MJSA/AJM Press, the book publishing division of Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA), recently announced that its first offering, The Platinum Bench, by Jurgen J. Maerz, was presented with an Award of Excellence in the Books and Book Chapters division of the 2002 APEX Awards.

Released in October 2001, The Platinum Bench presents 17 step-by-step, photo-illustrated lessons in the repair and fabrication of platinum jewelry. It also offers information on platinum alloys, tips on preparing for platinum bench work, and platinum casting instruction. Several jewelry schools, including Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco and the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology in Paris, Texas, have integrated the book into their curriculum.

The author, Jurgen J. Maerz, is director of technical information for Platinum Guild International USA and contributes a monthly column, also called “The Platinum Bench,” to AJM Magazine. Maerz took many of the book’s 200 photographs.

MJSA/AJM Press will be releasing its second book, At the Bench, in late August.