Brad is on vacation, which means Dusty is stuck doing all the jewelry repairs and is handling it about as well as you’d expect.

In this episode, we tackle a topic that actually matters: how jewelers can level up. Whether you’re a brand-new apprentice, an experienced bench jeweler, a stone setter, CAD designer, goldsmith, or jewelry store owner, we do our best to share advice that can help you grow, improve your skills, increase your value, and take the next step in your jewelry career.

We definitely don’t have all the answers, but we clumsily take a swing at it anyway.

Along the way, there’s plenty of the usual Bench Jeweler Memes banter, sarcasm, shop talk, repair stories, and random detours.

Topics include: bench jewelry repair, goldsmithing, stone setting, jewelry career growth, jewelry industry advice, continuing education, shop life, and one very grumpy jeweler trying to survive without Brad.

BENCH JEWELER DISCORD LINK BELOW (that we mentioned on this episode). Tell them Bench Jeweler Memes sent ya!

https://discord.gg/Zrj2XfaUuj

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Episode 39 is officially our first-ever full-length VIDEO podcast, which means you can now watch all the awkward eye contact, random hand gestures, and questionable facial expressions that were previously hidden by audio-only technology.

As usual, we start with a plan and immediately abandon it. We answer a few listener questions, share some wild stories from our days working together at the jewelry store, and somehow manage to bounce between a dozen completely unrelated topics along the way.

At its core, this episode is exactly what Bench Jeweler Memes has always been: two bench jewelers sitting around, talking shop, telling stories, and giving each other a hard time for an hour or so.

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you put cameras in front of two jewelers with no real agenda, here’s your answer. Consider yourselves warned.

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Episode 38 is here, and somehow we survived Memorial Day weekend with all of our brain cells mostly intact. This week we’re catching up after the holiday chaos, briefly discussing how quickly we’d sell out to the highest bidder (answer: probably faster than we should), and sprinkling in a little JCK Vegas chatter because apparently that’s what responsible jewelry professionals do this time of year.

We also read and react to an email from one of our loyal listeners “across the pond” — yes, England itself has officially entered the Bench Jeweler Memes cinematic universe. International fame is clearly moments away.

AND… because making questionable decisions is part of the brand, we included some audio from our very first video podcast test run. It’s raw. It’s awkward. It’s probably a mistake.

Oh… and if you make it all the way to the VERY end, there may or may not be a surprise song from the upcoming BJ Mandrel album waiting for you. Consider yourself warned.

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This is one of those special episodes — meaning we got together with our good friend “BJ Mandrel” and immediately stopped behaving like responsible adults.

If you’re new here, "BJ" is not just a recurring character in our chaos… he’s a real human being, a longtime friend of ours, and yes — he actually worked in our jewelry store for years. He’s also genuinely a musician, which he will remind us of whenever there’s a guitar within 30 feet.

Now, about the “music” you’re going to hear in this episode: let’s just say it was created with the cutting-edge technology of “us messing around with AI and pretending we’re a record label.” It’s all in good fun, and if it sounds like a genre that doesn’t exist yet… that’s because it probably shouldn’t.

As always, we take absolutely nothing too seriously, including ourselves. Expect questionable business ideas, even more questionable lyrics, and a level of sarcasm that should probably be regulated.

If you’re reading this far into the description, congratulations — you’re officially in the inner circle of people who understand that this podcast is mostly just an excuse for friends to hang out and say ridiculous things into microphones.

Enjoy the episode. Or don’t. BJ would probably say the mixing is off anyway.

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Episode 37 is all over the place… in the best possible way. Brad & Dusty kick things off with the usual bench jeweler chaos before diving nose-first into one of the weirdest topics yet: the smells of the jewelry industry. We attempt to describe a scent that every jeweler instantly recognizes… but can never properly explain.

Then things get completely out of hand when we brainstorm a new jewelry store concept inspired by “Dick’s Last Resort” — where jewelers finally get to say what they’re REALLY thinking to customers. Brutal honesty? Yes.  Sarcastic? Of course! Nothing is off limits.

Eventually, we steer the ship back toward reality and break down comments from Martin Rapaport regarding lab-grown diamonds. We discuss why we (and so many retail jewelers) are tired of being talked down to from the “ivory towers” of the diamond trade.

BONUS: Stick around until the end of the episode to hear the brand new BJ Mandrel single, “One Beautiful Week,” officially releasing May 23rd!

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Episode 36 is a special one! We’re joined by longtime supporter and fellow bench jeweler, Ron — better known around here as “Step-Daddy Ron.”

From supporting our nonsense since day one to officially becoming the temporary namesake of our “studio” (yes… welcome to Step-Daddy Ron Studios), Ron was an absolute blast to hang with.

We spend the episode talking shop, bench jeweler life, continuing education and jewelry classes, the future of the, retirement, and plenty of random side tangents along the way. Just a fun, laid-back conversation with someone who truly gets the industry — and gets our sense of humor.

Honestly one of the most relaxed and enjoyable episodes we’ve done in a while. Grab a drink, pull up a bench chair, and come hang out with us!

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On this episode, Brad and Dusty dive headfirst into some absolutely unhinged one-star jewelry store reviews… and yeah, it’s as wild as it sounds. We read.  We react. We laugh.

But before we get there, we get rudely interrupted by a client who apparently doesn’t realize the shop is CLOSED during recording...LOL 

AND — we drop a big announcement on how you can “win” some “free” exclusive merch… but only for this episode! 

It’s chaotic. It’s ridiculous. It’s very on brand.

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Just one of those episodes where Brad & Dusty go completely off script...except now, we have even more time to kill.

This week we bounce all over the place - Brads birthday, uniting the jeweler community, random (and questionable) client stories, and why bench jeweler physically cannot stop themselves from giving unsolicited advice.

All in all, just another ADHD-style episode. Buckle Up!

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We’ve got one of our most anticipated guests on the show—Chuck Koehler.

Chuck is a bench jeweler and jewelry store owner with over four decades of experience in the jewelry industry, and a longtime columnist for Southern Jewelry News. He’s seen just about everything at the bench—and he’s got opinions to match.

In this episode, we dive into Chuck’s journey through the trade, throw back to a reference from Episode 5, and break down real bench topics like the differences between easy, medium, and hard solder, how to approach jewelry repair pricing, and what actually goes into running a successful shop.

We also get into Chuck’s unexpected work in the entertainment industry, plus plenty of stories, insights, and unfiltered takes along the way.

If you’re a bench jeweler, jewelry professional, or just curious about the trade—this one’s packed with experience you don’t want to miss.

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We opened the floor and you delivered… so in this episode we’re diving into a full-on bench jeweler Q&A.

We’re talking everything from least favorite watch brands and our favorite stones to set, to how we’re handling growth behind the scenes. We also get into the real questions—why CZs still exist in a world of lab-grown diamonds, what gold below 10k even means, and the awkward moment when customers ask for their gold back after sizing a ring down.

Oh—and we couldn’t avoid it… the infamous 2-week notice in the jewelry industry.

Some answers are helpful. Some are honest. Some might get us in trouble.

Either way… nothing was off limits.

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