The Jeweler Cartoons

The Jeweler Loses Another Stone to the Carpet Gods

Why pavé makes even veteran bench jewelers reconsider their entire career path.

Published

4 weeks ago

February 12, 2026

Tim Searfoss Instore March 2026 Issue

The Jeweler Loses Another Stone to the Carpet Gods

PAVÉ IS THE BENCH JOB that makes even veteran jewelers question their life choices. You’re hunched over a microscope, hands shaking from your third coffee, trying to set a stone the size of a poppy seed into a hole that’s actively shrinking. You drop one. Then another. Then the third one launches off your graver like a tiny, expensive missile and disappears into the carpet forever. And yet you pick up the next stone and try again — because jewelers are basically just stubborn people with good eyesight and poor financial judgment.

Tim Searfoss

Catch "The Jeweler" twice each month on INSTORE Online. The creator of "The Jeweler" comic, Tim Searfoss, is a bench jeweler at Arney Guess Goldsmith in Chattanooga, TN. In his spare time, he sells his art in various forms (even including iPhone skins) at pistolfury.com.

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