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Tyler Kimble

Ms. Spear

Capstone

10/23/17

Jewelry

The process of manufacturing jewelry is a long process done with precision. Pieces of jewelry

tell different stories about the person wearing it. Who they are, what they like, it all has a

meaning. Jewelry expresses you, and what you believe in. Fashion, Sentimental Values, and

religion are ways people express jewelry, like wearing a cross around your neck for protection

from evil.

Wearing jewelry for fashion is very common. We wear the pieces that go the best with

the fits they are wearing. It asserts the one wearing them their own style. Jewelry is somewhat

known as the cherry on top for some outfits. Jewelry allows you to be themselves, be unique.

Self-esteem is a big part of wearing jewelry as well. Wearing a really nice piece could get you

some compliments that boost you up.

A sentimental treasure is something you hold dear to your heart. Something that you

cherish. Jewelry can easily fit this position. A sentimental jewelry piece could be a piece of

jewelry passed down from generations and found its way into your hands. Even a wedding ring

is considered a sentimental piece.

Other than fashion, jewelry can show your faith as well. Jewelry plays a huge roll in jewelry.

People wear pieces with religious symbols as a sign of respect. Some wear them to protect them

from evil spirits. Religious pieces carry a meaning within them, such as a cross representing the

pain and suffering Jesus went through to save us from our sins.
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Dating back to prehistoric times, jewelry has always been a part of culture. The earliest evidence

we have is around one hundred thousand years old. Early humans wear animal teeth, pebbles or

shells as accessories to express themselves. Some would use semi-precious materials such as

obsidian, as gems.

As Time went by, there were advances that led to the discovery of gems, such as ruby,

jade, gold, and silver. Due to the discovery of these precious metals, they were able to make an

ornament for every part of the body. For the head there were crowns, ear, nose and lip rings. The

neck and torso had necklaces, belly rings, and belts. Bracelets, and rings were for arms, and

ankle bracelets for the leg. The three major countries that influenced these pieces were Egypt,

China, and India

Egypt became a very dominant civilization in ancient history. They made huge

technological advances that led to the discovery of gems, and other precious metals. Egyptian

jewelry is inspired by royalty, and deep luxury. The moment Egypt became the leading

manufacture of jewelry was when they discovered gold. Golden jewelry a symbol of power, and

religion in Egypt. This is why you see it in most of ancient tombs. (Gregorietti)

The Chinese started producing jewelry 5000 years ago, when, Yang-shao rose to power.

As years go by, many Asian countries find themselves under the influence of Chinese jewelry

design. China was known for their taste of material. They would prefer to use Silver over gold,

and jade over anything else. The Chinese would say Jade protects the bearer as a talisman. Jade

indicated grace, dignity, and morality (HistoryofJewelry,2017). It was regarded as being more

important than Gold at the time. In India, jewelry played a very big role as well. In fact the first

discovery of Diamonds were in India. Indians focused their production on natural material such
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as seeds, flowers, fruits, etc. Its great knowing where jewelry came from, and how it was being

worn back then.

Before the whole manufacturing of jewelry, you need a design. Designing Jewelry brings

out the desires of the customer. Whether it be the need for beauty, the act of commitment, or a

remembrance of a lost one. They want something that would truly bring out their emotions.

Jewelry could also be designed based off of your faith. Or jewelry that shows loyalty of a

movement, organization, or family. Designers also need to decide the gem that would bring out

the beauty of the finished piece. Designers should be unique, but should stay within the market to

see what’s selling the best nowadays.

When you design jewelry it starts with a sketch, a detailed drawing with color added, or

CAD jewelry design, a computer software that Designers are now using for their sketches. The

rest of the manufacturing process relies on this first design sketch. Although it won’t be perfect,

there will be a couple of fixes during the manufacturing process. It is important to make the

sketch a reasonable size or, to be able to scale it. You don’t want the jewelry to be too out of

size. When sketching make sure you know what material you are using, and how it can be used,

and also the cost of the material. You don’t want to end up with a piece that only millionaires

could buy, unless that’s who it’s meant for.

When making jewelry you would want to include one or two of these principals. The

principals are balance, unity, and contrast. Balance being distribution of weight color etc. There

are 2 types of balance, Symmetrical balance which is the same on both sides. Asymmetrical,

which is where a bigger piece is on the other side or a different or darker color. Unity is having

all of the aspects of the piece come together. You want them to relate to each other, like having a
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similar texture. Last contrast is having parts that don’t work together with each other, such as

light and dark colors.

When designing a piece of jewelry keep mind the limitations of your craftsmen. You

don’t want anything that’s impossible for them at their skill level, or talent. The craftsmen are the

ones responsible for creating the piece itself after all. (underhill, 2017).

