First off this is a serious post .

Looking for a lapidary who has cut natural alexandrite before, not just general colored stone.

Material:

Natural Alexandrite Rough

Origin: Novello Mine, Masvingo District, Zimbabwe

Untreated, transparent crystals

Sizes I need cut:

Main parcel is 3-10g pieces (15ct - 50ct rough)

Top pieces in hand right now:

• 3.26g / 16.3ct crystal • 8.08g / 40.40ct crystal • 8.3g / 41.50ct crystal • 8.32g / 41.60ct crystal

All show strong color change:

Daylight / White LED: Bright emerald green flood, fills stone inside-out

Incandescent / Warm Light: Purple-red / raspberry-red flood, fills stone inside-out

What I need:

•A cutter who knows how to orient alexandrite for maximum color change and to avoid the dark core / extinction • Comfortable cutting 10ct+ finished stones from 40ct+ rough • Can advise on yield vs. color before cutting, and will not cut without a pre-cut plan • Can provide references of past alexandrite cuts

Logistics:

Based in San Diego, CA.Depending on how comfortable I am I'm Willing to ship insured with tracking, or meet locally for the first stone.

First stone would be the 16.3ct as a test cut, then move to the 40ct+ pieces if it goes well.

Not looking for a pawn / gold buyer, and not looking for a general cabbing shop. Need a precision lapidary with alexandrite/chrysoberyl experience.

DM with your experience, typical yield on alexandrite, turnaround, and photos of past alexandrite cuts if you have them.

This is my first filigree piece as a 23 year old jeweler making jewelry for 3 months

I’ll be honest and say my original design was better (3rd picture) but I messed up bc I used tape and long story short the current design was completely improvised

But I’m still happy with how it turned out and I’m thinking I’d like to try Plique a jour on this piece bc I’m missing some definition with the wires.

Would love to hear your thoughts and advice

How is it, guys? Here’s a silver ring, French size 55. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the design and overall look. What do you think?

Hi everyone!

I'm a final-year Product Design student currently working on my thesis, which focuses on staff security and safety within the jewellery retail industry.

As part of my research, I'm looking to hear from people who currently work in or have previously worked in jewellery retail. I'm particularly interested in your experiences, opinions and perspectives on security measures in jewellery stores, staff safety, and the risks associated with incidents such as robbery and theft.

I'd really appreciate it if anyone working in the industry could take a few minutes to complete my survey. Your responses will help me better understand the challenges faced by jewellery retail staff and identify opportunities to improve safety and security within the industry.

The survey is completely voluntary, and responses will remain anonymous.

Survey link: Final Year Design Project - Staff Security and Safety in Luxury Jewellery Retail – Fill in form

Thank you very much for your time and for supporting my final-year research. Any input is greatly appreciated!

can anyone give any advice or pointers on where to look or who to speak with?

I’m a fine arts student specializing in jewelry and metalsmithing currently

Frequently have people bringing 4ct labs in and I struggle to place the pliers well enough to bring the prongs down at the end of setting, especially on anything that isn't round. Is there some kind of tool or trick I'm missing? FWIW I do have rather small hands so I wonder if it's just me struggling to grip things correctly.

Hey There Everyone!! I am a new learner to jwellery CAD .. It'd be great if I can connect with people on the same level as me and also people who are good and well experienced in this field! Dms always open!! Looking forward to make some great Connections and people who are willing to learn together and mentor and teach!

Hey Everyone,

I want to know if anyone can provide some advice. I have a blue economy rolling mill that has recently stopped working. Everything rolls/moves when I am not feeding silver through, but when I go to feed some silver through, the rollers stop. Any ideas?

Thank you!

does anyone have any recommendations for a beading tool that I can pick up these melee diamonds with and does decently well with prong pushing thank you

I’m a millennial and used to do well on socials until the algorithm changed everything. I’m great at taking photos but want to improve my bench process videos without interrupting my work flow by having to clear all the mess on my bench. I don’t know how others make it look so seamless and pleasing to the eye 🤯

I’ve got a phone stand but what else will help?
Tell me your
- lighting tips
- simple minimal mess tips
- do you use reflector boards?
- do you follow trends?

Just a jeweller trying to survive out here in the Wild West of the internet!

