Definitions - Information

Glossary l Techniques l Jewellery classifications

Glossary :

Made to order - Jewellery commissioned as a 'work in progress' special.

Every 'new design' is made to order.

Where the manufacturing process is 'design led', a rough plan of manufacturing processes is created. and cost estimates can be made.

Design led - Some new jewellery comes to life starting from a concept. This is a facet of the jewellery trade. Professional jewellery designers and contemporary jewellers create wildly different styles. In design led jewellery the mechanics are less relevant than the desired look. Traditional jewellery adheres to strict standards of manufacture and style, generally based on practicality. There is a large field opening up where designers can have their designs realised using Cad Cam. Most jewellers entertain creative ideas when an understanding about the practical limitations and possibilities has formed.

Mass produced - Made from a master pattern and designed to be reproduced. The jewellery is usually cast or die struck. The stones may be set in the wax before casting. Only the outer surfaces are polished and the alloys used are designed to be cast or struck and polished quickly. After sales care and serviceability is not a factor in the cheapest examples.

Wrought platinum - Metal that has been forged into shape using hammers and rolling mills. Metal that has been worked gains a tighter grain as the metal compresses and forms a crystalline structure.

Heat treating (metal) - Metal 'grain' (microscopic) continues to get tighter when it is worked, until it breaks. Most alloys can be heated to reduce the tightness of the grain and soften the metal. All alloys differ in their 'annealing' properties.

NB: annealed metals are softer, however wrought metal will 'age harden' to it's hardest state and basic wear speeds the hardening process. I recommend re-polishing a new ring after a few months to complete the hardening and because most wear happens in the first few months.

I use PT 950 RU 50 alloy (platinum/ruthenium), which hardens slowly.
Some orders take longer to fulfill when the alloy has to be hardened before stones are set.

Metal hardness - All precious alloys have a soft and hard rating. In general metal is heated to the desired colour and either quenched or air cooled to soften. It naturally hardens over time and stresses expedite the process.

Bespoke The term is derived from the old expression 'be spoken' - that is, the piece of material was bespoken for. Bespoke jewellery is rare. 'Custom made' is similar to 'bespoke' because both terms suggest the piece was produced individually to the customers' taste. Unlike 'hand made', custom made does not necessarily mean that the jewel was produced by hand.

Set (verb) - The process of fastening the diamond into the setting. There are numerous setting styles and some techniques can only be achieved by talented specialists.

Bright cut - the process of engraving a polished rim or frame around stone(s). Bright cutting highlights the row, or set of stones with a polished borders.

Pave/micro pave' - Diamonds set in row (French - 'path').
A single row of diamonds is often known as grain set. Pave' set diamonds are set with tiny grains which hold the stone at the edges. How many grains depends on the setting. The aim is to provide enough strength without covering too much diamond.
Micro pave' is possible to do under a microscope. Diamonds as small as -.5mm can be set in complicated patterns and hundreds can fit on one ring. This is one of the only features of modern jewellery that can't be found in antique/ancient jewellery.

Melee - set of small diamonds

Tcw & ct - 'Total carat weight' (Tcw) refers to the weight of every stone, whereas ct refers to 'a' stone. this relevant when comparing prices, as 100 x .1ct stones is about 20% as expensive as 1 x 1ct stone.

Diamond make - The overall quality of the stone. This term refers to more than the 4c's. For example 2 x 1ct certified E, VS brilliant cut diamonds can look different. The better one has a better make. The 'make' can be attributed to the preferred angles for light return, but they include the polish and any 'cheating' done to get the most from the diamond ruff.

Square set/Diagonally set - The orientation of a square diamond from the top.

N/S & E/W orientation - Rectangular gems can face:
N/S = down the finger &
E/W = across the finger.

Ct & karat stamp - Stamps include platinum - 950, PLAT (Pt = platinum alloy or part). Gold - 750, 18k, white gold may have Pt,Pd stamped if the alloy includes platinum/palladium. Silver - 925, Sterling (There are other registered alloys with their own stamps). Palladium - PLAD (Palladium is also 950 pure, but 950 only denotes platinum). Some jewellery has diamond weight stamped, for instance 1.01ct.

With all fine jewellery it is mandatory to stamp the metal purity with a mark. By law the maker must show the correct Karat.