After Designers finish their sketches or CAD drawings you can pass the work down to

the Caster. Casting is what brings the concept into a reality. Casting has been around for many,

many years. From Blacksmithing to pots and pans. Casting is a manufacturing process in which a

liquid material is poured into a mold and later hardens into the wanted shape. When preparing to

cast jewelry you begin with is the mold itself. Your design that you made on CAD, would now

be made by a wax prototype machine. The Wax is used to represent what the finished project

looks like. Next you take the wax and use plaster to create what is called the investment. The

investment is then heated in very high temperature this is called the burnout stage. You begin the

burnout process. This is the act of making a cast for the mold. You start by placing wax models

on a sprue, to make some sort of tree. The molds are arranged to allow the flow of molten metal

to flow through it. Once that is done you place the sprue into a flask, and then have it filled with

plaster. You want the flask to have negative atmospheric pressure on the inside of the flask. This

means to have absolutely no air pressure. To achieve this, the flask goes through a procedure

called “debubbilizing”, where air bubbles, and pockets are removed from the flask. After that

process its then put into a kiln where heated from 12 up to 16 hours in 1600 degree temperature.

(underhill 2017). A good flask will have 0 signs of wax remaining. When the flasks are cooled,

the investment is destroyed leaving the tree containing the models as branches. After the casting

is complete begin the stone setting process.

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Once you have the crafting process complete, you begin to finish the piece. During

crafting, the piece is very rough, and worn the finishing stage seems to unleash the true beauty

within the jewelry. Crafters skilled in polishing use a variety of tools and machines used for

getting rid of rusty, or uneven surfaces.

Finishing begins with the rough model created during the casting stage. The rough

castings are sent down to the polishers on the sprue. They would cut each in piece of jewelry off

of the tree individually. They are then put into tumblers which burnish or polish imprinted

surfaces or balance uneven metal. After the tumbler the crafters use hand held tools and flies to

remove deep scratches, or unwanted shapes upon the pieces. They then contour metal surfaces to

acquire an even finish that flows with the lines of the design. Wheels are made, with soft muslin,

with less abrasive components, to polish the metal for shine. The wheels are rotated on hand

held shafts, or polishing machines.

Once the wanted polish is achieved, added textures or finishes can be applied. These

could be satin finished, or sand blasting patterns. When this stage is complete you want to

inspect your piece. Make sure you do a thorough inspection, to look for any wear or erosion.

After everything is done apply chemical finishers to the piece. Stone setting is the next stage

where the main element is added.

The stone is what completes the piece, it is what sets the mood of the entire project.

Setting the stones for jewelry takes high skill and done by highly skilled artists, and crafters. You

start the stone setting process with the preparation. The preparation is usually getting your tools

and stones set for the process. The tools include hand held items, such as bezel rollers which are

used for wrapping stones in precious metal. There are clamps, and fixtures such as jigs which are

which is a tool for making sure the setting is fixed at the correct angle you want. Punches, such
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as a setting punch, pliers and milgrain and texturing tools. When all of the tools are set, you

begin actually begin setting the stone.

There are several stone setting techniques used in the process. The prong setting, which is

commonly used in wedding rings. Prong is the most known setting technique. Prong setting uses

long prong coming from each side of the piece to allow for the stones to be placed on the inside,

using pliers as the tool. The prongs are then cut down to the size of the piece. Bead setting is a

technique used for putting stone directly into the metal. This usually used to display series of

small diamonds in rows using a drill. Bezel setting is known as the oldest way of holding a stone

in place. Bezel setting is sitting stones into thin strips of metal, and using a roller to make the

metal take the shape of the stone. Flush setting is used to make stones lie flush, or lie on the same

plane as the metal. Flush holes are made by drilling, and using flexible hand tools to secure the

stone in place. Now that the stone is set a little more polishing and finishing, and you have your

piece complete.

Jewelry has been around for many years serving different meanings to different people.

Since prehistoric times people, and animals have been decorating themselves. They all have a

reasoning to why. This is why jewelry is an important part of our everyday lives. Jewelry tells an

entire story. A jade ring on your finger, could look like a really nice expensive piece, while to

you it is the ring given to you by your parents as a means of protection. Self –expression is one

of the reasons why we also wear jewelry. “To be an individual you must stand out from the herd”

(Garry, 2017). Jewelry allows people to be themselves. Everyone has on the new Nike shoe, or

the new Adidas, but the bracelet around your neck in unique and you are the only one who own

it. The process for making these unique pieces takes time and dedication. The people who make

these wonderful pieces come to life are the designers, and the casters. To design to finish they
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never slack. They work hard, and get the job done. To the crafter to the consumer it all means a

lot.