Education Database Online

Learning Strategies The advantages of learning at home; types of study materials; types of examinations; accessing and using the features of our website; determining what kind of learner you are; establishing a study schedule; using study tips; preparing for and taking examinations. The Bench Jeweler's Tool Choosing and organizing the workspace; constructing an inexpensive and portable work surface; descriptions and uses of saws, files, pliers, hammers, mandrels, dapping and forming blocks, vises and common household tools.

History of Jewelry and a Summary of Metals Amulets; jewelry to denote rank and authority; metals as coinage and in jewelry; acid testing gold and silver; alloys; characteristics and uses of platinum; finishing, polishing and cleaning jewelry metals. Project 1: Monogram Pendant Design elements; examining the metal; scribing; transferring the pattern; drilling a pilot hole; cutting out the pattern; trimming, finishing, and polishing. Learning Aids: • Saw Frame • Packet of Saw Blades • Brass Sheet • Hardwood Bench Pin • Packet of Jump Rings • 6” Double Cut File • Polishing Cloth • High-Speed Twist Drill Bit • Gesswein Catalog Request Form

Soldering Types of fuels, torches, and flames; "easy," "medium," and "hard" flow solders; using flux; repairing and soldering chains and bracelets; controlling flow; protecting gemstones. Ring Sizing Determining proper fit; using a sizing gauge; down sizing; upsizing; removing pits, blemishes and porosity; sizing stone set rings; sizing patterned bands; using a band sizer. Project 2: Link Identification Bracelet Fabricating common links; determining the amount of stock needed; making the center; choosing a lettering style; attacking the center. Learning Aids: • Propane Torch Tip • Spark Lighter • Easy Silver Wire Solder • Safety Goggles • Unlined Nitrile Gloves • 20-Gauge Brass Sheet • Cross-locking Tweezers • 14-Gauge Round Brass Wire • Pickling Compound

Casting Casting in cuttlefish bone; wax model making; sprueing and investing the model; the electric kiln; casting under vacuum; casting with a centrifugal casting machine. Mold Making Making RTV molds; making rubber molds; wax injection. Project 3: Stone Set Pendant Creating a design; making the wax model; making a mold for casting; pouring the metal; finishing the pendant. Learning Aids: • Round Brass Wire (3 pieces) • Green Carving Wax • Cuttlefish Bone (2 pieces) • Lead-free Wire Solder • Simulated Garnets (4)

Jewelry Retailing — Home Based Business The business plan; legal obligations; marketing; networking; sales options; the home office. Jewelry Retailing — Store Based Business Types of retailing; major trends; functions of a retailer; organizational functions; store layout; function of sales personnel. Graded Project 1: Monogram Earrings Craft earrings to match the pendant you made in Project 1. Graded Project 2: Chain Resizing Shorten a chain, remove a clasp and solder the links together to make a continuous loop. Learning Aids: • Brass Sheet (1” x 3”) • Brass French Ear Wires (2 pair) • 2 Double Cable Chains • Packet of Sawblades • Padded Mailing Envelopes and Labels • Wire Solder and Flux

Colored Gemstones and Diamonds Characteristics; carat weight; cut styles; diamonds, rubies and sapphires; other gemstones. Common Jewelry Store Repairs Evaluating items to be repaired; watches; pearl and bead stringing; engraving; fixing eyeglass frames; installing safety chains. Project 4: Bezel-Set Onyx Ring Forming the band; making a bezel; setting the stone. Learning Aids: • Steel Ring Mandrel • Oval Black Onyx • Sterling Silver Bezel Wire • Needle File • Pickling Compound • Binding Wire • Easy-Paste Solder • Copper Tongs • Medium-Paste Solder • Round-Nose Pliers • Sterling Silver Sheet, 1/2” X 3/4” X 26 gauge • Sterling Silver Sheet, 1/4” X 2 3/4” X 20 gauge • Color Supplement — Gemstone Gallery

Stone Setting Setting round diamonds and faceted stones; setting fancy shaped stones; setting stones in channel mountings; plate setting; prong replacement; prong retipping. Jewelry Design Design elements; design parameters; sketching; three dimensions; form and function; designing with findings. Graded Project 3: Three-Stone Prong Set Band Designing the ring; laying out the band; installing the heads; pre-polishing; setting the stones; finishing. Graded Project 4: Ring Resizing Resize two rings, making one larger and one smaller. Learning Aids: • Two-speed Rotary Tool and Bristle Brush Accessory • Sterling Silver Settings (6) • Sterling Silver Wire, 4” • Round Cubic Zirconias (6) • Gold-filled Wire, 9” • Sterling Silver Wedding Bands • Medium-Silver Paste Solder • Easy-Silver Paste Solder • Color Supplement — Jewelry Design • Padded Mailing Envelopes and Labels Work Experience Option

Careers available in the jewelry field; duties and responsibilities of jewelers; the work environment; traits of successful jewelers; the 'golden rule' of retail; shop and sales floor safety procedures; receiving a repair item; units of measure.

Steam, ultrasonic, and hand cleaning procedures; building a plating bench; plating metals; finishes; brush plating; plating solutions and warnings; buffing and polishing techniques.

Selecting the right supplies and equipment; hand tools; using knives: slicing, chopping, dicing, mincing, and more; measuring, portioning, processing, and storage devices; cookware; strainers; sieves; ovens; stoves; broilers; grills.

The three major steps in the design process; the properties of a design format; understanding line, form, texture, balance, and color as they relate to the components of design; the four methods of structuring a design; keeping a sketch book of design ideas.

Sources of design ideas; abstract, realistic, and non-objective design principles; using themes to enhance your designs; design renderings; layout.

How to be more productive and efficient as a student now—and in your career later.

What makes a stone a gem; the four major gem categories; the four C's and how they affect value; identifying gems.

Tiffany, flat-top, fishtail, illusion-type, and star mountings: operational sequence; bead forming; trimming; milgraining; tube settings; bezel settings; variations; removing stones.

Five different casting methods; the advantages and disadvantages of various casting techniques; the process of lost wax casting; procedures for producing multiple casts from a single model; common problems encountered when casting.

Increasing your employability; organizing your job search; the interview.

Using quality modeling materials and waxes; additive and reductive modeling techniques; using layouts; methods for spruing wax models.

Antioxidizing, pickling, cleaning, tinting, and finishing solutions; tarnish remover; removing mercury and soft solder; using flux; testing silver and gold; determining the karat value of gold; gilding; acids; satin finish; lacquering; pearl cement.

Using a bench pin; handling the hack saw and jeweler's saw; cutting corners and straight lines; clamping large pieces; selecting the proper file; filing and shaping techniques.

Solders; fluxes; hard-soldering by flame, electric machine, and blowpipe; hard-soldering exercises; soft soldering; hard and soft solder methods for repairing bar pins; repairing hinges.

Spectacle-frame repair; repairing scarf pins, ring mountings with filigree, cufflinks, bracelets, broken watchcase lugs, and costume jewelry; sizing an engraved wedding ring; tightening cameos and similar stones in pins and broaches; attaching safety chains.

Making a ring; enlarging and reducing ring sizes; shanking; prong repair; replacing worn mounting tops; installing new heads.

How to handle links, jump rings, and spring rings; chain soldering methods; repairing worn links or rings.

Measuring wire thickness; fabricating chain and bracelet links; double-link chains; how to produce jump rings; closing links; making a catch.

Secondary jewelry repair jobs; using ring guards; how to test and replace a watch battery; how to install and adjust different kinds of watch bands; machine engraving techniques.