Metal Casting Zone Info Blog

Posts Tagged ‘jewellery’

The Skill of a Master Craftsman or Imported Cast Jewellery? You Choose!

The selection of jewellery available today is greater than it has ever been.  Modern manufacturing methods ensures that the supply of mass designed jewellery is forever growing.

In any country in the world you will find the same type of jewellery,  The designs, the metals and stones that are used in those designs are virtually all the same.  This often imported jewellery is extremely cheap to buy and not expected to last the test of time.

Even some of the more ‘quality’ types of jewellery could be ‘cast jewellery’.  This means that the design has been originally made in wax with a mould being made from the design.  The mould is then filled with a metal, often an inferior one or an amalgamation of different metals and left to harden before the wax is removed.  This is known as lost wax casting.

The piece is then decorated with gems or precious stones, either attached to the piece or placed in the basket fixing such as you would expect for an engagement ring.  Even diamonds are included in pieces made in this way.  A high level of craftsmanship is not required and the piece is not custom made.  Instead, 100s or even 1000s of engagement rings or other pieces of jewellery are made from the same casting, resulting in an inferior product.  Cast jewellery has also found to be softer, therefore you cannot be confident that a piece made from an interior metal will last ‘forever’.

Although many cast and manufactured pieces are made from solid pieces of metal, their hand made counterparts are not and are usually crafted from less solid pieces.  This means that the skill of the craftsman is paramount to ensure that the hand made piece is perfect in every detail and why hand made jewellery is so coveted by passionate enthusiasts.

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The Skill of a Master Craftsman Ensures Quality and Innovative Design

To ensure that your diamond jewellery is totally unique and crafted from quality materials you should go to a diamond merchant such as My Diamonds at www.mydiamonds.com.au where they guarantee that every diamond has been graded using the world renowned GIA Diamond Grading criteria and that every diamond engagement ring, wedding ring or dress ring has been uniquely designed by their Australian Master Craftsman.

Using an eclectic array of loose diamonds, a client can join the artisan on the very first step of his or her journey towards the bespoke piece, ensuring that total confidence and pleasure in the jewellery can be achieved.

Adora Diamond Stud Earrings          Firenze Diamond Pendant        Massimo Men’s Wedding

Band

Stunning designs of handmade jewellery from My Diamonds www.diamond.com.au

The My Diamonds jewellery collection, some of which is showcased above is completely hand made by Australian craftsman in their workshops in Australia. Their designs are totally unique and the diamonds that they include in the designs are of the highest quality as stated by the GIA Diamond Grading Reports or Dossiers which are unique to each diamond.

The My Diamonds master craftsman has been using his talents and training to design the ultimate in diamond jewellery for the last 23 years, having been trained at the esteemed Brussels and Antwerp College of Fine Arts, Jewellery Design and Manufacture.

Because of this My Diamonds have built an unequalled reputation in the field of diamond jewellery that others can only aspire to.  They have complete confidence in their eclectic collection of stunning jewellery which includes wedding bands, engagement rings, men’s jewellery, pendants and diamond stud earrings.

They are now in the enviable position of using the talents of a team of master craftsmen who have all been trained to the same exacting standards by the My Diamonds head jeweller.

To ensure that when you buy your engagement ring or diamond you receive top quality jewellery that is 100% guaranteed go to My Diamonds at www.mydiamonds.com.au or call 1800 766 567

using 80% lead &20%tin,what would be the melting tempretuer for this mix alloy?

Give your Jewellery/Jewelry CAD designing career a new height with India’s Only Jewellery/Jewelry designing Software. You can create from tiny Jewellery parts to large Rhinoceros like giant mammals 3d Model through Precious CAD. Precious CAD is a very user friendly Jewellery designing CAD-CAM Software with 3d modeling features developed by India’s leading innovative software developer Company Precious Microtech Pvt Ltd. Its Special CAD-CAM features enable you to designs jewelry very easily with easy to handle wizards and tools. Send any queries to anoop@preciousmicrotech.com ; info@preciousmicrotech.com. You can develop CAD-CAM Prototype models for your Jewellery manufacturing business. Creating CAD-CAM Prototype 3d model is the first step for Jewelry casting.

