08/25/2026
In this week’s newsletter, I talked about spending a week at New Approach School for Jewelers learning more about stone setting, and some of the things I brought home with me.
Including, apparently, a new use for Jolly Ranchers.
Before a group of stones can be set, you first have to figure out exactly where each one will sit. Our instructor, Blaine, showed us a surprisingly simple trick for doing this: lick the candy to get a little of its stickiness onto the surface of the ring, and the tiny stones will stay put just enough that you can move them around and get the spacing right.
For something that requires so much precision, I loved that one of the most useful little tricks involved a piece of candy.
Sometimes the right tool is a graver. Sometimes it’s apparently a Jolly Rancher.
