Trade-level tutorials, stories, and professional insights from Jewellery Training Solutions — learn from the bench with Peter Keep
Over the last year, many students have asked me the same question:
"Peter... when are you going to write a book?"
The answer is...
I've been quietly writing several.
After almost fifty years at the jeweller's bench, I've realised there are many things that simply don't fit into a thirty-minute video lesson.
Some ideas need a little more space.
When most people think about jewellery books, they imagine pages full of rings, settings and techniques.
Mine are a little different.
Of course they'll include practical projects and manufacturing methods, but what I'm really trying to capture is the way a professional bench jeweller thinks.
How do we look at a design?
Why do some pieces survive fifty years while others fail?
How do you simplify a complicated idea?
What makes one setting elegant and another awkward?
These are questions that don't always have a single right answer—but they're the conversations I've been having with apprentices for decades.
There are currently three projects underway.
The Professional Bench Standard
A practical guide to the four disciplines I believe every professional jeweller should understand:
These principles underpin almost every decision made at the bench.
The Bench Jeweller's Guide to Design
This book explores where ideas come from, how to develop them, and how to think like both an artist and a craftsman.
It isn't about learning to draw beautiful pictures.
It's about learning to solve problems.
Jewellery Perspective
Perhaps the most unusual of the books.
This one explores perspective, form and construction—not as an art lesson, but from the viewpoint of someone who has spent a lifetime making jewellery.
Understanding how to see form correctly changes everything.
It's a fair question.
Videos are brilliant for demonstrating technique.
Books are better for exploring ideas.
A reader can pause, reflect, make notes and return to a chapter years later.
Some lessons deserve that slower pace.
None of these books are finished yet.
Like a piece of jewellery on the bench, they continue to evolve.
Each chapter is refined, rewritten and improved as new ideas emerge.
I'm enjoying the process every bit as much as making jewellery itself.
I hope that when they're complete, they'll become the kind of books people keep on their workshop shelf—not because they have to, but because they return to them time and time again.
Many of the ideas in these books have grown from conversations with students around the world.
If there's a topic you've always wanted explained, or a subject you think deserves its own chapter, I'd love to hear from you.
After all, the best ideas often begin with a simple question.
When Stolen Gold Changed the Jewellery Industry
On the morning of 26 November 1983, six armed robbers broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport, expecting to steal cash. Instead, they stumbled across one of the largest gold bullion shipments ever held in the UK.
The haul included around three tonnes of gold, together with cash, platinum and diamonds. Valued at £26 million in 1983, the same gold would be worth around £290 million (approximately A$600 million) today.
The problem for the thieves was obvious. Gold bars with serial numbers are impossible to sell openly. To profit from the robbery, the bullion had to disappear.
Much of the stolen gold was melted down, recast into new bars and scrap, and gradually filtered into the legitimate precious metals market through dishonest dealers and refiners. Once refined, it became virtually impossible to distinguish from legally sourced gold.
At the time, I was working as a manufacturing jeweller in Manchester, and I vividly remember the atmosphere within the jewellery trade.
Police officers visited many jewellery workshops, warning us that criminals might approach manufacturers to melt down suspicious gold or alter its appearance before it was sent for refining.
It was an unsettling time.
As a young jeweller, the thought that someone could walk through the workshop door carrying stolen bullion was quite frightening. There was also the concern that workshops known to have melting equipment might become targets themselves.
Fortunately, I never experienced anything like that, but it certainly brought home just how closely the jewellery industry was connected to events unfolding outside the workshop.
One of the remarkable aspects of the Brink's-Mat robbery is that much of the stolen gold was never recovered.
Once gold has been refined, it loses its identity. It becomes simply gold again—ready to be alloyed, rolled into sheet, drawn into wire, or transformed into jewellery.
For many years, investigators believed that a significant proportion of the stolen bullion had been absorbed into the world's precious metal supply.
It raises an intriguing possibility.
If you own a gold ring, chain or bracelet manufactured during the years following the robbery, there is every chance that a tiny amount of the gold it contains may once have been part of the Brink's-Mat bullion.
We'll never know for certain.
But it serves as a fascinating reminder that gold has an extraordinary history. It is melted, recycled and reborn countless times throughout the centuries, carrying stories that are impossible to trace.
Perhaps somewhere in a wedding ring, a family heirloom or a simple gold pendant, a small fragment of the Brink's-Mat robbery still lives on.
The Greatest Gem Ever Found
Few stories in jewellery history capture the imagination quite like that of the Cullinan Diamond — the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever discovered. Weighing an astonishing 3,106.75 carats, this stone was found at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, on 26 January 1905.
At first, no one knew quite what to do with it. The diamond’s sheer size made it almost unbelievable — some even thought it was a crystal of quartz. But as news spread, the world’s fascination grew.
In April 1905, the Cullinan was sent to London for sale. Despite enormous interest, it remained unsold for nearly two years. Finally, in 1907, the Transvaal Colony government decided to purchase the diamond and present it as a gift to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom — a gesture of loyalty and goodwill.
The King entrusted the legendary Joseph Asscher & Co. of Amsterdam with the daunting task of cutting and polishing the rough stone into a collection of finished gems.
