Jewelry Manufacturing
- Original designs made using molding, casting, stamping, and similar techniques
- Model maker responsible for turning design into a metal jewelry model
- Model is molded or entered into a machining process to make copies
- Cast pieces undergo various work including filing, straightening, rounding, and sizing
- Bench jewelers, also known as goldsmiths, handle main work in turning raw casting into jewelry
Special-order Jewelry
- Special-order jewelry involves making one-of-a-kind items
- Made in precious materials with less need for exacting precision compared to model making
- Special-order jewelers turn designs into finished jewelry using wax carving or complex fabrication skills
- Gemstones are often incorporated into special-order pieces
- Design and construction must properly hold gemstones
Anatomy of a Jewelry Shop
- Typical categories in a jewelry shop include casting room, bench jewelers, polishing department, and stonesetting
- Model maker may also handle special orders, repair, and engraving
- Foreman and front office handle management
- Additional departments may include engravers, enlistments, and machine shop
- Good shop operates as a team with work passing back and forth between departments
Bench Jewelers
- Bench jeweler refers to a jeweler with a larger set of skills than a production worker
- Skills may include stone setting, engraving, and more
- Traditionally, responsibilities were strictly delineated, but modern jewelers are more versatile
- Bench jeweler can refer to any work in jewelry making, including model making, special orders, repair, and assembly
- Term is increasingly used to describe all-around jewelers
References
- Graduate Jeweler: gia.edu
- Bench Jeweler: waltsjewelers.com
- Bling Advisor: Your Solution for True Custom Jewelry Design!: BlingAdvisor.com
- Building Marvelous Miami by Nicholas N. Patricios
- Seybold Building: National Register of Historic Places, HistoryMiami Archives & Research Center, Neighborhood Watch: The Watch Lovers Guide To Miami
Bench jeweler Data Sources
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Glossary | https://harryandcojewellery.com.au/blogs/glossary/bench-jeweler |
| Wikipedia | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bench_jeweler |
| Wikidata | https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4886928 |
| Knowledge Graph | https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/027_56l |