Tag Archives: jewellery tools

Tom’s Tool Tip

The bench jewellers I know, myself included, have a tendency to use their tools for purposes other than for what they are intended. I, for instance, tend to grab a pair of diagonal cutters when I want to snip through a piece of binding wire or lift a worn prong off a diamond. Actions like these dull cutters and make them useless when trying to achieve a fine flat cut through a chain’s link.

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If you can’t afford to replace it, don’t laser it

Most of the time a laser beam passes through a clean, clear diamond and nothing happens. However, there are times when the laser beam hits an impurity and a burst occurs, like in the diamond shown here. For this reason, I no longer use a laser to re-tip over expensive diamonds or coloured gemstones, although for melee, it is a viable option. The savings in time and materials outweigh the inevitable loss of a stone or two. Stone damage occurs approximately one per cent of the time.

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Tom’s Tool Tip

Like most bench jewellers, I am always looking for creative ways to save money. Manufactured sanding discs can cost anywhere from 10 cents to 50 cents each. That may not seem like a lot of money, but I tend to go through quite a few of them. They also never seem to be offered in my favourite grits of sandpaper. Well, I have found a great way to make my own sanding discs for next to nothing.

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