In a story fit for a spy novel, Abraham Asscher personally travelled to London to collect the diamond from the Colonial Office on 23 January 1908. He simply slipped the priceless gem into his coat pocket and boarded a train and ferry back to the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, to throw off would-be thieves, a Royal Navy ship sailed across the North Sea carrying an empty box under heavy guard — even the captain didn’t know that his “precious cargo” was a decoy.
On 10 February 1908, Joseph Asscher prepared to cleave the Cullinan at his diamond-cutting factory in Amsterdam. The process was nerve-racking — no one had ever attempted to cut a diamond of that size, and there was no technology to guarantee success.
Asscher spent weeks studying the stone, mapping out its internal planes and flaws. He finally made an incision half an inch deep (1.3 cm) to guide the split — a task that alone took four days.
On the first attempt, the steel knife snapped. The second blow, however, struck perfectly — the diamond split cleanly in two along one of its natural cleavage planes.
From there, the work continued for eight months, with three craftsmen labouring 14 hours a day to cut and polish the fragments into brilliant gems of various sizes and shapes.
The dramatic moment of the split has inspired many retellings. In his book Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession (2002), Matthew Hart wrote that Joseph Asscher was so overcome with tension that he had a doctor and nurse on standby — and fainted immediately after striking the diamond.
However, Lord Ian Balfour, author of Famous Diamonds (2009), suggests otherwise. He believes Asscher likely celebrated the success with a bottle of champagne instead.
Asscher’s nephew Louis later dismissed the fainting myth altogether, declaring:
“No Asscher would ever faint over any operation on any diamond.”
The Cullinan Diamond produced nine major stones and ninety-six smaller brilliants, including the Great Star of Africa (Cullinan I) — the 530.2-carat pear-shaped diamond that remains the largest cut diamond in the world.
Today, several of these stones are set in the British Crown Jewels, symbols of craftsmanship and courage — and a reminder of the human skill behind nature’s most breathtaking creation.
A Lesson from the Past
When I was training as a jeweller in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter back in the 1970s, there was a story every apprentice heard — part legend, part lesson — and it still makes me smile today.
It was about an old jeweller who had fallen on hard times during one of Britain’s tough economic downturns. After decades of trade, his once-bustling workshop had grown quiet. Orders dried up, rent piled high, and the time came to hand the keys over to the receivers.
As he stood in the doorway, about to lock up for the final time, a lump caught in his throat. That workshop had seen generations of goldsmiths — his father, grandfather, perhaps even great-grandfather — each leaving their mark in tiny scratches and dents across the old wooden benches.
Then, by sheer chance, he dropped his keys.
When he bent down to pick them up, something glimmered faintly between the cracks of the worn timber floorboards. Curious, he fetched a small blade and teased out what turned out to be a tiny piece of gold — a fragment he’d probably lost years earlier.
That small discovery sparked a thought. How much other precious metal might have fallen between the boards over the decades?
So, with nothing left to lose, he pried up a few floorboards. What he found stopped him in his tracks.
Underneath the boards lay years of bench dust, filings, lemel, and forgotten stones — a jeweller’s history written in dust. Over time, countless fragments of gold and silver had sifted through the cracks and settled in the cavities below.
He decided to delay the handover. Instead, he swept out every crevice, filled bags of floor sweepings, and sent them off to the Assay Office refinery in Birmingham.
When the results came back, the old jeweller couldn’t believe it. The precious metal recovered from his workshop floor was enough to clear his debts, reopen his doors, and keep his business alive through the recession.
Now, whether every detail of that story is true or not, it carries a real message that every jeweller understands:
“Nothing is ever truly lost in a jeweller’s workshop.”
The Birmingham Assay Office still confirms that many old workshops have yielded surprisingly valuable recoveries during renovations — even today. Years of filing, sawing, and polishing leave behind trace metals worth thousands of pounds.
For me, that old tale isn’t just about luck — it’s about resilience, resourcefulness, and the hidden value that comes from years of honest craft.
And every time I sweep my bench, I remember: there really is gold in them there floors.
By Peter Keep
Every jeweller, whether apprentice or master, generates waste metal in the form of lemel, filings, off-cuts, and sweeps. These by-products may look insignificant day to day, but over time they represent a surprising amount of recoverable precious metal — gold, silver, platinum, or palladium. Efficient collection, storage, and refining of this material is not only good workshop practice but a crucial part of a professional jeweller’s profitability.
Filings are clean metal shavings and off-cuts that haven’t been contaminated and can be recycled in-house.
Lemel is the mixed dust and fine particles from filing or sawing, often combined with bench dust and abrasive residue, so it’s not recycled in-house.
Sweeps are the accumulated dust from floors, polishing machines, aprons, and extraction filters, usually containing traces of precious metal mixed with dirt and compounds.
Solid off-cuts from wire, sheet, or castings can be melted and re-rolled in-house if clean and of the same alloy. Always remove solder joins before remelting — solder lowers carat and contaminates the batch.
Proper preparation ensures the best return and a fair, transparent result from recovery.
