Something goes wrong. You spot it in production. Or worse, a customer calls to complain about a shipment. You can’t imagine what happened. What do you do first? Where do you look? How do you find the problem? (more…)

A good jewelry caster must be familiar with some of the basic concepts of metallurgy, ceramic science and mechanics, so that he can use these technologies for the benefit of his trade and art. Jewelry casters over the centuries have done fine work, as is attested to by gold castings done by early Egyptians, Africans and the South American Indians (Fig. 1). (more…)

When you heat up your work for soldering and reach the temperature at which solder flows, you are also creating oxides on the surface of your metal that mar its appearance. In November, we dealt with removing a particularly tricky oxide called fire scale. Other surface oxides are easier to remove, and for these the jeweler can use an acid solution commonly called pickle, which will also remove the residue of flux at the same time. You can also remove these oxides by abrasion using files or abrasive paper, but using a pickle is more efficient. (more…)

Beginner-to-intermediate project.

Fourth in a series of 12 ring repair projects.
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Collecting scrap pieces of metal is inevitable in jewelry fabrication. As a silversmith for the past 13 years, I have collected quite an array of sterling silver scrap. This, of course, could be sold or cast into something useful. However, I am more attracted to starting from scratch. The reward comes from my own design and construction. (more…)

The wife loses a stone; the husband blames the wife; the wife blames the jeweler; the jeweler blames the manufacturer; the manufacturer looks for an answer. (more…)

Intermediate project. Eighth in a series of 12 ring repair projects.
Photos: Barry Blau. (more…)

1. Calculate investment and water requirements. Use a ratio of water/powder of
44\100 for gypsum based investments, ie. 44g (or ml) water to 100g powder.
For any flask of diameter (D) and height (H), calculate investment
requirement as: (more…)

A MAJOR PORTION OF THE JEWELRY MANUFACTURING process is affected by the quality of the master model. The way to successfully lower casting rejection rates lies in the execution of a precise master model. In lostwax casting, a design moves from model to mold to wax to investment to the final cast. Since it is inevitable that a fraction of detail will be lost at each stage, it is vital that the operation begin with the sharpest possible master model. (more…)

Enter the alloy designers. Some praise them. Some pity them. For the alloy designers have a tough job on their hands: They have to design metals that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also offer mechanical properties suitable for making jewelry. This is not an easy task. (more…)