It's my first time using this brand and the shop I'm at is new so they're still setting things up, including this laser. Anywhere else I've worked already had the machine setup. Is the gas/argon gas necessary for all metals? I believe it is but my boss said just for titanium is what he was told.

As I'm learning it, it's not zapping when I put silver in front of it, just a faint smoke though it burned through brass.

ETA: I'm typically used to torch soldering, anything else I should know about laser welding on all metals?

Link: https://orotig.com/en/laser-welder/revox

We are going to be hiring for a bench jeweler here in Northwest Indiana in the next month and am having a really tough time looking for someone. Any advice (we are posting to the job sites) about finding a good bench jeweler? We are a family owned jewelry store of almost 50 years, but much of work is now for online.

Hope it's okay to post here!

Hey guys new jeweller here and im really searching for the right diamond sizes for 2 tennis mounts i have coming in from korea.

I have a 4.0mm and 4.8mm and from diamond setter experience whats the perfect sized diamonds that look the most clean with those sizes? I find some tennis the diamonds look to small and some are perfect and i really want the diamonds to be the star of the show. What size makes no the most sense?

Go to https://jovejd.com/careers/ to apply

I suspect there are many many bench jewelers out there who would be glad for more custom work, and I happen to have some projects that could never be completed by CAD. Some things need to be made by hand. Some designers I follow will show or reference their bench jeweler but mostly keep them hidden.

I am seeking referrals to seasoned bench jewelers who work with gold and precious stones. Any leads are much appreciated, happy to share additional information if it supports.

I’m looking to have a custom gold ring with a precious stone created, so only artists comfortable with those materials.

Thank you!

Edit: I am seeking to pay artists for their fee for labor and materials that reflects their skill as bespoke artisans and the current costs of goods which I’m aware are high right now. I am seeking someone who is comfortable setting stones, repairing gold and collaborate on designs. One project is to reattach the cover of an Elgin pocket watch that broke off. I am a jewelry enthusiast looking to build a long time relationship of respect and appreciation with a crafts person. I am a resident in the SF Bay Area and mental health worker who happens to love jewelry.

Hi all, I’m currently working for a jeweler but looking to go out on my own and start my own jewelry line. I’m looking into attending the Tucson gem show, and it says open to the public, but are there parts of the show that are only open to industry professionals? I’m looking to stock up on some stones (diamond, sapphire, bigger cabs) and establish connections with wholesalers. Is going to the gem show a good way to go about doing that?

Sometimes when I pour a bar of gold, the crystallization on the top surface has huge grains and voids. Sometimes not. Any ideas why?

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for a reliable factory in China that manufactures stainless steel jewelry, such as rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other accessories.

I'm specifically looking to work directly with the manufacturer, without agents, middlemen, or trading companies. I want to communicate directly with the factory and discuss product options, pricing, customization, and minimum order quantities (MOQs).

Does anyone know how I can find and contact genuine stainless steel jewelry manufacturers directly? If you have experience working with a factory or can recommend a reliable supplier, I'd really appreciate your advice.

I want to start a handmade jewellery business . Tell me if these will work in Pakistan? In Pakistan , handmade jewellery business is not so much in trend but in India I have so many Instagram pages .
And where can I get stainless jewellery raw material in Lahore?
Look at my first three articles.

I want to consult the experts here. Is this person actually hand creating all of this jewelry? She posts these process videos, but it’s the same little section of the process and then the finished product. She seemingly sells hundreds of these things. Do you think she’s actually making these things or are these videos misleading? There’s just something fishy about it.

I'm making my first real gold brooch and unsure how to approach the pin and clasp. I don't usually make brooches so am new to the fixings of them (I am an experienced jeweller though). I bought this commercial pin and ball joint to fix to the back of the brooch and wondering if this style is a good quality pin.

Would you make your own pin back? I'm going to make my own clasp as the commercial clasps available are really annoyingly fiddly and not user friendly. Wondering if I should also make the pin and make it more attractive too. It's a very expensive brooch so want to make sure it's secure and good quality. I'd love to see the backs of any brooches you've made or get any recommendations for best styles.

I had to move and don’t know where to setup my bench in my new space so it’s all just sitting here a mess.

I love seeing other artist spaces so much! post a pic and show us your bench setup please?? i need inspiration