About the Course
Bench Jeweler Fundamentals
Piercing, sawing, filing, sanding, and polishing — the four hand skills every goldsmith builds on.
This is the entry point into the Goldsmith Technician skill ladder. You'll learn to set up and use a saw frame, pierce and cut clean lines and curves, file metal to smooth edges and precise contours, and carry a surface through a full sanding and polishing progression — from rough cut to high polish. No prior bench experience is required.
Class Details
Duration: 5 days (Monday–Friday)
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (one-hour lunch)
Class size: 6 students max
Prerequisite: None
What's included: Tools provided for in-class use; materials and finished practice pieces are yours to keep
Suggested price: $1,000–$1,250 (provisional — consistent with the premium pricing band from our repricing discussion; not yet finalized)
Skills You'll Gain
Set up a saw frame and select the right blade for different materials and thicknesses
Pierce and saw straight lines, curves, and intricate interior shapes
File metal to smooth edges and precise contours using the appropriate file types
Sand metal surfaces through a full abrasive progression to prepare for polishing
Polish metal to a range of finishes, from satin to high polish
Day-by-Day
Day 1 — Bench and saw setup: saw frame assembly, blade selection, and piercing technique on straight lines and curves.
Day 2 — Advanced sawing: piercing intricate interior shapes, refining control and consistency.
Day 3 — Filing: file types and their applications, technique for smooth edges and precise contours.
Day 4 — Sanding: working through a full abrasive progression to prepare a surface for polishing.
Day 5 — Polishing and capstone: polishing compounds and technique, finishing a final practice piece from satin to high polish.
What This Class Doesn't Cover Soldering and joining metal (covered in Torch & Soldering), jewelry repair (covered in Jewelry Repair), and wax carving (covered in Wax Carving Fundamentals) — this course is hand-tool fundamentals only.
What You'll Leave With A set of pierced, filed, sanded, and polished practice pieces demonstrating all four foundational bench skills.