Here is a tool (and a stretch) for some self care in your studio from @wellnessformakers - “It is beneficial to incorporate massage into your daily routine, and you can do it without leaving the comfort of your own studio. Harmony Rollers are great... more
Here is a tip for protecting a gemstone during resizing from @vuthejeweller - “People ask me how I resize rings without cracking the stone, especially cubic zirconia in silver. As silver needs high heat to solder this can lead to stones cracking. The... more
Here is a fun #diy lathe tip from @maloupaul_jewellery - “I don't have a lathe, but would love to have one. So instead, we just used a hard felt polishing stick on our polishing machine to hold the wax ring. To cut the wax ring we use some of our... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I wanted to show the Foredom® H.15D hammer handpiece. This model includes the “duplex spring” which provides extra flexibility, there is also the H.15 model but I have never used it so I can’t compare the two. I do... more
Here is a technique for holding a bail in place while soldering from @shinynotions - “I use a honeycomb soldering board with pins. Pins help hold the pieces in place and you can put some under the metal to lift if needed.” Thank you @youmnaelsabry who... more
Here is a tip for organizing your pieces and keeping track of costs from @foxandblue -“I use a Jewellery Making Journal (I have a whole stack!) which can be found on amazon! It has amazing sections for pricing each product and you can draw it or add a... more
Here is a technique for drilling holes in your work without skidding or breaking a drill bit - I always take my center punch and a rawhide mallet and make a small indentation where I plan to drill. This extra step is a necessity for me because it... more
Here is tip for hammer setting from @juneshin - “I wanted to share this tool I use to do hammer setting. I wasn't ready to invest in a hammer handpiece, but definitely wanted to make hammer setting easier. So I bought a Dremel engraver for around $30... more
Here is a tip for supporting larger ring shanks (and splitshanks) while setting from @lionandlambstudios - “I use my bench pin when I set a stone in a split shank ring. I set a piece of leather across the pin, then put the ring in the cut out part. I... more
Here are some tips for purchasing silver SHEET METAL from @riogrande. All the choices can be overwhelming, so I thought I’d break down what some of the options are and how they differ. The most common is sterling silver (.925) It is stronger than fine... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday we are going to build off of last week and discuss the @grstools pin vise attachment for the Benchmate, thank you @nurdleintherough for sharing your videos and thoughts! 🙌 - “ The GRS pin vise attachment for the bench... more
Yesterday we discussed removal of tarnish from silver pieces and today we are focusing on prevention + a GIVEAWAY (CLOSED WINNER TBA) from @kernowcraft the best way to handle tarnish is to try to prevent it in the first place. Over time sterling... more
Here are some products to help remove tarnish from our friends at @kernowcraft and a little GIVEAWAY (CLOSED WINNER TBA). For an opportunity to win a £30 email gift voucher (open to everyone worldwide) 1️⃣ Follow @kernowcraft 2️⃣ Please tag a friend +... more
The theme for February’s #metalsmithchallenge was HAIR PINS and you all blew me away. I didn’t get a final count on how many submission there were but I know I spent several hours looking at everyone’s posts! Many of the hair pins in this post, were... more
THIS COMMUNITY IS EPIC! Every 1st day of the month I share members of the community ❤️ I am so grateful for everyone’s support and feel honored whenever I see someone representing in a shirt (or other gear). It’s also my chance to thank you all for... more
Here is another method for preventing chains from getting knotted in the tumbler (which is the WORST) from @helen_feliz_kiwi - “I used a safety pin that came with a sweater I recently purchased. (These similar pins have also been included when I have... more
Here is a fabulous step by step of getting your bezel wire seam PERFECT 🥰 from @kaypeajewelry - “To get a perfect fit when making a bezel I start out by squaring one end of the bezel wire off by filing it down in my miter jig. Then I tightly form it... more
For this week’s #tooltalktuesday I want to talk about the @grstools Benchmate System (I have the Encore QCX) I often get asked about mine and I wanted to give those interested an opportunity to ask questions! I invested in mine years ago and have... more
Here is an organization method from @lyndehowesilverworks - “Nearly everything in my studio is on wheels so I can focus on different projects at a whim. Figuring out I could afix wheels to this plastic crate was game changing. I’ve included a photo... more