Karat weight/Carat weight - The carat (abbreviation ct or Kt ) is a measure of the purity of gold alloys . The spelling 'karat' is used for gold, while the spelling carat is used to refer to the measure of mass for gemstones.

Individual mark - Personal mark of the craftsman. They can be traceable through a touchplate when they are registered. There are various guilds and halls who keep touchplate's of personal marks. Guild marks provide providence. They are generally used as a mark of pride on 'special' pieces.

Guild marks - Many of my pieces have the kangaroo logo and date stamp. This logo represents the Gold and Silversmith Guild of Australia. Guild marks are only used on quality pieces.

Note to Marks - Marks are stamped/pressed into precious metals with steel dies. They wear out and are often replaced. I have 4 individual marks and that is not uncommon.

Stock gauge - Raw alloy. Metal bought from the refinery comes in various sizes, known collectively as 'stock gauge'. For example, metal for rings will be 6mm stock gauge.

Hand made/custom made/bespoke/Hand wrought/Made to order/One off/Exhibition standard/heirloom/Cast
Similar terms:
1) Hand made - widely used term meant to suggest the piece was made by hand. It can include pieces that have 'cast' elements in them. Hand made differs from factory made, mass-produced pieces.
2) Custom made - the piece has been custom designed. Custom made pieces can be hand made, or entirely cast.
3) Bespoke - the piece has been custom designed. This is a more traditional term and should denote traditional methods.
4) Hand wrought - Made from stock gauge alloy, the piece has been shaped with a hammer.
5) Made to order - Hand made & custom designed. Similar to 'bespoke'.
6) One off - Artistic, one only piece.
7) Exhibition Standard - Perfect manufacturing tolerances. The polish must stand up to magnification, and every dimension must fit the design brief perfectly.
8) heirloom - High quality pieces made with the expectation that it will be passed down. They are an investment quality item, usually very traditional and ornate.
9). Cast - the piece was cast from a wax representation of a master pattern.

Fusing/soldering - Solder is an alloy that melts at a lower temperature than the object. Platinum can be fused by melting the same alloy as the object being joined. Solder fills the join and creates a bond whereas fused joins are solid, in theory.

Solder can be designed to melt at any given melting temperature. Platinum can be fused with a platinum alloy that has a high melting temperature which partially melts the object. This helps provide a solid join, and prevents visible solder lines that are left after the polisher removes the softer alloy.

Alloys - Every popular alloy has it's good and bad points.
Main alloys used: :
Platinum - Pt950 Ru50 (95% platinum with 5% ruthenium). It is a strong reliable alloy.
White gold - Au750 Pd/Pd/Cu (75% gold, 20%palladium & platinum, & 5% copper). This alloy resists oxidation and has fantastic forging properties. Nickel can be added for tensile strength.
Yellow gold - Any non-casting alloy is good. Typical alloy is gold, copper silver and other.
Palladium - Pd950 Ru50 (95%palladium 5% ruthenium). Ruthenium creates a hard alloy.
NB: platinum group metals include: platinum, palladium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium and rhodium.

Gray platinum (my term) - ruthenium alloyed platinum, when 'hot annealed' will draw ruthenium to the surface. Ruthenium is a gray metal. Hand forged items that have been annealed many times will have a finer lattice of ruthenium/platinum and appear grayer in some lights. It is a sign of metal hardness. When worked extensively, the metal appears to be as hard as steal.

NB: the same is also true of copper, however the lattice isn't altered as much. (in both cases the polish-ability is increased).

Pro forma - usually a mock-up made in silver representing a part or the whole piece. They are used to test designs and check for approval. They can be used as master patterns, and they are made heavier than needed to represent platinum categoristics

Liquid platinum - The highest luster of platinum is ultra reflective and when shaped carefully the light seems to flow along the metal and shimmer in liquid fashion.

Platinumsmith - A worker in platinum who makes platinum jewellery. Link.

Fine tuning - is a large part of the manufacturing process in all high end, 'made to order' jewellery. In gaining the 'liquid platinum' aspect, rings are finely sculptured and polished by hand. The process involves simultaneous filing, sanding and polishing. The process extends to the construction stages in preparing the parts to be later assembled. Fine tuning is part of the construction, and planning is set aside to completely set & finish some components of a piece before the piece has been assembled.

