Sharon Zimmerman
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Tool Talk – what is the best wax pen for jewelry designers?
Best is always a subjective term to describe jewelry tools. One person’s best tool can be a crap tool for another jeweler. If I leave you with no other information here, let it be that the “right tool” is the tool that’s right for you. Look, treat yourself to the $200 electric wax pen that…
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Top Tips to Support Your Favorite Small Businesses
If your favorite maker/designer has a blog *polite cough*, leave a comment!Subscribe to their newsletterLeave comments on their YouTube videos/subscribe to their YouTube channels. Again, *polite cough*Leave comments and likes on their social media postsReview them on Google (this really helps our small businesses look legitimate in Google searches)Re-post their social media posts (with attribution)Share…
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How To Design Jewelry – with or without planning
What Inspires You?At a show, presenting my jewelry with the best displays I can afford, dressed in sleek black, a smile slapped on my face to show how approachable I am (real talk – I am in fact very approachable). I get the dreaded question – “What inspires you?”
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Tool Talk! What are the best jewelry drill bits?
You thought I wouldn’t geek out over drill bits? Oh, my sweet summer child. Of course, I am going to geek out and geek out hard for my favorite drill bits. I love a small tool that makes a big difference in your quality of life and this drill bit with the wider base makes…
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Tool Talk! Quick Release Hand Piece
If you bought a Foredom Flex Shaft, then it likely came with a regular chuck key-operated handpiece. Screw it open, screw it closed. Each tool change in your flex shaft requires this step. But what if you could just press a lever and pull out one bit and pop the other one in? The quick-change…
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How Do Jewelry Designers Deal With Rising Gold Prices?
Keeping an eye on gold prices is a daily habit for meThat also means keeping a loose eye on what’s happening in the world. There are always theories as to why gold goes up in price, but an unstable and uncertain economy is the most likely reason for this year’s meteoric rise. Historically speaking, steep…
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Tool Talk! Which torch is best for soldering jewelry?
What kind of jeweler’s torch should you get?I know, I know. This is one of those jeweler subjects that gets super judgy super fast. Everyone has OPINIONS and there is this weird gatekeeping nature to the discussion that suggests that you aren’t a real jeweler unless you have the “right torch”. If you spend any…
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Tool Talk! Foot Pedals for Your Flex Shaft
This week on Tool Talk, my most favorite tool – the Lucas Foot Pedal. Watch me compare the action on this foot pedal compared to the foot pedal that comes standard with most flex shafts. If you plan to do a lot of stone setting, or wax carving and lathing, this foot pedal has more…
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Tool Talk – How to Use Compressed Charcoal to Solder Jewelry
A video about charcoal? When it’s compressed or long-life charcoal, then yes, a whole video about my precious compressed charcoal. I would marry compressed charcoal if I could. And you might too once you watch all the ways it is awesome – reduced oxidizing? Use it as a jig to hold prongs while soldering? Carve…
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What is “Tool Talk”?
Welcome to my series Tool Talk – where I help you parse out which jewelry-making tools are right for you.