[Ganoksin] [Issue #98] Tips From The Jeweler's Bench

The Ganoksin Project
S i n c e 1 9 9 6
Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques
http://www.ganoksin.com

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Put an Orchid On Your Bench.... Purchase the official Orchid Pin

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In This Edition:

1. Tool Junkies
2. Virtual Inventory, Real Sales - Reinventing retail with CAD
3. Soumak as a Metal Technique
4. Introduction to Basic Concrete Jewelry
5. Advanced Etching of Copper, Brass and bronze
6. Multi-Metal Lamination - aka Metal Overlay
7. Bur with Safe Edge Tool
8. The Work of Darcy Miro
9. Matter into Metaphor - Transformation in Asian and Western Metals
10. The Cutting Edge - Machine cut Gemstones

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1st Annual New England Full Day Orchid Celebration

Come join us for a day at the First Annual New England Orchid
Celebration!

This will be a relaxing, educational and fun event. Organizers
Suzanne Wade and Karen Christians will host a day of jewelry
demonstrations, followed by cocktails and BBQ.

The day begins at 9am with a continental breakfast. Demonstrations
will start at 10am. There will be three demos in the morning and
three in the afternoon of jewelry techniques. Suzanne and Karen are
also pleased to announce that Hanuman and Ton will be there to meet
you.

When: Saturday, June 26th
Whe Metalwerx, 50 Guinan St., Waltham, MA Tel: 781 891 3855

Read Mo http://www.ganoksin.com/events

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Put an Orchid on your Bench

Join the most popular online community for jewelers, The Orchid
forums at http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid

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In This Edition of Tips From The Jeweler's Bench
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm

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1. Tool Junkies

What you should be is excited to read this article and see what
others just like you have to say about their favorite bench tools.
So you have a passion for hardware - loving tools is not a crime!

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/ajm-tools-jk.htm

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2. Virtual Inventory, Real Sales - Reinventing retail with CAD

Greg Stopka of JewelSmiths in Pleasant Hill , California , has been
in the jewelry business since he was eight years old. Through the
years he has developed strong sales and presentation skills. But
when he was introduced to CAD (computer-aided design) seven years
ago, he found a tool that could communicate design possibilities so
powerfully that he reinvented his business to take advantage of its
sales potential....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...-inventory.htm

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3. Soumak as a Metal Technique

Soumak is a textile technique which is commonly found in the weaving
of rugs in the Middle East. The technique has been around for a
couple of thousand years and primarily has been used in cloth. As I
learned various techniques of weaving in gold and silver, I adopted
soumak as my most successful m ethod for creating or enhancing my
designs. Some of my creations are totally woven wire, with very
little stone work, and others are integrating the weaving with the
placement and setting of gemstones....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/soumak-metal.htm

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4. Introduction to Basic Concrete Jewelry

Concrete is a wonderful, hard, neutral, unprecious material with a
real presence. And it can be successfully adapted to jewellery. This
is an introduction to basic processes and materials. Uncured
concrete is difficult to handle. It usually needs some kind of form
or structure to control the shape. This leads to three completely
different fabrication methods....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...te-jewelry.htm

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5. Advanced Etching of Copper, Brass and bronze

This method of etching uses a prepared ferric chloride solution
which also contains hydrochloric acid. This 'etchant' is not a pure
acid, but etches copper and copper alloys (like brass and bronze).
It will not work on silver. It is available from electronics supply
shops, such as Radio Shack or fr om chemical suppliers. It is
generally used to clean or etch copper circuit boards. It can also
be found at some printmakers' supply stores....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...ed-etching.htm

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6. Multi-Metal Lamination - aka Metal Overlay

Multi-metal Lamination is a type of 'faux' married metal which
produces a freer, more 'painterly' effect than the hard-edge, highly
graphic, married metal. It is a technique in which designs may
appear to float over other shapes and patterns. MML may be used in a
figurative way or to produce over-a ll pattern. MML is achieved by
layering patterns of different coloured metals on top of a thick
base plate. The patterns are soldered onto the surface, and then
compressed by passing through a rolling mill. The resulting illusion
is of a single piece of metal with patterns of different coloured me
tals 'inlaid' into the surface.....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/metal-overlay.htm

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7. Bur with Safe Edge Tool

Here's a nice little tool that makes use of an old setting bur. If
you take the bottom teeth off a setting bur and polish the surface,
you will have a tool that allows you to get right up next to the
wall of a bezel and work on it without harming the metal on the
bottom of the piece.....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...e-bur-tool.htm

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8. The Work of Darcy Miro

Artist Darcy Mire takes the term 'precious jewelry' and turns it on
its head. Her careworn cuffs, rings, and neckpieces, most
constructed of sterling silver or 18-karat gold, are more wearable
sculpture than status symbol; they seem almost embarrassed to be
valuable. An occasional shy diamond, garn et, or sapphire peeks from
beneath a tendril or under a fold.....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/Darcy-miro.htm

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9. Matter into Metaphor - Transformation in Asian and Western Metals

The origins of metallurgy are shrouded in mystery, contributing to
the mythology that dev eloped around the metalsmith's art. With some
variations this tradition existed in ancient China , Africa , and
Europe but stemmed from roots so archaic as to arise from a basic
principle....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...r-metaphor.htm

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10. The Cutting Edge - Machine cut Gemstones

Until fairly recently, gem cutting was one of the few areas of the
world economy to remain uncontaminated by the computer revolution.
All of that changed with the proliferation of personal computers in
the 1980's and 90's Since that time, new computer based technologies
have trickled to all segment s of the trade from huge, commercial
gem cutting operations to thousands of semi-professional faceters and
hobbyists at work around the globe. Nowadays, gem cutters from Boston
to Bangkok work hand in hand with computers, software, sophisticated
instrumentation, and robotic automation to maximize efficiency and
reduce waste....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/cutting-edge.htm

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Put an Orchid on your Bench

Join the most popular online community for jewelers, The Orchid
forums at http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid

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Enjoy
Hanuman