Online Articles

Let’s Roll The Agile Elite combines thoughtful design and practical features By Melissa Muir (Originally Published October 2024) When it comes to setting up a top-notch jewelry studio, a rolling mill is often a prized addition. These versatile machines not only reduce sheet and wire stock, but they also imprint intricate textures and patterns onto […]

Strokes of Genius Exploring the latest enhancements to the GRS engraving systems By Melissa Muir (Originally Published September 2024) One of the best things about what I do is getting to see the new technology and ideas presented at the various trade shows I attend. This year, there was a new pneumatic engraving machine from […]

Small but Mighty Putting the versatile Badeco MX-2 Revolt to the test By Melissa Muir (Originally Published August 2024) If you visit any working jewelry bench, you will usually find some kind of motorized tool to help with drilling, polishing, stone setting, and more. With numerous options for different motor types, handpieces, and accessories, whether […]

Bur-ied Treasures New burs to help overcome chattering, clogging, overheating, and breaking By Melissa Muir (Originally Published June 2024) Have you ever looked for a bur and felt a little overwhelmed by all of the options? There are so many burs in different shapes and sizes, how do you know which one you need? Well, […]

Leaving Your Mark Putting xTool’s latest offering to the test By Melissa Muir (Originally Published May 2024) Have you noticed the uptick in ads for personal use lasers? They can do everything from marking a name on metal to cutting out acrylic, wood, paper, and other materials. They allow the general at-home user to become […]

As Easy as 1-2-3 The Easy Saw offers jewelers stability, accuracy, and reduced strain By Melissa Muir (Originally Published March 2024) One of the best perks of my job is the privilege of testing and reviewing innovative tools in the jewelry industry. Jewelry artists frequently develop tools aimed at simplifying and enhancing various tasks within […]

Neat and Tidy Save time searching for tool and more time working with these helpful tools By Melissa Muir (Originally Published April 2024) Is your bench messy and unorganized? Or is your bench one of those rare specimens of cleanliness and organization so that it works like a well-oiled piece of machinery? As an artist […]

Building Cabochon Castles Designed by a jewelry artist, the BezelEase was created to speed up and simplify the process of making castellated bezels By Melissa Muir (Originally Published October 2023) Like most jewelers, I love tools. While there are many tools on the market, most are based on tried-and-true designs. But my favorite tools come […]

Keep It Simple Testing the Orion PJ pulse-arc welder By Melissa Muir (Originally Published August 2023) Jewelers interested in taking advantage of the recent permanent jewelry trend have been purchasing pulse-arc welders for the task. While many welders on the market are small, portable, and easy to set up (making them ideal for offering on-location […]

Clean Sweep Testing the Ikohe mini dust collector and vacuum station By Melissa Muir Keeping your bench and work area and the air you breath clean while polishing should be a priority in your studio or bench area. An ideal system will not only be strong, but it will also be quiet, small, and even […]