The Master's Touch

The difference between a Master Jeweler and an average jeweler is not so much learning advanced techniques as a mastery over the basic ones.  For example, there is little difference between the soldering technique in the most complex hand fabricated item of jewelry and sizing a ring.  What sets the Masters work apart is the meticulous execution of those techniques.

The downfall of many bench jewelers is not a lack of skills but the determination and discipline to practice and fine-tune those skills to the degree of workmanship deserving the title of Master.  Often what hinders our progress is not a lack of knowledge, but the apathy towards accomplishing our work that we have allowed to creep in.  Over the years, it is easy to allow bad habits to develop like hurrying through our work or skipping certain steps.  To overcome this takes practice.  Just like a sports player will practice before performing on the playing field, or a musician will practice before performing on the stage, you need to continually practice before performing at the bench.

When was the last time that you did an actual practice exercise where you worked on a certain project just to develop a skill, and after critically examining the results to find areas that need improvement, practiced more to improve them.  (It is not practice that makes perfect, but perfect practice that makes perfect.)

Why not commit a little time each week, just to the development of your skills?  Why not get back to the basics and practice those fundamental techniques that seem so simple and easy like those basic procedures that take only a few days to learn, but a lifetime to master.  Remember, it is not the techniques that set the master apart but the meticulous execution of those techniques.

This is not to say knowledge and understanding of skills is unimportant.  It is just that often all we seek is new knowledge to overcome a problem when what is needed at the bench is development of the knowledge we already have.

Certainly, learning a helpful tip or a new trick can help anyone perform better work.  However, unless and until the basic techniques are practiced and mastered, can these new applications be performed with the perfection deserving the Master Craftsman title?  To accomplish this, spend less time trying to learn new tricks and spend more time mastering basic skills.

Strive to accomplish the work of a master.  This is a worthy goal of any jeweler regardless of where they are in the development of their career.  Practice each technique and develop every skill with the standard in mind that this is the work of a true master.  Even if this ultimate goal is never achieved, the striving for and the reaching toward it will create in you a better artisan. 

Brad