seeing... it's very helpful

It really is ... helpful, I mean.

I've noticed that as my bench skills have improved, the things I make get smaller and smaller.

These tiny little Stella cluster stud earrings are set with cubic zirconia.

The smallest size measures just 1.5mm.

Imagine trying to pick that up with a pair of tweezers.


They are so small that I even tried to photograph them through a magnifying glass ... it didn't really work.


I didn't wear glasses at all when I was younger, but about 6 years ago, I noticed I couldn't see very well whilst doing jewellery work, so I got my first pair.

Now I need to wear two pairs, sometimes even three when I'm working.


I was quite reassured to see Steve Fletcher from BBC's The Repair Shop often wearing two pairs of glasses.

Looks like I'm not the only one.


The sparkles in this Thebes design are slightly bigger at 2mm, but the metal which is used to set the stones is tiny, really tiny.

So super strength eye wear is needed for this one.


I love Scottish brand Iolla for specs.

They are really keenly priced, and have a great range of colours.

You could almost have a different colour for every day of the week.

Maybe it's not so bad after all needing to wear specs.