Resources
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Tool Talk! 3M Bristle discs – the magic polishing tools
Making a round shape and keeping it round in jewelry is sometimes harder than it looks. When I started out in jewelry-making, I loved making rounded, sinuous, and organic shapes (still do, tbh).The problem? Traditional methods of cleaning, finishing, and polishing involved files and sandpaper, all of which tended to make more work for me…
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How Do You Decide Which Jewelry Sources are Ethical?
What is sustainability in jewelry?This is going to be one of those good news/bad news answers. The good news is that there are much better options these days when sourcing jewelry materials. I can get small amounts of gold mined without the use of mercury. I can get Fairmined metals that address issues of community…
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Jewelry Book Report – Metalcraft and Jewelry by Emil Kronquist
Reading old jewelry manuals makes me so grateful that I make jewelry in an era where I have regular access to electricity. Like, how did metalsmiths 100 years ago work in their studio in a manic artsy phase until after midnight without electric light? How many candles did it take to spend all night in…
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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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How do I read Analog or Vernier Calipers – Tool Talk!
This video shows you how to read analog or Vernier calipers – an essential jewelry tool great for measuring diamonds and gemstones, wire or sheet, or measuring the length of a ring blank.
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Building a Business with Purpose – an interview with Jared from Damadeo
How did you start doing what you are doing?The luminous crystals sprouting from the walls of the recreated Pala Mine tourmaline pocket at the Natural History Museum, not far from where we lived in NYC, beckoned from an early age. Were it not for the glass separating them from sticky-faced kids like me, I would…
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Teaching Old Tools New Tricks – Taking the rust off of your tools
We have a saying in the jewelry business – you can never have too many tools! OK, so that’s not an official saying, but it should be. When a friend recently gifted me a bunch of their old jewelers’ tools – some of them doubles of tools I already had – I didn’t think twice;…
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Three Reasons to Ask Where Your Gold Comes From
In my first jewelry classes, more than 15 years ago, I ordered some silver. I spent a whopping $25 and that amount was so precious to me. But where did this silver come from? I asked my teachers where the silver originated and got some vague answers – Arizona? New Mexico? (Mildly true, since that’s…
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What I Learned at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show – the Ethical Edition
When I made the decision 6 years ago to expand my designs to include precious gemstones and diamonds, I wanted to make a conscientious choice about my suppliers. And hoo-boy! It was a bleak landscape for those of us seeking ethically-mined and sourced gemstones. It has long been my opinion (and the opinion of others,…
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Becoming a Certified Green Business
Why Become a San Francisco Certified Green Business I’ve been running an eco-friendly business since 2011, so why go through the trouble of being certified by SF Green Business? In a nutshell, I did it because I believe in it and because I think that you do too. Committing to environmental security, clean air, and clean…