Jewelry engraving is a traditional craft that has been passed down from ancient times to the present day. With the advancement of technology, in addition to the traditional methods of engraving and casting, modern engraving techniques that are more efficient and precise have emerged and become popular among engravers. Today's sculptors are no longer limited to hand-carving and simple metal casting, but use advanced equipment and technology to create more complex and more exquisite works.
Casting Jewelry Models
The common methods used to create jewelry such as rings and pendants include a range of metal casting techniques such as dewax casting.
Traditional Methods
The first step in jewelry sculpting involves getting a prototype of the jewelry through the technique of dewax casting, a process that has been used for thousands of years. The basic process involves carving a model of the jewelry out of wax, wrapping the wax mold in plaster and heating it so that the wax melts and flows out, creating a cavity, injecting molten metal liquid (e.g., gold, silver) into the mold, and then removing the plaster after it has cooled down to give the prototype of the metal jewelry.
Modern Techniques
While this method is still widely used today, modern technology has dramatically optimized the process. Modern designers are able to quickly create intricate wax molds via 3D printers directly after modeling the jewelry model on a computer, greatly increasing productivity and detail.
Metal Fittings for Engraved Jewelry
Metal is a popular material for making jewelry, and once upon a time, jewelry craftsmen could make a simple metal more attractive. And modern metal working technology has allowed jewelry to reach an unprecedented level of finesse.
- CNC machines: can cut and engrave metal with precision, ensuring that each piece of jewelry is exactly the same size and shape. Mainly used for mass production.
- Electroforming technology: metal is deposited through electrolysis, allowing for the creation of extremely thin and light metal structures suitable for openwork art jewelry.
- Rolling mill processing: to make the metal block uniformly thin or fine, suitable for making complex shapes that are difficult to achieve with traditional engraving, and even embossed textures. In addition to processing metal fittings, household rolling mills can also process other furniture fittings, such as making latches.
Engraving Jewelry
The most important aspect of engraving jewelry is to test an engraver's ability to work with his hands and his skill with engraving tools. Once upon a time, craftsmen could only use simple tools and struggle to complete their work. Nowadays, the emergence of various engraving machines has made the job of engraving jewelry significantly easier.
Pneumatic Engraving Machine Engraving Technology
Pneumatic engraving machines utilize the working principle of high-pressure air to drive the engraving needles, so that the engraver can hold the engraving handle and then, according to his own design ideas, carry out free fine engraving on metal, gemstones and other hard materials. It can easily engrave all kinds of precious metals, and can even engrave miniature patterns on the surface of diamonds. The efficiency is also 5-10 times faster than traditional hand engraving.
Laser Engraving Technology
Laser engraving machines work by using a high-energy laser beam to ablate patterns on materials such as metal, gemstones and wood. Calculated precise pattern codes can be directly input to produce ultra-fine textures such as miniature portraits, 2D codes, and even nanoscale engraving.
Polishing Machine Technology
Polishing determines the final visual appearance of jewelry. Traditional hand polishing using rotating leather wheels and polishing pastes, while effective, is inefficient and difficult to handle complex structures. Today's polishing machines allow for more precise control of the finish.
- Zonal polishing: Polishing is done on different angles of the jewelry. For example, polishing individual areas of a rotating part without affecting other areas.
- Differential polishing: Polishing machines can create smooth surfaces as well as frosted effects. Or achieve both a mirror polish and a frosted texture to add layers of design to the jewelry.
Jewelry Engraving Tools Upgrade
In addition to the commonly used hand engraving knives upgraded to engraving machines, other auxiliary engraving tools used for jewelry engraving have also been upgraded with modern technology.
- Fixing tools: In the past, most of the use of wooden clamps, mortise and tenon fixing jewelry, the tool wear and tear fast and little grip. Now the use of ball vise or other professional jigs, not only can adjust the jaws according to the size of the jewelry, the grip is also very strong.
- Measuring tools: magnifying glass is traditionally used to measure jewelry tools, can only magnify the jewelry 1.5-2 times. The stereo microscope used nowadays is able to magnify 10-15 times, allowing the engraver to clearly observe every detail of the jewelry.
Handling a Wide Range of Engraving Materials
Once upon a time, the only materials used for jewelry engraving were expensive metals and gemstones, which made for a single, expensive style. Now With modern equipment, it is possible to work with an unimaginable variety of materials to create jewelry that is unique and affordable.
- Meteorite Jewelry: Use crushed stones from space meteorites to create rings or pendants with a sci-fi feel.
- Carbon fiber: lightweight and strong, suitable for sports style jewelry.
- Artificial synthetic metal: inexpensive and various shapes, in line with the fashion trend of young people.
Conclusion
Modern technology not only improves the efficiency of jewelry production, but also allows designers to break through the traditional limitations to create more creative and personalized works. In the future, with the further development of modern technology, the artistic and technological content of jewelry engraving will reach new heights.
