Bench Peg Neckpiece - Found Bench Peg, Steel, Silver, Cotton
The bench peg (or bench pin) is a timber object affixed to the jewellers bench and used to stabilise a project while it is being worked on. The most common form is a sort of ‘tooth’ shape with a notch in the middle to wedge work into. The peg is used to stabilise sawing, filing, sanding, drilling, and many other activities.
“A bench peg lasts as long as it serves its purpose, and over time begins to form a portrait of the person using it. They may make a new divot to prop their work against, or their file may begin to create a new depression in the timber. But in a university setting, where pegs last many decades and are utilised by many students, their forms take on a unique portrait of not one person but many; betraying the working of jewellers as a community. Drilled holes gravitate toward the centre. Saw blades eat at the point of the triangular gap. The ‘teeth’ become rounded and smooth. In this way, the bench peg becomes a powerful material representation of the jeweller and their workspace.”