The quality of jewellery is often hidden from sight: the inside of a ring, the back of a brooch, the sound of a clasp closing. These are details the wearer may not notice on the first day, but will understand in the tenth year.
At the bench this is the work behind the face. The front may persuade the eye; the back must persuade time. In a fine atelier, the hidden surface is finished with the same care because it is the surface that meets the skin and bears years of wear.
Where the weight falls
When you hold a piece, notice where its weight gathers. If the centre of gravity is wrong, the jewel turns and the wearer spends the day correcting it without thought. A piece in perfect balance is forgotten on the body. That is the finest compliment.
The test for the centre of gravity is simple: set the piece on a flat surface, and the direction in which it turns of its own accord is its heaviest point.
Fine jewellery is jewellery whose weight disappears when it is worn.
Much of the time at the bench is therefore spent on surfaces that will never face a display window. This is the quiet side of craft, and it is what determines the life of a piece.
