Bench Jeweler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Bench Jeweler is an artisan who utilizes a combination of jewelry making skills to make and repair jewelry. The jewelry making arts can be subdivided into over a dozen categories of specialized skills. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler would employ include goldsmithing, stonesetting, engraving, moldmaking, fabrication, wax carving, lost-wax casting, electroplating, forging, and polishing. The term "bench jeweler" is a more modern term which designates an artisan trained in and utilizing a variety of jewelry making skills, as opposed to specialists who are trained in and utilize one primary skill. In more traditional European-style trade schools, a student would choose between studying goldsmithing or stonesetting, whereas in the tradition of modern American jewelry schools, a student studies a combination of theses specialties.
