The School of Jewellery Ireland

28/07/2026

Huge thank you to Corkie from for sending me this miniature jeweller’s workbench, created in collaboration with .

I’ve always loved making miniature things. I’ve already made a tiny saw frame, so a miniature chasing hammer felt like the obvious next addition. The hammer head started life as an ordinary nail, with a little wooden handle carved to fit.

Now I’m wondering what the bench needs next. Do I attempt a miniature microscope, or go completely overboard and make a tiny Smith Little Torch?

17/07/2026

One of my little workshop habits…

Every time I change the ultrasonic, my glasses go in first before I add the jewellery cleaning solution.

I genuinely don’t know if an optician would approve 😅, but it gets all the polishing dust and grime off them and they always come out looking much better.

I do make sure to save the paper towel I wipe the tank out with though. It might not look like much, but there’s usually a bit of precious metal residue in there, so it all goes into my sweeps.

Am I the only one who cleans random things in the ultrasonic, or does everyone have a workshop habit that’s become second nature?

16/07/2026

To most people, it’s just a pebble. To me, it’s the start of a new project.

My first professional cab-cutting machine has finally arrived, and I couldn’t be more excited to start exploring the world of lapidary properly.

There’s something really satisfying about taking an ordinary stone and revealing the beauty hidden inside it. I have a feeling this is going to become a bit of an obsession…

This is just the beginning. I’ve got lots of ideas, plenty of stones waiting to be cut, and I’ll be sharing the whole journey—from my successes to the inevitable mistakes.

If you’ve ever been curious about lapidary or cabochon cutting, stick around… there’s a lot more to come. 💎🪨

09/07/2026

One of my goals over the summer is to make the workshop work just a little bit better every day.

With the end of the teaching year, I’ve finally had a chance to tackle all those little improvements that have been on my list for months.

This was one of them.

The top of my polishing motor was constantly becoming a dumping ground for mops, polishing compounds and mandrels. Apart from looking messy, it also increases the chances of cross-contaminating compounds between polishing stages—which usually means more work and a poorer finish.

So I designed a simple organiser to give every mop a home.

It’s not a big upgrade, but it’s one of those small changes that makes the workshop smoother, tidier and more enjoyable to work in.

08/07/2026

These two cufflink findings look almost identical… but after making hundreds of pairs of cufflinks, there’s one I reach for every time.

I much prefer the riveted style because the U-shaped bracket is soldered onto the cufflink first. Once everything has been soldered, pickled and cleaned, the cufflink mechanism is simply riveted into place.

That means:
✅ No heat near the spring mechanism.
✅ No need to pickle the finished mechanism.
✅ A little extra movement at the hinge, which I think gives a nicer feel when worn.

One thing I didn’t mention in the reel is another advantage. With the direct-solder style, the mechanism often goes through the pickle after soldering. Because it’s a hollow component, pickle solution can sometimes remain trapped inside. If it isn’t thoroughly rinsed and neutralised afterwards, it can continue reacting with the steel spring over time.

I also used to try protecting the direct-solder style with a heat-resistant paste (Technoflux) around the mechanism. It certainly helped a little, but in my experience it also slowed the soldering process, and the heat still eventually travelled into the mechanism. That’s one of the reasons I gradually moved away from using this style altogether.

This isn’t to say the direct-solder finding can’t be used successfully—plenty of jewellers do. It’s simply why, after a lot of trial and error, the riveted version has become my preferred choice.

Which style do you use in your workshop? I’d love to hear your experience.

07/07/2026

06/07/2026

My benches are not enormous and they don’t have to be but it helps if the bench is organised. During the summer months I spend some time tidying, organising and modifying anything and everything to make life easier in a workshop teaching 60 to 70 students a week. Reducing points of friction and finding a flux brush and solder is a lot easier now.

02/07/2026

One of those little workshop products that quietly makes life easier.

Hold-It paste is brilliant for supporting components while soldering. Yesterday I had eight pendants to solder, and using the paste meant I could position each one in exactly the same spot. As soon as one was finished, the next one dropped straight into place.

It’s a small thing, but it saves time, improves consistency, and makes awkward soldering jobs a lot less frustrating.

Another thing I like about it is that once it dries out after use, you can usually reconstitute it with a little water two or three times before it needs replacing, so a tub lasts surprisingly well.

If you’re curious, I’ve added a link in my bio to the one I use.

Do you use Hold-It paste, or do you have another trick for holding awkward pieces while soldering? Let me know below! 👇

01/07/2026

A quick workshop safety reminder. 🧪

One of the first chemistry lessons many of us learn is this:

Always add acid to the water, never water to the acid.

The reason is that mixing acid and water is an exothermic reaction (still one of my favourite science words! 😄). It gives off heat, and by adding the acid slowly to the water, the water absorbs that heat much more safely.

It’s a simple habit, but one that’s worth getting right every time you’re mixing a fresh batch of pickle.

I’m curious—what do you use in your workshop?

🔹 Commercial pickle salts
🔹 Citric acid
🔹 Something else?

Let me know in the comments. I always enjoy seeing the different methods people use around the world.

30/06/2026

One of the first things I notice with new jewellers is where they hold the hammer.

It might feel more controlled to grip it close to the head, but sliding your hand towards the end of the handle gives you more leverage, a smoother swing, and lets the hammer do more of the work.

It’s a tiny adjustment that can make a surprisingly big difference at the bench.