STEP 1 – DESIGNING
The process of creating jewellery is truly magical! It involves several steps, including designing, model making, and the final quality check. Designing is the initial step, where the jewellery designer transforms an idea into a tangible design through evaluation and further analysis.
STEP 2 – DESIGNING ON CAD/CAM
After the design stage, the next step is the CAD/CAM stage, which involves using CAD software. Designers use CAD software to improve the accuracy and quality of their designs in both 2D and 3D. It also helps in creating a manufacturing database. Once a jewellery designer completes a concept design on paper, it is translated into the CAD system. This conversion from the paper concept to the digital system uses CAD software or computer-aided design technology. CAM, or computer-aided manufacturing software, is then used to automate the manufacturing processes.
STEP 3 – MAKING THE DESIGN MODEL
The next stage is model making, which involves converting resin output from CAM to a silver model (a master design used to create similar jewellery pieces using a rubber mould) through the casting process.
STEP 4 – MAKING RUBBER MOULD
The fourth stage in the production process is the Rubber Mould stage, which is crucial for creating multiple pieces of the same designed jewellery. The rubber mould securely holds the designs and allows for the production of replicas in the future. The mould can be made from various materials such as natural rubber, silicone, or metal, and the process of creating the mould is called “Vulcanizing.”
Step 5 – TREEING WAX PIECES
The next stage in the jewellery manufacturing process involves producing wax pieces. These wax pieces are made from rubber moulds created from a silver master. The waxing process includes placing the rubber mould on a commercial wax injector machine and then pressure injecting it into the cavity to make wax models. These wax models are used for casting. The wax pieces are soldered on a wax stem in a process called ‘treeing’. ‘Treeing’ is when a sprue is attached to each wax piece at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with the stem. The lighter items are placed at the top of the tree, while the heavier ones are placed at the bottom of the tree.
Step 6 – CASTING
The casting stage is considered one of the most complex processes in jewellery manufacturing at Jawhara Jewellery. Skilled and experienced casters are required for this process. First, the wax tree is placed in a steel flask and then covered with a chemical powder slurry, solidifying in approximately an hour. The flask is then placed in an electric furnace to melt the wax, leaving a cavity in the tree. The resulting molten metal is poured into the flask and allowed to cool. Once the metal has cooled and solidified, the flask is demolished, revealing the jewellery created through casting.
Step 7 – GRINDING & SMOOTHENING
Grinding is the next stage in the jewellery manufacturing process. This process involves using a polisher to grind off the remaining nub after the casting process. The nub is the excess material left after the raw casting is removed from the casting tree. The polisher uses a motorised grinding machine to smooth the surface of the gold piece of jewellery. The final step in the grinding process is polishing, which is done by holding the jewellery piece against the spinning grinding wheel to achieve a smooth surface as required.
Step 8 – FILING, ASSEMBLY AND PRE-POLISHING
Our next phase in the jewellery manufacturing process is Filing. During filing, excess metal or solder is removed from the piece using tools such as files and burs to achieve a smooth finish. Following filing, the assembly task takes place, which involves joining two or more components of the same design using soldering or laser techniques. The next step is polishing, which gives the jewellery a neat and refined finish while enhancing its value. The polishing stage involves three steps: tumbling, pre-polishing, and ultra-cleaning. It’s important to note that jewellery pieces with diamonds require pre-polishing before the diamonds are set, as the diamond portions can’t be polished once the diamonds are put in place, which may affect the natural shine of the diamond.
Step 9 – METAL & STONE SETTING
The metal and stone setting is the 9th stage in jewellery manufacturing. This process involves attaching or setting the gemstone to the jewellery piece. Different metal settings are used to create various designs, and combining different metal settings can give the jewellery a captivating appearance. There are various metal settings, including prong, plate prong, pave, bezel, pressure, bead, flush, invisible, fishtail, miracle plate, and channel.
Step 10 – POLISHING & FINISHING
The tenth stage of jewellery production is the polishing stage, during which the jewellery is polished to ensure it shines brightly once the stones are set. The polishing can be done manually or by using a machine. Tools for manual polishing include soft buff, solid buff, hair buff, single line ball buff, coin buff, platinum polishing rouge, red and green rouge (to enhance shine), black lustre (to remove casting or to fill layers), and white lustre (for removing roughness).
Step 11 – RHODIUM PLATING
Rhodium plating is the second-to-last stage of jewellery manufacturing. It involves applying rhodium to jewellery, a sparkling white-coloured precious metal that provides better resistance to scratches and tarnishes. Rhodium is used on yellow gold to create a visually appealing design and pattern, and white gold enhances its whiteness (because pure white gold is not very white).
Step 12 – QUALITY CHECK
Quality check is the final step in jewellery manufacturing, just as crucial as the preceding steps. The quality control team ensures the end product meets specified standards and requirements. Quality control encompasses three methods: measurement, visual inspection, and mechanical inspection.