Is it possible to make a flask of plaster up with one of those loveheart sweets on a sprew and cast it in silver?

If so, would it cast well or leave lots of residue?

Any help appreciated x

Creating silver jewellery is a labour of love, but well worth the time expended to create a work of art. The first step is to make a wax model using sheets and strips of wax which are carved in very fine detail to produce the design. In this case the finished items are old fashioned houses. Step two is to produce a casting in silver. This is known as the “lost wax procedure” where the wax model is placed into a flask, and “invested”. Essentially this procedure involves pouring into the flask a solution similar to plaster of paris. This sets very quickly around the wax model. Step 3 involves heating the flask up to a very high temperature in a kiln. This has the effect of burning away the wax, and leaving an empty space where the wax once was. Step 4 is the final process where the casting takes place. Molten silver is poured into the flask to fill the space previosly occupied by the wax model. Step 5 is when it gets exciting to see what has been created in silver. The flask which is still very hot is plunged into a bucket of cold water. Thermal shock causes the “investment” to shatter, leaving the silver casting. This piece has to be filed smooth on the edges, and polished on the front and rear to produce what is eventually worn by someone with pride. The video shows the final smoothing, and polishing taking place

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Precious metal clay (brand names are PMC and Art Clay) is modern-day alchemy. PMC is a clay base with tiny pieces of silver suspended within it that, when heated, burns off the clay leaving a solid silver residue. The clay base acts as a binder for the metal particles. Once this has been removed, the remaining silver particles bind together, giving you the finished product.

The real beauty of precious metal clay is that it can be manipulated like any ordinary modelling clay, making it perfect for jewellery making. The modern precious metal clay can be using a jeweller’s torch, as the firing temperature is much lower than the early versions of this clay. However, a small kiln will produce a much more constant temperature range and can be controlled exactly, meaning that the results will be more consistent.

Precious Metal Clay once had a very bad reputation for shrinkage, making it unsuitable for fine work or detail. Modern precious metal clays have a much lower shrinkage rate (around 10-15%), but you still need to factor this into the final piece to ensure that really fine detail is not lost in the firing process.

Once fired, the silver piece will seem very lacklustre and dull, so it will need finishing. The dull matt surface hides the real beauty underneath, so finishing and polishing will reveal the shining silver below. When soldering finished precious metal clay pieces it is essential to remember that the surface will be more porous than standard sterling silver, so it is best to burnish the piece prior to soldering. But because it is almost pure silver there is little risk of fire stain on the surface and the final results are almost indistinguishable from sterling silver.

Because precious metal clay is a clay, it takes impressions very well. A design can be pressed onto the surface of the clay and be revealed in the final silver piece. Patterned rollers, lace or even leaves can be used to create unique effects that are difficult to reproduce in ordinary silver unless it has been cast. Precious metal clay is a popular way of making silver beads. The clay can be formed into beads, decorated with a surface pattern and then fired in a kiln quickly and easily, producing high quality silver beads.

Safety considerations have to be taken into account when working with precious metal clay because of the high temperatures required to fire the clay. A small enamelling kiln allows you to safely achieve the temperatures required for optimum results, but ensure that you have all the correct equipment such as tongs with heat resistant handles to extract work from the kiln safely and a heat-proof surface upon which to work.

Precious metal clay is an ideal medium to work in if you want to create pieces of silver jewellery that are unique to you. The only thing that limits you is your imagination. Precious metal silver clay is widely available from good jewellery equipment suppliers. There are two main brands – Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay Silver. The clay is also available in other metals including gold, but the cost is significantly higher than the silver clay.

