Bench techniques
Stone setting, casting, metal forming and repair, explained step by step for students and working jewelers.
Anticlastic Raising: The Basics
What anticlastic raising is, how it differs from synclastic forming, the stakes and hammers it uses, the step sequence and who developed it.
Bead and Bright-Cut Setting Explained
Bead and bright-cut setting step by step: layout, drilling and seating, raising beads with a graver, beading tools, bright-cutting and graver sharpening.
Bezel-Setting a Round Brilliant
How to bezel-set a round faceted stone: choosing a tube, fabricated or cast bezel, cutting the seat, pushing and burnishing, hammer setting and finishing.
Casting Porosity: Causes, Prevention and Repair
Gas vs shrinkage porosity in jewelry castings: how to tell them apart, what causes each, a prevention checklist, inspection before setting, and repair options.
Flush Setting (Gypsy Setting): Step by Step
How to flush set (gypsy set) a round stone: stone choice, metal thickness, bur sizes, seat depth, burnishing vs hammer setting, finishing and common failures.
Fold-Forming: Charles Lewton-Brain's Metal-Forming Method
What fold-forming is, how Charles Lewton-Brain developed it, the basic line folds and T-folds, tools, annealing, safety and where to learn more.
French Pavé Setting: Technique and Variations
What French pavé means compared with U-cut and standard pavé, how the seats and prongs are cut, where micro pavé and the microscope fit in, and quality checks.
Guilloché Enamel: How It's Made
How guilloché enamel is made: engine-turning on rose and straight-line engines, firing translucent enamel, Fabergé and watch-dial history, and spotting fakes.
How to Remove and Refit a Watch Stem and Crown
How to release a watch stem with a push-piece or setting-lever screw, refit it, check the crown positions, handle screw-down crowns, and know when to stop.
Keeping Rings Upright: Sizing Beads, Bars and Other Fixes
Why top-heavy rings spin on the finger, and how sizing beads, sizing bars, spring inserts, Euro shanks and hinged shanks fix it, with pros and cons.
Lost-Wax Casting for Jewelry: A Primer
How jewelry is lost-wax cast: models and molds, spruing, investing, burnout, vacuum vs centrifugal casting, quenching, cleanup, common defects and safety.