Unknown Jeweler

Sizing Gents Rings

Sizing heavy gent’s rings can be difficult because of the metal thickness in the shank.  Straightening the ring on a ring mandrel can be particularly challenging.  Using a Lead-filled weighted rawhide mallet, or a dead-blow mallet will provide the extra force needed to make this job easier.

In addition, when opening-up a shank for up sizing, one of these mallets can be used to force the ring down on a ring mandrel, after sawing through the shank.

  ~Unknown Jeweler

Ring Sizing,Jewelry Repair,Bench Jeweler

Ring Holder

Take a warm ball of Jett Sett and squeeze the lower third in a ring clamp.  Then, allow to cool.  To use re-heat the top of the ball to secure the item of jewelry and re-clamp the ball in your ring clamp.

- Unknown Jeweler

 

Stonesetting,Ring Holder,Jewelers Tools

Sawing

As you saw, blow away metal filings that accumulate.  Then the cutting line remains visible for more accurate cutting.  Always pull the lap tray out beneath the bench pin.  This will catch the filings from sawing.  Collect them and send them to a refiner for recovery.

- Unknown Jeweler

Jewelers Tools,Sawing,Jewelry Making

Prong Setting

On heavy prongs, use a small ball bur to carve a hollow area on the inside of the prong.  This will make it easier to bend the prong over fragile stones.

- Unknown Jeweler

Stonesetting,setting Stones in Prongs,Jewelry Making

Customers Jewelry

Be careful of customers’ jewelry while in your possession.  Always place it in the best safe you have.  If robbed it is harder to replace customer’s jewelry than your own inventory.  Even if the value is lower, the difficulty in finding suitable replacements adds to the importance of caring for the jewelry.

- Unknown Jeweler

Jewelry Repair,Shop Management

Solder Tweezers

Cut a perpendicular notch across the tip of a pair of self-locking soldering tweezers.  This will then easily grasp and hold wire, jump rings, earring post, etc. when soldering.

- Unknown Jeweler

Jewelers Tools,Soldering Tweezers,Jewelry Making

Burnisher

Gravers make excellent burnishers.  A flat graver works wonders on burnishing the edges of bezels and channels.  Place the graver in the same manner you would trim the edge of the bezel or channel.  Then pull backwards on the graver to burnish rather than pushing forward to cut. 

In addition, tips of polished gravers of various shapes can be inserted into slits, cut outs, crevices, or any other tight spots and rubbed back and forth to burnish the metal.

- Unknown Jeweler

Jewelers Tools,Stonesetting,Burnisher

Coin Frame

When a customer brings in a coin pendant with the screw striped, I clean the threads from the pendant with a Krause bur then fit a wire in the hole and rivet it closed.

Do Not solder the wire in, actually rivet the ends down.  The tubes are soldered to the frame and will move or come off easily if you try to solder the wire in.  Also if the customer ever wants to change the coin you can cut the rivet head off and replace the rivet.

- Unknown Jeweler

Jewelry Repairs,Coin Frame,Bench Tips

Coin Frame

To keep a coin from turning in a coin frame with tabs, take a piece of wire and roll it through a rolling mill.  Then cut pieces to wedge between the coin and frame under each tab.  The length and thickness of the piece depends on how loose the coin is, but at least three times the width of the tab.  Then push the tab over with a prong pusher.  A brass pusher works well, but if you’re concerned with slipping off and marring the coin a wooden dowel rod in a graver handle would work or make a pusher from a plastic handle from a tooth brush.

- Unknown Jeweler

Jewelry Repair,Coin Frame,Jewelers Tools

Ring Holder

Take a warm ball of Jett Sett (the plastic substitute for shellac) and place in a 2” X 3” plastic bag.  Spread it out to fill the bag approximately one sixteenth inch thick, then fold the bag in half to 2” X 1 1/2 “.  When hardened trim off the top of the bag.  Then, when you have a ring shank or other jewelry that is too thin to hold tightly, place the jewelry between the two halves of the bag and insert in your ring clamp.

- Unknown Jeweler

Jewelers Tools,Stonesetting,Jewelry Making