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How Technology Has Changed the Jewelry Landscape – Guide
In recent years, something remarkable has happened in the field of jewelry design and manufacturing – there has been a technological revolution driven by computer-aided design (CAD) software and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) hardware, such as 3D printers. Before these technological advances, designers would start by designing a piece of jewelry, and when they were done, they would use pencil, ballpoint pen, or watercolor to create a rendering of the design. Jewelers used the design to make the piece by hand in metal or carve in wax. The wax model was wrapped in plaster and placed in an oven.
Once the wax was burned, molten precious metal such as gold or platinum was poured into the cavity left by the wax. After cooling, the plaster was broken up and the jewels were ready. Many of these steps are still used by designers today, especially in creating high quality pieces. And despite all the new CAD and CAM technologies, jewelry designers still need to have good technical knowledge to know, for example, how strong the tips need to be to keep a gemstone in place.
How technology has changed the jewelry landscape
The link between design and technology
As many of you know, I am a trained metallurgist – a technologist whose job is to disseminate the technology and best practices of materials and processes used in jewelry making. I’m not primarily involved in jewelry design, and my artistic talents are very modest, to say the least! Still, I can’t help but look for “good design” in the jewelry I see at jewelry fairs and design competitions around the world. It’s the artistic aspects that draw attention. It is not always that I admire a jewel from a technical point of view. The World Gold Council held an international gold jewelry design competition last year, “Gold Virtuosi II”, and the winners were announced at the Vicenza Fair in June.
As far as I know, this is the first time that the good use of technology has been awarded in the winning projects. This fact alone suggests that there is a connection between design and technology. John Wright and Valerio Faccenda, who are well known to attendees of the Santa Fe symposium, were involved with me in judging the technology awards. We were a little disappointed that none of the winning designs really pushed jewelry technology to its limits and beyond.
As a technologist, I’ve been interested in the connection between design and technology for some time now, and I’ve been trying to figure out what that might be. In this context, I use the term “technology” to refer to both the machine processes and the world-class craftsmanship of making jewelry in the traditional way. Both approaches require a good understanding of the properties and possibilities of gold if we are to use our manufacturing skills wisely. Anti-clastic creation is perhaps a particularly good example of skill in terms of technology. This can only be achieved by understanding the material and its mechanical behavior.
The shopping revolution
Online shopping has always had one big downside: customers couldn’t try on your jewelry before buying. Fortunately, that is now a thing of the past. Augmented reality (AR) transcends the virtual world and gives a realistic feel to online shopping. This solves some of the challenges that previously held back the jewelry industry from moving to digital retail. With retail focusing on the customer experience, augmented reality is the next logical step.
Facial recognition software has been a hit in the makeup and hairstyling industry. Augmented reality now allows customers to try on rings, bracelets and necklaces without leaving homes. All they need is a webcam. This makes browsing and buying jewelry online easier. Not to mention the social component adds a fun twist to the process. This is a big step away from catalog-style e-shopping and much closer to the in-store shopping experience.
3D printed jewelry
The combination of computer-aided design (CAD) software and a 3D printer is becoming increasingly popular. The benefits for designers are many and easy to see: faster turnaround times, easy fixes, and incredible attention to detail. Gold, silver, bronze, copper and brass jewelry are produced thanks to the lost wax and casting process. This technology is based on modern 3D printing technology as well as traditional metal casting. The result is more versatile, complex and customized pieces.
When we talk about the benefits of 3D printing in the jewelry industry, it is clear that the cost and labor savings are phenomenal for both buyer and seller. Not to mention that customers can participate in the creation of the pieces in real time. For the first time, customers can participate in all stages of the design and creation of the jewelry they choose. This undoubtedly makes the shopping experience more personal and exciting.
What are the benefits of this technology
After the customization process, things get a little more technical, but just as interesting. The CAD/CAM software platform produces a perfectly proportioned digital file. This eliminates human error. A 3D printed model of the jewelry is then made from thermoplastic wax. The customer-selected metal is cast in the digitally designed mold. Gemstones are then added and set by an expert jeweler to exact specifications online.
Clearly, this process eliminates much of the traditional work involved in jewelry making. This essentially results in shorter production times and lower prices. This new and quite ingenious design method is changing the traditional industry in a truly spectacular way.
Final note
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