Jewellery Manufacturing Process Part-2

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Chennai Aesera Jewellery  Design Training  Academy

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Jewelry design is the art or profession of creating, crafting, fabricating, or renderingdesigns for jewelry. This is an ancient practice of the goldsmith or metalworker that evolved to a billion-dollar industry with the odyssey from ancient cultures into the machine age. Jewelry design falls under the category of what is commonly known as "functional art," being art that can be worn or used.

Before an article of jewelry is created, design concepts are rendered followed by detailedtechnical drawings generated by a jewelry designer, a professional who is trained in the architectural and functional knowledge of fabrication techniques, composition, wearability and market trends.
Traditional hand-drawing and drafting methods are still utilized in designing jewelry particularly at the conceptual stage, but a shift is taking place to computer-aided design programs likeRhinoceros 3D and Matrix.



Once conceptual/ideation is complete, the design is rendered and fabricated using the necessary materials for proper adaptation to the function of the object. For example, 24Kgold was used in ancient jewelry design because it was more accessible than silver as source material. Before the 1st century many civilizations also incorporated beads into jewelry. Once the discovery of gemstones andgem cutting became more readily available, the art of jewelry ornamentation and design shifted. The earliest documented gemstone cut was done by Theophilus Presbyter (c. 1070 - 1125), who practiced and developed many applied arts and was a known goldsmith. Later, during the 14th Century, medievallapidary technology evolved to includecabochons and cameos.

Early Jewelry design commissions were often constituted by nobility or the church to honor an event or as wearable ornamentation. Within the structure of early methods, enameling andrepoussé became standard methods for creating ornamental wares to demonstrate wealth, position, or power. These early techniques created a specific complex design element that later would forge the baroquemovement in jewelry design.

• Oxidizing: Antique jewellery is the oldest form of traditional ornaments. To give jewellery an antique look, it’s oxidized. This process is done by chemicals.
   
• Colouring the metal: When the ornamental piece or jewellery gets finish, to five it a more rich or new look its coloured. Liquid form of the metal Rhodium used to coloured jewellery. Rhodium is used on diamonds or stone’s prongs, grainy surface of sometimes all over the piece.
• Casting: Casting metal into a mould is done on a specially constructed machine, simple in principle and in operation by depending, nevertheless on the judgment and skill of its operator. Centrifugal force is relied upon to send the molten metal into every part of the intricate design and pattern of the model and also to eliminate gas bubbles and porous ness.
  
  Casting Platinum:
  No flux is needed when casting platinum as the metal is not subject to oxidization and stays clean at all stages of melting to the job of casting is primarily one of getting sufficient heat to make the metal flow freely. Platinum melts at around 1750’C but considerably more heat is needed to make it fluid enough to cast. It is difficult to define the colour of the metal ready for casting but perhaps the best description is ‘pearly white’. When viewed through the dark green goggles of the operator. When this colour has been reached, the arm of the machine is released and spins in an anti clock wise direction, forcing the metal into the mould.
  
  Casting Palladium: 
  Palladium casting is not quite so easily achieved. Although it melts at a slightly lower temperature it is more sluggish metal and more treacly when melted and requires the same casting temperature as platinum. Palladium is subject to oxidization and to overcome this flux is needed. The best time to add this to the melt is when the metal is just beginning to become molten. By carefully, manipulating the torch, the metal is washed around in the flux to help in achieving this cleanness, after which the flame is held quite steady in the centre of the melt until maximum heat is reached and the metal is ready for casting.
  
  Casting Gold:
  Casting gold into a mould is similar in principle to casting palladium but the heat required is not nearly so great. After the mould has been prepared and cooled down to the appropriate temperature. The remaining procedure will depend upon the quality. If gold to be cast, white gold needs greater heat than yellow gold and the higher the quality the greater the temperature required. This means that 18 Ct white needs to be hotter than 9 Ct before casting.
  
  Mold: mold is made by two processes:
• Hand-made: – by using this process, mold is made by worker at the same process used to make jewellery.
   
• Machine-made: by using CAM (Computer Aided Molding) techniques mold is done in machine. In this process first the design of ornament is made in 3D CAD (Computer Aided jewellery Designing), after than it’s applied for mold in molding machine. And the CAM machine is made the mold automatically.
   
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Making the Wax-Model & Wax-Tree: From the mold which made by hand or CAM machine; wax model is made. The wax models, which are made by this technique, are than sticking in wax rod, which called Wax-Tree.

Lost wax Casting: Investment is the mixture of P.O.P. (Plaster of Paris) or other clay and water. A small amount of investment is coated over the wax-model by hand or brush and in machine it’s putting in large quantity surrounding the wax-tree placed in furnace. The furnace is then turn on. During this process of heating, the investment will bone dry and the wax will flow or burn out. This process called “Lost Wax”. For casting lost wax is the classic form.

Granulation: Granulation is the art of fastening gold or other metal’s granules onto another body of gold or other metal without the use of solder.

Electroforming: Electroforming is the art of building metallic pieces; by electro-deposition on a base or matrix, which is than removed in whole or in part, leaving a shell of electrodeposited metal.