Finishing - The final process in a jewels creation
The alloy used dictates how well a piece is polished and the difference in time from polishing silver or gold to platinum is significant. Platinum is more resistant to abrasives than other precious metals. It has a unique quality whereby the surface absorbs abrasion. NB: this is why people say that platinum doesn't scratch, rather it displaces.

Platinum is polished through stages that may include: overall shaping with a heavy file, fine tuning with less coarse files, and fine shaping with escarping files and various grades of emery paper by hand. Many sanding disks used in gold are not useable with platinum. The remaining scratches are removed with a spindle with at least 3 grades of emery paper to prepare the surface to a smooth finish, ready for final polish which is carried out on various polishing mops, using different grades of abrasives. The best polish is always achieved on the bench using a hand piece and tailored polishing mops. The process can take many hours. Most assembled pieces require pre-polishing surfaces before assembly as platinum does not oxidise with heat and will retain a perfect polish after assembly.

Patina - Jewellery made from cast platinum with cobalt alloy will form a grayish blue hue when the surface become dull and oxidise's. This is not considered to be a flaw.

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Techniques - manufacturing elements:

Saw piercing, Filigree, Wax working, Lost wax casting, Master patterns (moulds), Platinum smiting, Wrought jewellery, Casting assembly & hand made or wrought assembly, Setting broad definitions, Pre-setting & Pre-assembly & Finishing

Saw piercing – using a fine (average 1mm) saw blade and fine drills, patterns can be cut or pierced into sheet metal. This technique is used for cutting out shapes like initials as well as opening up lights under a stone and creating patterns in coronets and other setting components, such as under galleries.

Filigree – fine detail usually made from shaped wire which is soldered into place.

Wax working – carving, moulding, replication CAD CAM.

Carving - both organic shapes and standard jewellery items can be carved in wax and cast.

Moulding – wax can be used to produce pieces with moulded layers in any form

Replication – wax can be used to make a negative impression of an item

Cad Cam – computerized models are rendered mechanically and can be cast.

Lost wax casting – the process of melting the wax indent from a plaster casting and filling the cavity with molten metal to create a close representation of the original master pattern.

Master patterns (moulds) – items are moulded into rubber or silicone and cut out, leaving an impression, which is then filled with wax and cast.

Platinum smiting – platinum work requires specialised techniques, such as fusing, in place of soldering, wrought shaping in place of filing, pre-polishing parts before assembly, high tech polishing compounds, and specialised heating/melting equipment.

Wrought jewellery – the process of manually forcing the metal into shape improves hardness and polish ability, as well as saves on metal waste through filing.

Casting assembly & hand made or wrought assembly – casting assembly involves careful preparation to fit on average 2-3 parts. Hand made assembly involves many parts – as many as 100 in one piece. An average 4 claw, 3 stone basket setting has 21 parts. The processes are planned in advance through experience and can be intricate.

Setting broad definitions - hammer, claw, grain, flush, channel, pave, bezel & tension set.

Hammer set, - the tool used is a hammer or a mechanised hammer attachment. It can be used in a variety of applications.

Claw set – the most typical style. The stones edges are held by individual prongs.

Grain set & pave' set – Using engraving tools, grains are raised against the stones edge and the tiny grains are shaped into beads which hold the stone in place.

Flush set – stones are set flush into the metal. The metal is rubbed over the girdle

Channel set – stones are set inside a channel. They can be tension set, similar to ‘bar setting'.

Bezel set – the metal is pushed in from the outside of the bezel and rubbed over the girdle.

Tension set - where the metal is sprung and the stone is held with tension

Variations - there are many names for the same styles depending on where you are and who taught you and there are many slight difference which have their own name, such as: bar-set, V' tip, girdle, scatter, illusion, rub over, roman, fancy, click set, and there are numerous hybrid styles in common usage.

Pre-setting & Pre-assembly – parts are prepared before they are soldered into place when it is beneficial to perfect the surface before assembly because access is reduced.

Finishing – burnishing, planishing, milgrain, filing, emery, polishing, cleaning

Burnishing - This is a major part of platinum smiting. The process starts when when a polished hard metal is rubbed against the platinum surface which takes a high polish. Burnishing is used to perfect surfaces in every nook and cranny and can be used top polish large surfaces. The advantage with burnishing is that is effectively hardens the polished surface.

