March Meet The Maker - Tools and Materials

Well… the materials bit is easy, as that’s always my clients old jewellery, but where do I start on the tools?

A goldsmiths tools are like their babies. They’re part of you…an extension of your hands. I might make small things, but achieving that involves a whole host of tools!

I remember one of the first things my first year degree tutor said to us was not to buy “cheap” tools. They’re a false economy and will likely just need to be replaced, either because they break or because they weren’t really up to the job of helping you create a piece of finely finished jewellery in the first place. Many of my tools have been with me and are still in daily use since this time 27 years ago!!

Learning to make jewellery isn’t just about making the shiny things, you have to learn to make your own tools too, and many of the tools I use, I’ve altered and adapted to do exactly the job I want in a particular way. Lots of jewellery making tools come unfinished for this very reason.

I did think about using this post to talk about my favourite/most used tools, but I couldn’t narrow it down enough to not write a book, which I’m sure some would find a highly enjoyable read, but I know most people aren’t quite the tool nerds like us weirdo goldsmiths!!

Perhaps the main “tool”, well piece of furniture really that defines a goldsmith is their bench. I know not everyone works in this way, but that iconic cut out shape and wooden “bench peg” on which “most” of the magic happens is just instantly recognisable as “jewellery maker”.

I’ve had a few benches over the years. From the beautiful custom built ones at uni, to a makeshift bit of kitchen worktop in my first house to an antique (if not a bit wobbly) one given to me by another jewellery friend.

I upgraded my jewellers bench in 2019 to a gorgeous oak one, made in the UK from Durston Tools. Even that’s now been altered a bit though to make everything fit exactly how I need it to. It really is my happy place. It’s just beautiful in itself anyway, but when I sit at that bench, nothing else in the world matters. By the end of the day it’s usually a complete mess, with tools all over the place, but I do always have a little tidy up before I finish as there’s just something about arriving to a clear and tidy space in the mornings. Tidy workspace, tidy mind and all that.