Tools Of The Trade

Before anything, it is essential to acquire these 4 tools. Their inclusion in your tool set is essential!

A. Digital calipers - I recommend spending good money on this since it is single-handidly the most important tool you'll need. DO NOT get analog dial calipers, it should be digital and well-made. The one shown is the same one I've had since my first job at a jewelry manufacturer in Manhattan (which was 10 years ago) and its as good today as it was then.

B. Loop - Its hard to make out in this picture, but this is essentially a small magnifying glass with 10x power (the industry standard)

C. Finger Sizer - This is used to determine the finger size of your customer

D. Ring Mandrel - This will tell you the size of a ring. I recommend getting a fairly nice metal one that you can keep for a long time. Keep in mind that not all of these are exactly the same size, one may tell you a ring is a size 6 while another could tell you its a size 5.75. Yes, it makes a difference. Whats important is to make sure your ring sizer and finger sizer are giving you the same numbers so if the size 6 ring slides to the size 6 marker on the ring sizer, you're good to go.

The Introduction

I first started using Rhinoceros to build jewelry in 1997 at college and have, over the many years, learned quite a bit about how to do it best. Sadly, there was never much in the way of resources for me to learn from, so almost all of my knowledge has been acquired through trial and error (mostly error). But I want to change that. So for all those aspiring model makers out there who wished there was someone to explain what size bead to use to pave-set 1pointers or what wall thickness is necessary to bezel-set a pear-shaped diamond or just want to know how to make a wedding band, this is for you! Enjoy.