Dear Reader, I have spent a lot of time in the back rooms of jewelry stores and watched several bench jewelers at their trade. While I am a pretty good goldsmith, their skill level boggles my mind. I remember visiting my friend Dave. We spent a…

Necklaces are the most eye-catching pieces of jewelry. Their size, combined with brilliant colors, makes them easy to see and admire. In spite of this, they are the easiest jewelry projects, requiring only a few hand tools. The materials run from…

Why Try Wax Casting? Wax casting is a technique used by artists to create sculptures large and small. A wax model of an object is used to create a mold. Then, molten metal can be poured into the mold to create the sculpture. This technique has…

This article is compliments of the Wire Artist Jeweler. If you would like to learn more about wire wrapping, go to their web site at www.wag.on.ca. Simple Beginners’ Project This Beginners’ Project was published in the March 1999 issue…

90% of the quality is in the last 10% of the work. A brilliant polish is the last and one of the most important steps in finishing a piece of fine jewelry. A high polish dazzles the eye and creates desire. It says, “Look at me, I am…

Tools RequiredMagnification, head or glasses loupe thatleaves both hands free.Burs and lubricant Pliers Small parts tray Tweezers or pick up stick. Prongs are the most common method of holding gems in their settings. You will…

Soldering is one of the most useful techniques a metal smith can have. It is used both to create new pieces and to repair damaged jewelry. Your torch can also be used for annealing. What a jeweler calls soldering, would be called welding in…

This article is compliments of the Wire Artist Jeweler. If you would like to learn more about wire wrapping, go to their web site at www.www.wirejeweler.com. Sample Beginners’ Project This Beginners’ Project was published in the March 1999…

A friend of mine used to own a lumber mill. He made over $200,000 a year in the 1960’s. He would chuckle and say that, “No matter how much money you make, you can’t afford everything you want.” It’s true; everyone has a budget. No matter how large…

Scene: A small apartment. A budding gemologist sits at the dining table, examining his new prize. Suddenly, but almost silently, the gem disappears from the tweezers. Heartbroken, our young gemologist begins franticly searching for his lost prize….

Robert casts some Platinum This is a quickie, the day the Kraft Masters were setting up Robert who is the plant manager at Precious Metals West (PMT) cast a platinum ring he was working on… Here is Daniel mixing plaster with a vacumm mixer…

Precious Metal Clay with Carl Stanley Part #2 Left – Is a picture of a PMC pin that Carl made while he was giving the demonstration. Note: The stone is a piece of red CZ and was put into the piece of jewelry and fired. Heat does not bother…

Precious Metal Clay with Carl Stanley To be honest I was not that interested in Precious Metal Clay before I saw this demonstration. It was very informative and I can see a lot of unique applications for it (now)… Precious Metal Clay is just…

Mokume-Gane Metal Techniques with James Binnion Of all the demonstrations this is the one I wanted to see. I have always been fascinated by this metal working process. This is a very old technique of fusing various different metals together…

Break free from the traditional when you choose a colored stone for your engagement ring in lieu of the classic diamond. However, before you choose your gemstone based on aesthetics only, there are a few considerations to weigh, including which…

Enameling by David C. Freda This year at Kraftwerks (2004) David C. Freda was there to give demonstrations on enameling. David is a very well known metal smith, artist, and naturalist. His work is considered some of the best in the world. Many…

One of the major reasons for attending Kraftwerks is to learn what is new in the industry. This year was no different… Casting Platinum Sterling (925) – A New Alloy This year at Kraftwerks (2004) the refiners of a brand new alloy were there to…

Book Review By Gerald L. Wykoff GG CSM Gerald Wykoff has gained worldwide recognition for his “Master’s” series of gemological and lapidary books. The first, Beyond the Glitter, was a best seller and still ranks as one of the most informative…