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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We're coming down from what can only be described as our Super Bowl... April Fools Day.

In this episode, we break down all the chaos-- from 'Jewelers Helping Jewelers' takeover to getting absolutely UNO-reversed by Stuller (we're still not over it).

We go behind the scenes on how the ideas came together, what actually worked, what almost got us cancelled (probably), and how much time we collectively wasted for the sake of the bit.

Honestly...it was a blast. And somehow, you all played along perfectly--which either means you loved it or we've all lost it together!

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In this special episode, we take a step back and have an honest conversation about the future of Bench Jeweler Memes.

After a lot of behind-the-scenes discussions, recent developments have led us to a point where some decisions need to be made. We’ve never been ones to sugarcoat things, and this episode is no different.

We talk through what’s been happening, where things currently stand, and what the future may (or may not) look like moving forward.

This isn’t an easy conversation—but it’s an important one.

We appreciate everyone who has supported us along the way.

More to come...

*Shhh.. April Fools*

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Brad and Dusty take a hard left turn straight into dark humor territory. We explore the truly important question—what happens if one of us unexpectedly dies… and more importantly, how long before a client asks, “Okay but… when will my ring be ready for pickup?”

From a jeweler’s perspective, we break down the likely timeline of sympathy vs. impatience (spoiler: it’s shorter than you think).

We also dive into a wild situation where a client swore we altered the design of her ring… but thankfully The Edge POS came through with receipts—well, mostly. Let’s just say it helped… kind of.

As always, expect the usual chaos: shop stories, questionable opinions, and the kind of nonsense that probably shouldn’t be recorded—but here we are.

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Episode 29: Brad and Dusty spend almost the entire episode unpacking the absolutely baffling mindset clients have when it comes to the durability of fine jewelry. At some point, somewhere along the way, everyone collectively decided that gold, platinum, and tiny prongs holding expensive stones should apparently function like military-grade equipment.

We get into the question no one can seem to answer: when did jewelry become “indestructible”? And what happened to the good old days when people understood that maybe—just maybe—delicate, finely crafted pieces require a little care?

As usual, we ramble. We get sidetracked. We probably contradict ourselves at least once. But in between all that, we try to make sense of how we got here… and whether there’s any realistic way to turn the tide—or if we’re all just destined to keep having the same conversations at the counter forever.

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This week we finally have a guest on the show. His name is Jake… and yes, we know another Jake… but the internet knows him as “Critter the Designer.”

His social media content caught us completely off guard last year—in the best way possible. It’s hilarious, chaotic, and just the right amount of unhinged… which obviously means he fits right in with us.

We talk about how Jake got his start in the jewelry industry, beginning with wire wrapping, Signet, and grinding through trade work before eventually opening his own shop. Now he’s running the place and somehow convincing apprentices to learn the craft instead of fleeing the bench.

It’s a great conversation about the grind, the transition from hustling to running a shop, and the strange personalities that seem to thrive in this industry.

Basically: a bunch of jewelers talking shop, telling stories, and realizing we’re all a little bit weird.

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Stuller representatives tracked Brad and Dusty down… and somehow didn’t arrest them. Instead we had a great visit and learned just how committed Stuller is to helping jewelers succeed.

We also talk about our comedy style, the meme page, and the unfortunate reality that we are both wildly immature humans who occasionally say dumb things without meaning to offend anyone.

And finally… the heartbreaking story of the best prank call we’ve ever done — which no one will ever hear because Dusty forgot to record it.

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