Well i love my tools, and I often get questions from students about different tools, so I thought i could share some here.

The next key jewellery making tool I'd like to feature is the humble bead mat. Often overlooked - this is one of the most helpful bits of kit for any work away from the workbench!

A Bead Mat - How does it help?
A bead mat is mostly used when working with beads or other small items - the spongy feel and fine, soft pile to the surface give an ideal surface to help control all those small parts from disappearing off the table. It helps to prevent beads rolling away from you, and gives a defined work surface.

Bead mats are useful when working with; - bead stringing, pearl knotting and stitched beadwork, but also when doing wire work, sorting and packing stock for shows or customers, photography backgrounds, and many other uses...

Bead mats are large enough to use to plan out and design a whole necklace or set of jewellery at once
Bead mats are soft so you can tuck needles or pins into the edge to keep them safe
Bead mats protect delicate items from hard tables or surfaces - you can lay out delicate stones for sorting or planning designs, use it to catch loose ends if you are trimming wires or bits
Cut them down and use to pad delicate items in transit
Lay them into a tray or box, to create a stable mobile workstation
Choose a colour that contrasts with the colour beads or thread you are working with to make it easier to see and work with your beads (especially with stitched beadwork and the tiny seed beads!

Have you got any other key uses for your bead mat/s that you'd like to share?!

Well i love my tools, and I often get questions from students about different tools, so I thought i could share some here.

One of the most useful tool for a jeweller that does any metalwork, wax carving or other similar work is a bench peg - this is a piece of wood that is clamped to your desk or table and used to support your work.

A Bench Peg - How does it help?
You can cut the peg with different shaped notches to allow you to do different tasks. Most people cut a V shape into them - this can be used when cutting metal - your metal sits across the peg - supported on each side of the V, and you can cut in the slot.

You can rest your work on the peg to support it while you are filing, drilling, sanding, polishing or shaping it - being able to support your piece while you work allows you much more control and to be able to put more pressure and work more efficiently. Using a peg rather than the edge of a table allows you free-er access to be able to work at different angles, and is easily replaceable when it wears out.

By cutting smaller slots or drilling holes through the peg, you can use it to wedge or hold your work - and to allow you to position things at useful angles for you.

You can get a variety of bench pegs from any jewellery supplies store - you can get plain pegs, ones with shapes ready cut out, or you can get them with their own clamps, including ones that incorporate a steel block, which is another very useful tool. Some jewellers benches incorporate a specially made slot to accomodate a peg, but you can clamp a peg onto any table or bench, allowing you extra flexibility, especially if working at home.