry repairs by calling other stores in town and then set their prices, based on what the other stores charge. If you use this method to set prices, you are setting your prices based on stores who have most likely called you sometime in the past to see what you charge and then set their prices based on what you charge. After years of carrying out this ritual, is there any way that any jeweler has a clue as to what the correct price should be for jewelry repairs?
You cannot set your prices correctly in your store just by calling the other stores in town and setting your prices accordingly.
The second myth to setting jewelry repair prices is to set your prices based solely on your cost.
A real problem develops when we set our prices based solely on our cost. At the end of the year we evaluate our jewelers performance and based on the shops income we determine if we can afford to give our jewelers a raise. Now, if we set our prices based on what we pay our jewelers, and pay our jewelers based on what we collect from the prices we set, is there any way either can be correct?
In addition, isnt it obvious that if our income (the prices we charge) is based on what we pay our jeweler there will never be extra money to give our jewelers a raise. Commissions do not solve this problem either. If you set your price, and the commission the jeweler receives, based on how long it should take the jeweler to perform the work then the only way for them to make more money is to do the work faster than they should be doing it.
Unless we set our prices based on the value of the services we provide we will never have the money to pay the kind of wages that reflect the value of our jewelers labor. When we as an industry start charging prices based on the value of the service we provide, not only will the store profits increase, but we will finally be able to provide the wages to our jewelers comparable with the wages paid in other skilled professions.
When you determine the value of your services you will then know how much to price that doggie in the window.
Next month we will look at methods to help you determine what your customers believe the value of your repair services to be.
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future. Dale E. Turner
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
United Precious
Metal Refining
United is a full service refiner for Gold, Silver, Platinum, & Palladium. We specialize in Refining for the jewelry Industry, processing everything from sweeps to karat scrap.
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
United Precious
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Simply
the Best
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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
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<=> <=> QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
Concentrate: put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket. Andrew Carnegie
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<=> <=> <=> 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.
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<=> <=> <=> FAVORITE TIPS <=> <=> <=>
After a hard day of continuously washing your hands, especially during the busy times of year, your hands will get really dry and start to hurt. A remedy that works for me is called Bag Balm, (go ahead and snicker) used originally for a cows utters to keep them from chapping. The smell isnt that great and it looks like heavy axle grease but it works; just simply put some on your hands and rub it in for about three minutes. Wash it off with mild hand soap and dry. It can be found in Wal-Mart in the pet department or a feed store. It is a small square green can with, of course, a picture of a cow on it. Joey Ragas
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When you have a sketch or
picture of a flat
item to duplicate in wax,
first, make a
photocopy of the
picture. Next, cut out the
copy leaving an approximately
2mm edge to the
copy. Then, lay the copy on a flat piece of
wax and use scotch tape to
hold it in place.
After you have secured the
copy of your picture
to the wax, take an old,
small cup bur or small
hart bur and sharpen it to
a fine needle point.
Put your bur into a beading
tool handle and
trace the picture that is
on your wax with
small punctures into the
picture leaving the
tracing of your picture on
the flat piece of
wax. Next, connect the dots, trim your wax,
and add your detail! This should help with
free form flat waxes,
crosses, fish logos for
churches, etc.
Steve Cowan
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To stiffen an earring post twist it on its own axis one or two times. The soft part, where you soldered, will twist and harden itself while the hard part will stay the same (it also tests your solder joint) Bill Pellegrini
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A stuck drill will boil out in pickle in about 45 minutes be sure to hang the piece so that the gas produced by the acid on the steel does not block the hole and thus stop the action (you should see a stream of tiny bubbles if it is working ok). Bill Pellegrini
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To clean your oilstone spread lighter fluid on it, and draw a magnet over the shavings. You can now easily remove them with a rag or tissue paper, but be careful not to rub the metal shavings back into the stone.
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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 <=> <=>
Nurture great thoughts for you cannot go higher than your thoughts. Benjamin Disraeli
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<=> <=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=> <=> <=>
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
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<=> <=> <=> GERRYs GEMZ <=> <=> <=>
Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
by Gerald N. Lewy
The happiest diamond setter or jeweller is the guy/gal who is comfortable in their bench environment!
Keep all of your tools within close reach and do not waste precious time scrounging for your tools all over your bench. When you are finished with certain tools, put them away, and keep only the ones you need in close hand reach.
After every 1/2 hour stand up and walk around or take a coffee break. This will give your legs time to exercise and give your mind a rest also.
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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 <=> <=>
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. James 1:19
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Jewelry Dealers
World Trade Network
http://www.JewelryDealersNetwork.com
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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
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Buy/Sell Channels, Plus Much More.
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<=>
<=> WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR
JEWELERS <=> <=>
Workshop Safety Tips From Charles Lewton-Brian
GLOVES
Use the correct type of gloves for the chemical you are using them against. Not all gloves hold up to the same things so consult a chart to see what gloves are suitable for which chemicals before choosing gloves. Even if you have the right kind of material be aware that a glove has a life span and that eventually even the chemicals it is resistant to will be able to pass through the material to contact your hand.
Use tweezers and tongs as much as possible to keep your fingers away from exposure to the chemicals, soaps, and solvents you use. I wear my 8 inch German, stainless steel tweezers in the center pocket of my apron, always at hand when I need them. Keep a pair of tweezers as part of your apron or jump suit (perhaps in a glasses case?) and then you will be less likely to use your hands when you should not.
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,
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For editorial suggestions, comments, ideas
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Copyrighted, 2005, BENCH MEDIA.
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