The Symmetry Solution
Secret Shop Weapons
The tool that brings precision to hand-forged cuffs
By Eileen McClelland
(Originally Published by MJSA May, 2026)
Mark Loren
Mark Loren Designs
Fort Myers, Florida
This month we asked goldsmith and jewelry designer Mark Loren of Mark Loren Designs in Fort Myers, Florida, “If you were stranded on an island (that just happened to have a bench and some metal lying around), what tool would you want to have that allows you to do things you can’t do with any other tool?”
What is your favorite tool?
The Pepe metal bender, for sure. It’s a type of hand tool made by PepeTools and it’s a sheet metal–bending, ring-bending jig.
What makes it special?
It’s a game changer when we’re making custom cuff bracelets.
How do you use it in your work?
It fits in our big vise, and I use it to hand forge cuff bracelets. We’re doing easily one or two custom bracelets a week in heavy-gauge metal.
What discoveries or breakthroughs have you made with it?
When I used to hand forge cuff bracelets, I used a mandrel on a big stump, hammering the metal around it. It wasn’t very accurate or controlled, and you had to do a lot of adjusting. Then I started using the Pepe metal bender, which has interchangeable dies for different ring and bracelet sizes.
“We have the high-tech stuff, but as goldsmiths, we like forging metal and bending stuff.” — Mark Loren
It allows us to maintain the symmetry of the bracelet as we’re forging it, so we’re not constantly going back to readjust. It will move 4 mm thick stock, and we can add a cheater bar to the handle for more leverage.
I work with six goldsmiths, plus myself. We have the high-tech stuff, but as goldsmiths, we like forging metal and bending stuff. For repair work especially, hand tools are essential. The volume we do in custom work and repairs is pretty staggering, and it allows us to fund the more creative design work we enjoy.