Gauges and Guides

Make life easier when creating jewelry with a few simple tools, gauges and guides including these essentials.

Digital Gram/Carat Scale

Digital Gram and Carat Scales are a great way to measure almost anything in the jewelry making world. Digital Gram / Carat Scales allow you to measure things accurately down to the exact carat or gram when precision is required. They also allow you to understand the size and carat of the gem you are using in a project. You will also learn that not all stones and materials have the same density and therefore some items that are the same size may weigh less or more than those of another material. For most Digital Gram / Carat Scales, the covers double as an expansion tray, and usually have a backlit LCD allows for easy and accurate readings.

Finger Sizing Gauge

A finger gauge is used to determine a ring size. There are several different types of Finger Sizing Gauges including ring-style finger gauges, paper gauges and strip gauges. A ring-style gauge is a set of plastic or metal rings with one ring in each size that can be tried on until the proper size is found. Ring-style gauges are available in plastic and metal. The plastic gauges usually include whole and half sizes. Metal gauges often include whole, half, quarter and three-quarter sizes. The most expensive metal ring gauges are available in wide and thin bands. A paper gauge is basically a miniature tape measure for the finger. A strip gauge works like a cable tie. The strip is cinched onto the finger and reveals the size at a plastic stop. A strip gauge generally measures in whole, half, quarter and three-quarter sizes.

Aluminum Ring Stick

Aluminum Ring Sticks are intended to measure rings. A ring is slid onto the mandrel and the number it rests upon indicates the ring size. An Aluminum Ring Stick makes an excellent tool for forming metal clay rings. Use a mandrel sleeve that is made by taping a piece of mandrel paper around the stick, then form the ring on the sleeve. Never try to round or size up a ring on an Aluminum Ring Stick. For rounding rings and forming metal, use a steel ring mandrel, found in our mandrels section.

Metal Ruler

A Metal Ruler is a necessity on the jewelry bench. Metal Rulers provide accurate measurement, are easy to read, and can take a beating. Certain metal rulers can also be used to cut and sort metal clay much like a tissue blade.