The order docket reads: polki necklace, wedding on the 14th. The wax is carved, the flask is invested and the casting is done. The master setter who alone can lay the kundan work did not come in this morning. His bench peg is bare. The owner, who is also the best filer in the shop, stares at the docket and does the sum on his fingers.
Why a workshop needs a different set-up from a showroom
A chain showroom is run by counter routine. A custom workshop is run by hands. Two or three master karigars carry most of the skill. An ustad passes it on across a bench peg, without grades. Pay is by the piece, and metal worth a karigar's yearly wage sits in a tray. The owner is craftsman, buyer, accountant and HR office in one.
What to set up first, in order
- 1
A metal and stone issue register
Every gram of gold, silver and every stone leaving the safe is entered against a karigar and a job card, with weight in and weight out. Both sign. The loss allowance for each process is written down: casting, filing, setting, polishing. Disputes shrink when everyone sees the same figures.
- 2
Job cards and order dockets
One card per order: design sketch or CAD printout, metal type and weight, stones, promised date, assigned karigars, stage-by-stage sign-off. The owner can read the state of every order at a glance.
- 3
A skill grade for each karigar and apprentice
Mark four or five skills: wax carving, casting and filing, stone setting, enamel or meenakari, finishing and polishing. For each, one of three levels. The grade guides who gets complex orders and who is ready for a raise. The competency page for custom workshops shows a method.
- 4
Attendance and advance records
A simple book: name, in and out, hours on each order, advance given, advance repaid. Karigars often take advances; an honest ledger protects both sides. See the attendance and leave routine for these workshops.
- 5
A handover plan for the master
Name who learns what from each master. Give the apprentice a bench, a goal and a monthly check by the master. Succession is not a topic for later; it is the shop's insurance. Read the succession planning page.
- 6
A hiring routine
Test a candidate with a small task at the bench, not just a talk. Ask for references from earlier workshops. Offer a paid trial week. The recruitment page for these workshops lists more.
A day at the bench
Morning starts with the rolling mill and the draw-plate, where sheet and wire are drawn. Solder flows under the blowtorch. The filer works a ring blank on the mandrel. The setter bends a prong over a stone under the loupe, tweezers steady, and tests each bezel. In the corner the polisher runs a buffing wheel and loads the ultrasonic tumbler. Everyone depends on the one before. A weak link at the wax or casting stage turns into hours of rework at setting.
The year has its own rhythm. Akshaya Tritiya, Dhanteras and the wedding months fill the order book. Then comes a slack spell for sample pieces, repairs and resizing. Plan leave, training and apprentice tests for the slack weeks.
Pay that keeps hands at the bench
Piece rates attract the quick and punish the careful. A lone rate for filing, setting or polishing should be balanced with a quality check and a small bonus for pieces that pass the loupe on the first look. Wastage above the stated allowance should be discussed in the open and not simply cut from pay. Tie advances to a written plan with a monthly deduction, not a vague promise.
Handling customer metal and designs
- Receive old gold and stones against a signed slip with weight, touch and a photograph.
- Keep customer metal in a labelled pouch, apart from workshop stock.
- Close each job card with a final weight and a customer signature.
- Treat sketches and CAD files as confidential; limit who can copy them.
- Brief every new hand on the rule before the first day at the peg.
Order number, customer and promised date: ____.
Piece, design reference and stones: ____.
Metal issued (type, weight) and by whom: ____.
Karigar and stage: wax / casting / filing / setting / finishing: ____.
Weight returned and loss against allowance: ____.
Quality check by the owner or master (pass / redo): ____.
Rework reason, if any: ____.
Karigar and owner signatures, date: ____.Where this sits in the wider group
The custom jewellery workshops page lists the roles and strains in more detail. The jewellery retail hub shows how showrooms and gemstone stores differ. If you want a grade chart and job card made for your bench, use the requirements form.