Before crafting handmade jewellery two things, casting and making of jewellery by hand, must be understood. This will help you to decide whether making of jewellery by hand is worse or better, than casting.

The handcrafted jewellery is designed by hammering, bending, twisting and soldering the metal in desired form. For instance, while making a plain gold wedding ring the jeweller will start off by having a lump of gold metal in an undefined shape and will melt it down. Then he will pour the melted gold into a steel container which will harden the liquid for giving desired shape. The liquid will be turned into a thick bar. Then jeweller will roll the piece up to a time that he will finally get a long flat piece. After that he will cut down the pieces in a length that can be easily fit in customer’s finger. In the next stage he will hammer the piece to give a shape of ring and will join the both corners to create a ring. After that, he will give it a nice circular shape and polish it. Then recommended gems or crystals will be fitted into the ring. Now the gold wedding handmade ring is ready. This whole process might take one hour or little more. The whole process will start again as mentioned, if another ring is required to be made.

So the hand made jewellery piece will take hours or may be days to craft while casting it will take minutes for casting numerous identical pieces. In hand made jewellery the labor cost is a main factor. On casting, only the cleaning is required and nothing else and short time is spent in casting method.

For casting, in the jewellery trade the Lost Wax casting method is used as main method of casting. In this method, a master piece is prepared first and this master piece can be used to make unlimited copies of the jewellery item. In casting method large number of rings are made at one time but in hand made method only one piece is made at one time. So it can be said that the piece of handmade jewellery is stronger and heavier because of the techniques used like hammering and filling which make the piece hard and qualitative.

In casting sometimes the bubbles remains inside and missed by the manufacturer, which make it a less quality product and less durable. Nowadays this kind of problem can be easily controlled by highly sophisticated equipments but it could happen. The casting method can also be said a duplicating method by which a manufacturer copies number of rings of a piece.

So comparing both methods, the hand made piece of jewellery can be a unique thing and an expensive one. Casting method is cheaper and many people can enjoy the same product. Handmade jewellery is long lasting, durable and harder as compared to jewellery made with the casting method.

Like any other craft, jewellery making has a list of essential tools that will make your hobby much more enjoyable and your results much more professional. For the beginner it can be confusing as the huge selection of tools available range from the basic to the specialist. However, there are certain jewellery making tools that should have a place in everyone’s studio.

The first thing to look at is your surroundings. Tools don’t just include pliers and cutters – the definition also incorporates things such as adequate lighting, a suitable working area and good storage facilities. Ask any jewellery maker or craftsperson which is the most essential tool of all and they will all tell you the same thing: good lighting. Without adequate lighting you will find it harder to do fine work and you risk straining your eyes. If you have directional lighting make sure that it doesn’t come from behind you, as you will end up casting your own shadow across your work, making it difficult to see fine details.

Once you start making jewellery you will be surprised how quickly you start to accumulate equipment, so apart from having a good working area make sure you have plenty of storage facilities. Findings or bead storage boxes are ideal. They’re strong and compartmentalised, meaning there are plenty of separate sections to keep findings and beads stored safely.

There are three basic types of pliers used for jewellery making; round nose, snipe nose and crimping pliers. Round nose pliers (also known as rosary pliers) have rounded jaws that taper to a point. They are used for bending wire and for making loops, coils and spirals. Snipe nose pliers are semi-round with the inside of the jaws being flat. They are used for bending and wrapping wire, making loops and opening and closing jump rings. Crimping pliers have specially notched jaws that are used to fold and crimp metal crimp beads.

Wire cutters, preferably flushing cutting, are essential for making clean, precise cuts on wire, beading wire, eyepins and headpins. It may be tempting to use a pair of ordinary wire cutters to try and save money, but jewellery wire cutters are designed specifically for use with the different types of wire used in jewellery making. A pair of good wire cutters is an investment that will keep their sharp cutting edge for far longer than a cheaper alternative.

