Tools and equipment
The bench: A jeweller spends most of their time at one bench, where various tools can be attached above a D-shape cut-out. Below this cut-out is a skin where the scrap metal (known as lemel) from cutting or polishing is caught. These scraps all add up to pay for many holidays that jewellers tend to take.
up for the photo, it normally looks a lot worse than this!
The Wheat-sheaf ring stick: A handled conical shape used to measure ring sizes. The ring is simply slipped onto the stick and falls to stop at the marker for the size of its leading edge. The Wheat-sheaf trademark was developed to maintain an accurate scale of measurement across the UK jewellery industry.
Hammers: We use hammers for many different purposes including, of course, to add the 'hammered' finish to many wedding rings. The hammer we use for this is called a 'ball pien hammer'; other hammers used in our workshop are planishing hammers, raising hammers, blocking hammers and riveting hammers.
Piercing saw: Used to cut precious metals, this has a very fine blade and a deep frame, meaning it can be manoeuvred freely into tricky positions.
Files: Made of steel and used to shape metal, files come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The bigger, rougher, files are used in the first stages of shaping metal; and smaller 'needle files' are used in the later stages of finishing a piece. 'Riffler' files have a shaped end so are ideal for accessing more hard-to-reach places.
Paper: Various grades of emery (abrasive) papers are wrapped round a wooden stick, known as a 'buff stick', to finish jewellery before polishing.
Eyeglasses and loupes: Jewellers need to be able to see tiny details on the items they are working on. Eyeglasses are essentially a magnifying glass used as a monocle, and are used when the jeweller needs to see the detail for a long period of time. Loupes are used to quickly check details such as the hallmark on a ring. Some jewellers also use bench-mounted, larger, magnifying glasses that are lit with daylight bulbs.
Vernier calipers: Used to get accurate measurements, these are a bit like sliding rulers. We also use gauges that measure electronically at up to a hundredth of a millimetre.
minute differences between tiny diamonds.
Tools for stone setting: Drills and burs are used to prepare the setting. Pushers, beading tools, millgrain wheels, burnishers and hammer drills are used in the actual setting and finishing process. We use ring clamps and wax sticks to hold the piece of work steady and in place for setting. Arkansas oil stones are used to sharpen setting tools.
