MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Design.

The design process relies heavily on marrying our creative team with your requirements, and to facilitate that for large clients we will find the designers best suited to the product category and they will then produce a stable supply of similar “feel” for that client going forward. In some cases, the initial stages of a relationship will require the designing to be done in pencil/pen to rapidly deploy many designs, so that a selection can be made by a client, prior to getting involved in the longer CAD process. The pen and pencil approach is still used by all our designers if any uncertainty about  new product exists.. for all the technology we have, there is still no replacement for a good old fashioned pencil sketch sometimes!

However in many cases our designers will get the “feel” for a client after one or two projects and then typically the designing with be done in CAD directly, where we use multiple software platforms, including JewelCad, ArtCam, Rhino, Matric, 3DCoat, Zbrush, Tsplines etc etc coupled with 3D scanners, allowing our  creative team the  freedom to produce any product they can dream up.

The process from CAD will be a proofing process. In many cases a large scale CAD image will not be representative of the tiny part it will be making, so our design teams have smaller 3D printers in their workspaces, for rapidly (four hours or less) producing a physical model to have a tactile gauge of the design validity prior to more involved prototyping. In many cases where large selections are required by a buyer the resins are enough to eliminate many unsuitable selections and speed up the process significantly.

Images of B9 printer, some layouts of b9 printed resin, a designer comparing a resin print of same design onscreen etc etc

Once a CAD model is approved for sample production it will go to a dedicated sample room, which is a small cross section of our main factory, with staff selected for their ability to hold very tight schedules and very tight tolerances. This is the coal face of our design business. Once a model is approved the resin will be reprinted on out inhouse high end printers, or in some cases hand carved from wax, or even hand made. All resulting in a master model which needs to be of the highest quality possible.

The process is similar to the main factory process, but just in much smaller volumes.

CASTING:

The wax/resin model will be added to a “tree” of models ready to be cast

The process involves lost wax casting and the result would look similar to below after casting.

Once the sample is cast it will make its way onto the benches of the sample room where highly skilled artisans will

Separate it from the regular casting goods and set about the tasks of turning it into a master model.

Multipiece items are assembled and once completed will make their way to setting.

While the casting and cleaning process was underway our inhouse team of gemologists and sourcing specialists will have sourced and graded the gems for the product,

And once the product has been carefully cleaned up and prepared by the craftsmen, the gems and product will make its way to our highly skilled stone setters. Even if a product has been wax set it is still sent to the hand setters to be “beaded” to ensure a great look as well as a secure fit.