The Ganoksin Project
S i n c e 1 9 9 6
Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques
http://www.ganoksin.com

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In This Edition:

1. The Hard Facts of Sapphire & Ruby.
2. Combining Enameling Techniques.
3. Tarnishing Of Gold Jewelry and Black Skin Smudging.
4. Chain Reaction - Tips on repairing broken chains.
5. Testing Precious Metals and Their Alloys.
6. A Lesson in Invisible Setting.
7. Lets Talk Gemstones - Zircon Group - A Nesosilicate.
8. Metals Suitable for Enameling.
9. Notes on Studio Lighting.
10. Have your studio separate from your home.

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http://www.creativegem.com

Make your gemstone shopping easier, safer and cheaper by buying
directly from the source at http://www.creativegem.com

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Put an Orchid on your Bench

Join the most popular online community for jewelers, The Orchid
forums at http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid
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In This Edition of Tips From The Jeweler's Bench

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm

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1. The Hard Facts of Sapphire & Ruby

Ask any jeweler to list the gemstones with which they prefer to work,
and sapphires and rubies would undoubtedly rank near the top. With a
hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, these popular varieties of corundum
have long been considered nearly impossible to damage, and they can
easily withstand the melting point of even high karat gold solders.
Not surprisingly, many jewelers feel a comforting sense of security
when faced with a ruby- or sapphire-set piece. Which may be a
problem....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/ajm-corundum.htm

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2. Combining Enameling Techniques

Enamel technique has progressed in a logical and practical direction
through the ages, advancing when inspiration, need or new technology
permitted. Modern technology has indeed given us new approaches to
technique but only from the grounded foundation of knowledge that
existed before....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/gom-combining.htm

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3. Tarnishing Of Gold Jewelry And Black Skin Smudging

Tarnishing is superficial corrosion of the carat gold surface and is
evident by a usually dark discolouration - the tarnish film. Pure
gold, of course, is not susceptible to tarnishing and this property
is generally not greatly reduced by alloying to carat golds as long
as the gold content is high enough....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...at-tarnish.htm

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4. Chain Reaction - Tips on repairing broken chains

The difficulty of chain repair lies in the fact that the chain is
made up of fine wires. These wires heat up quickly when trying to
melt the solder. Two problems develop. The first is if the wire link
gets too hot, it will quickly melt as you are trying to solder....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...pair-chain.htm

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5. Testing Precious Metals and Their Alloys

The purpose of precious metal testing is to determine, first, whether
a given sample is precious or base, and, second, to determine what
proportion of an alloy is precious. Sophisticated equipment is used
in a precious metal laboratory to determine content and purity values
with great precision, but our attention here is given to methods a
working goldsmith can use in the studio to determine metal content to
a practical degree of accuracy.....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...and-alloys.htm

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6. A Lesson in Invisible Setting

This column is from the At the Bench column that appears every month
in AJM. For this project, it is assumed that you have prepared the
mounting and acquired the grooved stones for invisible setting. The
use of a microscope or 10x eye loupe can be crucial when working with
the tight tolerances involved in the invisible setting process....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...ing-lesson.htm

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7. Lets Talk Gemstones - Zircon Group - A Nesosilicate

Zircon is the single member of the zircon group of the nesosilicates
that is suitable for use as a gemstone. In the nesosilicates,
independent SiO4 tetrahedra are connected only by ionic bonds.
Because the tetrahedra are not linked to form chains....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...gem-zircon.htm

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8. Metals Suitable for Enameling

The purpose of this article is two fold. First, we receive a number
of inquiries as to whether or not certain metals can be enameled.
This article will answer most of those questions. Second, we have all
read statements such as, 'Gilding metal can be fired no more than two
times,' or 'Platinum can not be enameled because it has a terrific
expansion.' Such statements were based on observations of a limited
range of materials. We will show why the statements are
misleading....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena..._enameling.htm

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9. Notes on Studio Lighting

How you light your shop, illuminate your working area, experience the
reflection from surfaces and the paint you choose for the walls all
have an effect on your ability to work in your studio. Poor lighting
can strain the eyes, contribute to accidents and make working
uncomfortable.....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...o-lighting.htm

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10. Have your studio separate from your home

Often craftspeople start out making craft objects in their living
space, a kitchen, a living room, and sometimes continue working in
them even when they have grown to the point that they need a separate
studio. It is not wise to share one's living and family space with
workshop space. Usually there are chemicals, tools, equipment,
processes, sounds, materials, wastes, dusts and so on that are
unhealthy to be exposed to that are produced in a work shop....

Complete Story:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...o-and-home.htm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.creativegem.com

Make your gemstone shopping easier, safer and cheaper by buying
directly from the source at http://www.creativegem.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Put an Orchid on your Bench

Join the most popular online community for jewelers, The Orchid
forums at http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy
Hanuman


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