The jeweller's anvil is a small, dense steel bench tool comprising two principal working surfaces: a flat, polished table and a tapered conical projection known as the horn. Weighing typically between 0.5 and 2 kilograms, it is far smaller than the blacksmith's anvil from which it descends, yet it performs an analogous range of tasks — hammering, forming, riveting, and texturing — scaled to the demands of precious-metal work. The anvil is among the oldest and most fundamental instruments at the jeweller's bench, and its essential geometry has changed little over centuries of goldsmithing practice.

Form and Construction

A jeweller's anvil is forged or cast from tool steel, then hardened and tempered to resist deformation under repeated hammer blows without becoming brittle. The table — the broad, flat upper face — is ground and polished to a high degree of flatness, since any surface irregularity will be transferred directly to the workpiece. The horn extends from one end of the body in a smooth taper, circular in cross-section, allowing the smith to select the diameter of curve that best matches the work in hand. Some anvils carry a second, square-sectioned projection opposite the horn, useful for forming right-angle bends and box constructions.

Most jeweller's anvils are mounted on a hardwood block or bolted directly to the bench top. The mass of the base absorbs shock and prevents the tool from walking across the bench surface during use; a poorly supported anvil dissipates energy that should be directed into the metal, making forming less efficient and fatiguing to the hand.

Principal Uses

• Ring forming and sizing: The horn serves as a mandrel over which ring shanks are hammered to achieve a true circular cross-section or to stretch a shank to a larger diameter.
• Planishing: The polished table supports sheet metal while a planishing hammer smooths and work-hardens the surface, removing tool marks from raising or forging.
• Riveting: Small rivets are set against the table while the head is formed from the opposite side.
• Texturing: Chasing punches, matting tools, and repousse work are all executed against the anvil table or, for curved surfaces, against the horn.
• Cold-working and work-hardening: Repeated controlled blows on the table consolidate the grain structure of annealed metal, increasing hardness and spring — important for clasps, catches, and prong tips.

Specialist Variants

The basic form is supplemented by a range of specialist anvils designed for particular operations. The stake is a family of interchangeable forming tools — mushroom stakes, T-stakes, and bottoming stakes — that fit into a bench vice or a stake plate and extend the range of curves and profiles available. The triblet anvil is a tapered rod used specifically for forming and truing small-diameter rings and tube settings. Engravers and stone-setters sometimes use a small block anvil, little more than a polished steel cube, to support delicate work during setting operations.

Material Considerations

Because precious metals — gold, silver, and platinum — are comparatively soft, the hardness differential between the tool steel anvil and the workpiece is substantial. This means the anvil surface must be kept scrupulously clean and free of nicks; even a small burr on the table will leave a corresponding mark in fine gold sheet. Jewellers regularly dress the table with fine abrasive paper or a polishing compound to maintain its mirror finish. Platinum work demands particular care, as the metal's hardness and work-hardening rate are higher than those of gold or silver, and a damaged anvil surface can introduce stress concentrations that compromise a finished setting.