Any gemstone having the potential for an optical phenomenon will be difficult to cut, and stones having Adularescence – or Schiller –  are particularly difficult to orient for cutting. Moonstone is named for this effect, which gives the impression of silvery lunar light. Schiller is...

If you’ve ever spent way too much time trying to capture too many tiny jump rings, links or other small parts out of a hot acid bath with too-large copper tongs, this post is for you. And, if you fabricate a lot of chain, links,...

Bench Blocks and Small Anvils A solid steel work surface is essential for many metalworking tasks like texturing, hammering, punching or stamping. Because metal is so malleable, when you apply force to it without a sturdy backing, all metal will bend, dent or stretch. Sometimes,...

I own piles of pliers, and whenever I go to a trade show, there’s always an unnerving array of sexy new jewelry making pliers in every style, quality and price, and then I tell myself that maybe having 30 sets of pliers is invaluable and...

There are many ways to texture jewelry metal, including using a hammer with a face that is specially designed to create patterns. Some brands of texture hammers are manufactured with fixed faces — meaning each of the two faces on the hammer is carved with...

Tool Two: Your Jeweler’s Saw The jeweler’s saw can strike fear in the heart of any beginning metalsmith. I will never forget the curses of frustration, moans of despair and sound of breaking blades in my first sawing class. And of course, the instructor makes...