Because you are using tools, safety must be a consideration. A good pair of safety glasses is a wise investment and although you won’t need them for simple projects such as stringing beads, cutting wire can produce small chips that can damage the eyes very easily. You will also need to consider other safety measures if you are using glues and adhesives, so ensure that your working area is well ventilated. If you are using any heat (such as kilns or gas burners) then ensure that your jewellery making equipment includes a heatproof surface to stand hot objects on.

Finding a good supplier is your next task. There are plenty of jewellery equipment suppliers, so the first thing is to find one that has a reputation not just for supplying the hobby market, but for supplying the professionals as well. You can be certain that the equipment they supply will be of the highest standard. It is a case of paying for quality, but the bare essentials such as the three basic pliers and a pair of wire cutters will give you a good starting point. From then you can add equipment as you go along, including magnifying work lights, speciality pliers, reamers and, of course, plenty of books on jewellery making!

In the magnificent era of Mughals, the ladies of the harem got their jewelry designed from exclusive jewelers who hand-carved explicit designs in gold, silver and gems to please their discerning royalties. The individual style signatures and the vanity were blended with feminine fantasies to come out through gold and silver chunks, painstakingly handcrafted jewelry. Such is the persona of this gold and silver jewelry ensemble. Silver jewelry and gold rings make for an exquisite handcrafted gift from the treasure trove of Indian handicraft.

We take pride in introducing ourselves as one of the leading manufacturers engaged in wholesale supplies and export of Indian Antique Silver Jewelry. Our jewelry is 100 % Handmade right from raw material silver and rough stone to the finished sparkling jewelry. We are making endeavors to design exquisite Silver jewelry to bring about a touch of ethnicity and glamour to the wearer. Excelling in design & finish, we offer quality silver jewelry in varied shapes & sizes.

We offer our customer a great level of satisfaction through reasonable and competitive pricing and maintaining quality with prompt commitment of delivery. We manufacture Silver Jewelry with a fine purity of 92.5% with color gemstones and offer you a wide range of design and quality. The jewelry is a creation out of our experience and is fabricated by our skilled artisans at our manufacturing unit. We have a strong experience in this business and are well known in the trade.

The Silver Jewelry is embellished with precious and semi-precious stones. We also supply Silver beads, Silver Pendants, Silver Bangles, Silver Anklets and many more type of India silver jewelry. Our dazzling collection of handcrafted Indian silver jewelry includes Sterling Silver Earrings, Sterling Silver Beads, Silver Antiques, Silver Bracelets, Silver Rings, Silver Pendants, Silver Bangles, Silver Necklace, Silver Chains, Silver Beads, Silver Anklets, Silver Charms, and Silver Cast Jewelry.

Our silver jewellery collection offering new and innovative designs of silver rings, silver necklaces, silver pendants, silver bracelets and silver earrings made in sterling silver. Every item is truly perfect in design.

The classic designs are made here in silver. The products offered match international standards in terms of both – quality and design.

We offer a huge variety of silver jewellery that includes precious and semi-precious silver products like silver rings…for women and men too…special, silver necklaces…design to fit everyone, silver pendants…for once who is very special, silver bracelets…a unique gift for anyone and silver earrings…everlasting gift. These beautiful items can be adjusted to any size required by adding a small link.

It is jewelry that denotes what is traditional to a place. Indian jewelry is a demand all over the world. Jewelry in India is worn as a complete ensemble, and not as an accessory. Indian gold jewelry is famous all over the world. For instance the Rajasthani jewelry is exported all over the world and is mainly set in silver. Rajasthan, men and women traditionally wore necklaces, armlets, anklets, earrings and rings. With the advent of the Mughal Empire, Rajasthan became a major centre for production of the finest kind of jewelry. Further down, in southern India, most of the jewelry is chunky, solid gold and the designs are motifs like the sun and moon. At the other extreme, the north Indian traditionally wore more silver jewelry. Each region of India today has its own special kind of jewelry, developed by highly skilled workmen. Each style has its own specifications.