So You Want To Be a Bench Jeweler?
Posted: Monday, November 15, 2010
by Chris Van Dyke
VanDykeJewelry
In the 10 years that I have been surviving in the trade of making and repairing jewelry in Asheville, NC., I have noticed that there are certain traits common to most successful jewelers. The following are some characteristics that have helped me along the way, that I feel are crucial to anyone looking to make a profession at the jewelers bench.
Learn how to deal with people. If you are going to be making jewelry for people you had better know how to smile every now and then. You can only go so far sitting behind the bench, at some point you have to learn to sell it. If, like myself, you spend time with customers designing and talking them through their repairs you can go along ways simply being kind and taking the time to explain what you are going to do. Talking a working with people is how you earn trust and develop a true fan base. What is it they say, you only need 1000 true fans to be successful. Those true fans must be devoted to you and show that with their wallets. But that only needs to be a couple of hundred bucks each to make a good living.
The faint of heart are going to have a tough time in this business. Consider the responsibility that goes along with being a bench jeweler. Can you imagine putting pressure on a 10,000 dollar gemstone while you are trying to set it? Are you willing and able to take that responsibility? Steady hands and nerves of steel help the cause. Be confident in your work. People need to trust your work, and that only happens when you trust yourself.
Do you love jewelry and what it takes to make it? I know that part of what keeps me going in this business is not that I like every piece that someone asks me to make. What I do get from making pieces is exactly that, making the pieces. I enjoy the process. The cutting and the filing, the soldering and the setting. I get satisfaction from doing the work. It makes a big difference. If you think that you are going to get rich and start looking at jobs as paychecks you will burn out and will not last.
Finally, you need to be the curious sort, because the moment you start thinking that you know everything there is to know about the business is when you get walloped by some technique or design element that stumps you. (It happens to me so frequently that I simply look forward to it and smile when it happens). The lack of hubris will save you heartburn when you realize that there is so much left to know, even when you think you have it down. Isn't that a wonderful thing?
I happen to be lucky enough to be making jewelry in Asheville, NC, which is home to a tremendous amount of talent. Having a vibrant local scene keeps you going during those moments when it all starts to feel like a chore. Remember that making jewelry is a art and a craft, and there will be periods where it starts to feel like work. Appreciate those times for what they are and keep pushing yourself forward. Sometimes to get started and build a reputation it's better to take in the tedius work in order to build trust in the community. Trust me, the good work will come.
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