| We need to understand two things before we | | | | by hand. In the jewellery trade the main casting |
| can make a decision as to whether a piece of | | | | method is called The Lost Wax Casting Method. |
| jewellery made by hand is better or worse than a | | | | Advantages and disadvantages of the two |
| casting: What is a casting? What is made by | | | | methods: |
| hand? | | | | A hand made piece takes hours and sometimes |
| Hand made Jewellery. | | | | days to make while a casting takes minutes to |
| Jewellery made by hand is jewellery which is | | | | cast a hundred identical pieces. Of course there is |
| made by the use of bending, twisting, hammering, | | | | cleaning up to do but the time spent is nothing like |
| filing sawing and soldering metal until it has the | | | | making a piece by hand. So the labour cost is a |
| form of a piece of jewellery that the maker | | | | fraction of the hand made piece. |
| wants. | | | | A hand made piece is likely to be stronger and |
| Let's take a simple example: a plain wedding band | | | | denser and as it is hammered and filed it |
| or wedder as it is often referred to. The jeweller | | | | becomes harder in the process. The jeweller is |
| starts off with a lump of gold which he melts | | | | carefully making this single piece and is naturally |
| down and pours into a steel mould. It comes out | | | | conscious of its quality all the way. |
| of this mould in the shape of something | | | | Sometimes a casting can have bubbles inside |
| resembling a big nail. He takes this piece and rolls | | | | which may be missed by the manufacturer |
| the metal through a mill until finally he get a long | | | | causing the item to break years later for no |
| flat piece of metal. He cuts that piece to a length | | | | apparent reason. Of course, in a modern, well |
| which will fit around the customer's finger. Next he | | | | equipped workshop things like this are under tight |
| hammers it into the shape of a ring and he | | | | control, but it can happen. |
| solders it to form a ring. After that he might file it | | | | Is a hand made piece unique? Not necessarily. The |
| into a nice rounded shape, polish it, and he now | | | | jeweller might have a cast piece which he is |
| has a gold wedding band! The whole process | | | | copying. I am often asked to copy a |
| probably takes about an hour or a bit more | | | | grandmother's piece of jewellery so that it can be |
| Now he wants another one for the customer's | | | | given to a second daughter. |
| spouse to be. So the whole process starts again | | | | So what's the answer? Which is the better |
| and proceeds just like the last. Tomorrow a new | | | | method? A casting will be cheaper and so more |
| customer comes in and wants a ring just like the | | | | people can enjoy the same thing. Would I be |
| one he made yesterday so wouldn't it be better if | | | | happy for my daughter to wear a cast ring? |
| he could have copied the first one some how? | | | | Absolutley, in fact she does. But I have also made |
| The casting process. | | | | her many pieces by hand. |
| He now makes one perfect wedding ring. Once | | | | A one off engagement ring may be better if it is |
| finished this is called the model or master. From | | | | made by hand with all that attention to detail and |
| this master he is going to make tens or hundreds | | | | quality, but it is going to cost you for the |
| of copies all identical to the first one that he made | | | | priviledge! |