Planishing - often castings are surface hardened with force from a flat surface. Wrought - hammering is part of the finishing process.

Bright cutting - using engraving tools to cut sharp bright lines around the stones, which highlight the setting with contrasting polished lines.

Hand engraving - cutting shapes onto a metal surface. There are many types. Hand engraving involves scraping metal with gravers, leaving a juxtaposition of light and dark. It is used to add intricate detail, embellish polished surfaces and create borders.

Milgrain - is the decorative beading put around the rim of a bezel set diamond and it often seen in conjunction with engraving. It is used to break the edges around diamonds making the whole area look like it is sparkling.

Filing - at the final stages escarping files are used to fine tune the shape. They are fine and leave a lightly burnished surface.

Emery - at the final stages fine emery papers are applied by hand to create a smooth and crisp surface.

Polishing - most pieces are polished during construction, because most pieces will have a component that should be polished before assembly. Polishing takes place on my workbench and at the polishing machine. Most diamond set pieces are polished at the bench.

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Jewellery classifications:

Made to order, occasional jewellery, limited runs, designer pieces, reproductions

Made to order

This category refers to top class platinum, diamond jewellery.

These commissions are for special designs. The design is more important than the cost. The level of precision is high. Designs are constrained to exact proportions. The polish is flawless to the naked eye, can be checked under magnification and tested for exact dimensions. The result is an heirloom piece of jewellery, often made to exhibition standard.

The only way to create such a well engineered piece is to take the time in planning and manufacture. Intricate pieces can take weeks to complete: meticulously working and shaping pre-assembled components into micron dimensions; assembling the components; setting the stones; and finishing with hours of sculpting and polishing.

When quoting on these commissions, the design is developed to a level that allows a plan of the manufacturing process to be determined and then an initial quote can be made. This is not the way mass-produced jewellery is produced and therefore the manufacturing costs are different.

Occasional Jewellery

This category includes designer pieces and limited runs, but also engagement and occasional jewellery.

There is a big difference between 'engagement / diamond ring' commissions, and occasional jewellery' commissions. Diamond rings are made to exact dimensions, whereas free-flowing forms are open to more design possibilities.

Examples are gents rings, cuff links, earrings, pendants, really anything. There are plenty of examples on the site.

- Rings, are the most practical type of jewellery.
They have to fit the finger, be comfortable and last. There is a finite way a stone can be set, yet there is an infinite number of variations.

- Pendants/broaches, can be any size and shape as long as they sit correctly. Weight and wearabilty are the only limiting factor. They are either worn to express personality or create a matching set.

- Earrings should be secure and well made.
Some earrings are designed to dangle and they are matched with the other jewellery worn. Studs tend to be simple. Evening wear tends to be less practical and more dazzling.

Costs vary but production costs are more easily controlled in 'occasional jewellery' and can be dictated by a budget. I am happy to consider any medium, for existing clients, including titanium, enamel and non-precious items like bone. Occasional jewellery is often whimsical, using untested design elements and engineering.

Limited runs

I am cataloging my collection of master patterns. The items will be listed 'For sale' on the web site. I have a few dozen engagement ring pro forma's and as many gents wedding bands. I should have a few hundred cast silver pro-forma's to show, by next year. Typically we use the pro-forma's as a test of styles and shapes, however I plan to offer some signature pieces as limited runs of competitively priced jewels that are an alternative to mass-produced styles on the market.

Designer pieces

I make my own designs when I have the time. I usually have some 'works in progress'. For sale designer pieces will be uploaded to the 'For Sale' gallery. Designer pieces tend to be unusual designs or concepts, or a test in manufacturing techniques. Usually they are made to compliment a coloured gemstone, or set of coloured stones. I am exhibiting these pieces at galleries in Melbourne.

Reproductions

I can repair and restore old worn pieces back to new. I can usually recreate parts using the original techniques and assemble them into place, as new. I have extensive experience with jewellery repairs and I can advise you what the best course of action is, taking into account: the pieces condition, past repairs, issues with stones and heat, strengthening, re-tipping v re-clawing and issues with polishing and plating.

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