Remove as much non-metallic material as possible. If safe to do so, burn off polishing residues, paper, or fabric dust in a ventilated area or kiln.
⚠️ Refiners charge by initial weight. Cleaner material = more accurate and profitable recovery. Never burn plastics, rubber, or resin.
Ensure all waste is completely dry before sending it for refining.
Ask before shipping:
A disciplined approach — clean, dry, well-labelled, and well-documented material — ensures you recover maximum value from every gram of precious metal you produce.
Jewellery World Magazine — September 2025
By Alistair Snook
When you think of jewellery making, you might picture a private studio or trade workshop — but at Churchlands Senior High School in Western Australia, the jeweller’s bench has found its way into mainstream education.
It’s a place where design, craftsmanship, and learning come together — and where students discover the satisfaction of shaping metal, setting stones, and creating something of lasting value.
In 2015, Alistair Snook’s life took a new turn. After a career in woodwork programs and design technology, he began teaching at Churchlands Senior High School.
When the school introduced a Jewellery Program, led by colleague Robyn Hutchinson, Alistair saw a chance to combine his love for design with hands-on making. Over the last six years, he’s guided students through every step of jewellery creation — from design and casting to setting and finishing.
“The idea of inspiring students and seeing them find confidence through making things by hand really appealed to me. Watching them learn to shape metal, problem-solve, and see their ideas come to life is incredibly rewarding.”
The Churchlands program introduces students to a wide range of tools, techniques, and design principles — while also exploring sustainability and materials innovation.
Students learn practical skills like soldering, stone setting, and metal forming, while also developing creative design ideas. They even tackle modern design challenges such as using recycled materials and exploring environmental responsibility in jewellery manufacturing.
Bringing jewellery into the school curriculum can be challenging — especially when specialist trade resources are limited. That’s where Jewellery Training Solutions (JTS) has become an invaluable teaching partner.
“Peter Keep’s website has been a game-changer,” Alistair explains. “It’s not just an incredible library of lessons — it’s a ready-made resource for classroom projects, manufacturing techniques, and even assessment ideas. It’s like having a virtual mentor in the workshop.”
JTS tutorials have helped teachers bring trade-level training into the classroom — giving students access to real-world techniques normally reserved for apprentices and professional jewellers.
Alistair says the results speak for themselves.
“After three years, the students’ work has reached a standard I never imagined possible in a school setting. Watching them produce rings, pendants, and settings that rival commercial work is amazing.”
The Churchlands jewellery program has inspired other educators to explore how hands-on design and trade-based learning can boost creativity, confidence, and problem-solving skills in students.
Whether it’s designing a pendant, soldering a ring, or setting their first stone, these young makers are learning more than just technique — they’re developing patience, focus, and pride in what they create.
“When students realise they can make something by hand that’s beautiful and lasting, it changes their confidence completely,” says Alistair. “That’s the power of combining education with craftsmanship.”
To explore the same professional training resources used by Churchlands Senior High School, visit:
👉 JTS Schools Program
Professional trade-level training for jewellers and educators worldwide.
Taking Professional Jewellery Training Beyond the Workshop
When I started Jewellery Training Solutions, my goal was simple—to make professional trade-level jewellery education available to anyone, anywhere in the world.
What began as a small collection of online lessons has grown into an international community of jewellers, students, teachers and professionals, all connected by a shared passion for craftsmanship.
While thousands of students now learn through JTS online, nothing quite compares to working together at the bench. That's why over recent years I've been fortunate to teach workshops and masterclasses across Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Canada and the United Kingdom.
One of the most rewarding parts of travelling has been meeting students who first discovered JTS online before joining me for hands-on training.
Whether teaching apprentices making their very first claw setting or experienced jewellers refining advanced techniques, the enthusiasm has always been the same—a desire to improve and pursue the highest professional standards.
Every workshop reinforces the principles that have always been at the heart of JTS:
I'm delighted to be returning to Auckland, New Zealand, this September to present an intensive series of stone setting masterclasses at The Jewellers Collective.
Over six days we'll cover some of the most important professional stone-setting techniques, including:
These workshops provide jewellers with the opportunity to work alongside me in a small-group environment where every student receives individual guidance throughout the course.
I always enjoy returning to New Zealand, and I'm looking forward to meeting both new and returning students.
Planning has already begun for another exciting year of international teaching.
While dates are still being finalised, I'm hoping to return to several favourite destinations while also introducing JTS workshops to new countries.
As always, my goal remains the same—to make high-quality, trade-level jewellery education accessible wherever passionate jewellers want to learn.
Watch this space...
One thing has become very clear over the years.
Whether I'm teaching in Perth, Auckland, Vancouver, Manila or the UK, jewellers everywhere face the same challenges and share the same passion for creating beautiful work.
The tools may differ.
The accents may change.
But the pursuit of excellence at the bench is universal.
It has been an absolute privilege to meet so many talented jewellers around the world, and I look forward to meeting many more in the years ahead.
If you'd like to hear about future international workshops, masterclasses and new online courses, be sure to follow Jewellery Training Solutions on Facebook and subscribe to the JTS newsletter.
I hope to see you at the bench somewhere in the world soon.
