Standout Stonesetting Academy

Oct 2025 week 1. Well done Lara, Basil, Lee and Roman. All are off to a great start and I look forward to having some of this group continue for a few more weeks!

How good is good enough? How good is TOO good? Nobody wants their work to look sloppy, but there’s a diminishing return on your time once you start chasing perfection.

This chart shows the method I use in class for giving feedback to students. It can apply to individual techniques, or their work as a whole.

If you’re scoring 5 or lower, you’re not ready for professional work (if you’re a hobbyist, that’s not a problem).

If you’re aiming for a 9.5, you’re probably working painstakingly slowly, and it’s hard to earn a living.

7 or 8 is the sweet spot, where people love your product and you can still work fast enough to pay the bills.

The choice is yours, you just need the skills.

More details on my blog.
https://www.standoutstonesetting.com/blog/how-good-is-your-setting-work

With your support I managed to win the Mentorship Excellence Award in Sydney last weekend. It’s a huge honour, and I appreciate every vote and message of support.
Special thanks to .mathwin_jeweller for the nomination 🙏

If you’ve ever found any of my articles, reels or Facebook contributions helpful, or if you’ve messaged me for advice, I could use your help.

I’ve been nominated for a MENTORSHIP EXCELLENCE award in the Jewellery Industry Awards. It takes less than a minute to vote and would mean a lot to have your support.

Please click link in my bio (or comments) to vote, and comment below so I can thank you!

August 2025 week 3 - Reanne, Tim, Dee, Courtney and Kristin 👏

August 2025 week 2 - Dee, Jason and Courtney 👏

August 2025 week 1 - Joel, Jonathan, Dee, Bree and Courtney 👏

It was fantastic to have Sam and Dominic back to work on some more advanced exercises, and they both did exceptionally well.
June/July 2025.

Late June 2025. Well done Lloyd, Andy, Geoff, Yuki and Nick!

Congratulations Fiona, Michael and Des! These guys did a mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced exercises and it was great to have them here for the week.