As the saying goes, everyone loves beauty. Throughout the ages, people have dressed themselves in various ways such as clothing, makeup and hair. I don’t know when it started, jewelry has become the most preferred decorations. Nowadays, there is an endless variety of jewelry on the market. I wonder if you have ever wondered a question when you buy jewelry – how many processes are needed to produce a piece of jewelry?
In this article, we will introduce you to the basic departments of a jewelry factory – the patternmaker’s department, the goldsmith’s department, the finishing department, and the quality control department. This is just the most basic classification and can be broken down into more departments if you want to refine it. When you finish reading this article, you will surely be amazed at the magnitude and complexity of the jewelry making process.
The Platemaker’s Department
One thing that is well known is that jewelry making starts with a design drawing. It is of course best if the client has their own drawings, if not, then the layout department is the one responsible for the design drawings. There are many positions in this department, and each employee has his or her own role.
The hand draughtsman is responsible for drawing and coloring the designs by hand. If there is no hand draftsman, a jewelry designer can do the job on the side. It is not enough to have a flat design drawing. In order to better show the number of loose diamonds to be set in the gemstone, the three-dimensional shape of the gemstone, and other details of the design, the 3D artist has to convert the flat design drawing into a 3D drawing. With a detailed 3D drawing, the craftsman can see the appearance and some details of the jewelry from multiple angles and estimate the weight of the jewelry. Due to technical limitations, many of the jewelry styles designed in the design drawings are still relatively simple and symmetrical. Before the formal production, there is still a need for engraving wax molding, which is the specialty of engraving waxworkers. In the era before the emergence of 3d spray wax technology, the molds need to be handmade by waxers, which is a very severe test for waxers. The wax jewelry made by a skilled waxworker is not only accurate in size and realistic in appearance, but also accurate in mold.
Goldsmith Department
The goldsmith department is an indispensable department. After making the wax molds, the staff of the goldsmith department will go to the mold pouring factory to pour the molds for the finished products. After the molding is completed, the person in charge of the department will compare the drawings and modify and perfect the molded products that are not so good, so that the finished products will be the same as the design drawings as much as possible.
Inlay Department
The work content of this department is more complicated than other departments. It starts with stone matching – workers pick out thousands of stones in the right color and size for the setting, while others are sent to the gemstone turner for cutting and polishing so that they can be set into the jewelry. The right stones come to the setter. Setters know how to set all kinds of stones, but no matter how vast their knowledge base, their job is one of the most difficult and risky. This is because some gemstones are naturally fragile. If a gemstone accidentally breaks during the setting process, the setter must assume some responsibility. To avoid such risks, they take out setting insurance before setting expensive stones.
It takes a lot of time to set stones that are very small in size. Setting balls and stereo microscope are often used in order to be able to see the details of the tiny stones and to increase the efficiency of the work. Even with these tools, the best setters can only set a maximum of six hundred tiny stones a day.
The Finishing Department
As the name suggests, the finishing department is responsible for polishing, brushing, and sanding the metal parts of the jewelry with tools such as sandpaper and flywheels. If there is a need for engraving, it can also be done in this department. After all the processes are completed, there is one more important step – the thorough cleaning of the gemstones so that they can be presented to the customer in the most perfect way.
Quality Control Department
The Quality Control Department is responsible for checking the quality of the gemstones, also known as Quality Control, which is the last hurdle before the gemstones leave the factory. No gemstone is allowed to leave the factory without passing the quality inspection. Quality inspection usually includes checking whether the gemstone has any flaws, whether the gemstone’s setting is secure, and whether the gemstone is the right size. After the product inspector has completed the inspection, the piece of jewelry is ready to be packed and delivered to the long-awaited customer.
Summary
I believe that after reading this article, you have already understood how many procedures a piece of jewelry needs to go through to be born, and how much hard work it is the result of many people’s efforts. The jewelry you wear takes a long time and a lot of hard work before it finally reaches you. If you are interested in setting and engraving gemstones, you can follow us and we will take you on to learn more about jewelry.
