ah
well considering the last few weeks have been quite messy in terms of productivity I have found that the submission date is leaping closer. essentially I have got my foot in the door in terms of research into jewellers, tools & supplies services. there are a few ways we could produce this project either manually or through a third party.
we have inquired with some jeweller services in Auckland to work with and found a potential service located in Avondale. G & A Warburtons is a seemingly reliable and highly rated jewellers company that specialises in jewellery tools, services, designing and packaging - pretty much a great start off for jewellery making initiative. Aicha and I have set out to keep searching for other potential companies with cheaper or more convenient services. we are currently looking to send in the proper dimensions, designs and packaging preferences. as stated previously, we will produce only sterling silver and gold as these are more commonly worn and versatile metals.
we have also opted to take a stance on our business name change from "UNKNOWN" to "Plan B" as we feel like there are many changes and challenges weâve faced already during our business venture. we felt like this minor change can represent lot about the company - we just felt that UNKNOWN was pushing a general and mediocre âedgyâ approach, and we want to be represented as authentically as we can.
Below are some research copied and pasted from google doc:
Plan B âJewelleryâ
Research/Inspo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFf4rmyMZWQ
Youtube Inspo story on how Bobby White became a Jeweler
âAlways a reasonâ behind pieces/creations (should be able to tell its own story) Letting jewellery speak for itself
Need your own style! Especially if you want your own designed products
When creating for other people you need to look at the person as a whole and work with that
Becoming a jeweller, you NEED to love the process! Need to love everything from designing it, creating new pieces to being in the office/shop for hours and days of repetitive work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7fm3mG6jv4
Youtube clip more around the fundamentals of creating and running your own Jewelry business
Don't need to have any specific qualifications to get a head start into the jewellery industry
Key steps to making jewellery
Design Jewelry (used special 3d app)
Print 3d wax using 3d printer
Take 3d printed wax and turn it into gold (casting)
File, sand and polish gold piece
Setting diamonds on the piece
(optional)
Final polishing of the pieces
Pure/ 24 karat gold (stated as 999.9 gold as 100% pure gold is impossible to achieve) and always coloured yellow
Gold is mixed with other metals such as silver and copper because it is too soft and wouldnât be durable to make jewellery with.
The higher the karat the higher amount of gold is in the piece.
Common types of gold: 10K, 14K, 18K, 24K
*In the US 10 carats is legally not considered the gold
Also the higher amount of gold the richer gold and colour in the piece
E.g 10K gold has 41.7% & 14K has 58.3% gold
3 different colours to gold: White gold, Yellow gold and Rose gold
Platinum silver palladium + pure gold = more white
Cooper + pure gold = more pink/rose
Whiter gold to be rhodium plated due to casting process taking away its white finish
Once these are melted together they canât separate
Can buy an acid kit (eBay), this includes a scratchpad in which you starch your gold onto and then pour a small drop of liquid (supplied with the kit, each bottom is provided to test each amount of carat) on top of the scratch. If the gold starts to dissolve then it is less carat of what you have just tested for and if it does not then it is that carat or more
Electrical pen test; same method as an acid kit but with the pen, touch the gold piece and the connection pad will indicate the range in which the carat being tested actually is.
Most reliable testing is using a Gold testing gun (jeweller shops should have this already, so you can go in and ask for gold pieces to be examined and moderated)
*Carat markings can easily be faked
Eg having a 14k marking on a bracelet which is only really 10k
To check gold prices use https://www.kitco.com/
Diamonds are mined in countries such as China, Russia, Canada, South Africa, then other countries may buy them and are then purchased by diamond dealers in jewellery district (area in which focus on manufacturing as well as nourishing jewellery) who make pieces and sell them in retail stores.
Diamonds set in metal are called loose diamonds
Jewellers look for how many loose diamonds they'll need, quality, size and quantity and then will buy off diamond dealers to make their piece.
Diamond carat and Gold carat are very completely different
Diamond= Weight of diamond
Gold= Purity of gold
Colour
- Diamonds have lots of different colour variations
- Letter D means no colour, and no colour means the stone is worth a lot
- This is the opposite to a stone that has more colour, the more yellow the stone the
the less it is worth
- Always look into colours D-H
Treated diamonds; diamonds made into different colours such as yellow, cognac (reddish brown) and blue
This process is done by using white diamonds that are high in yellow colour (bad quality) and using a heating method to change its colour
Clarity
- Some disadvantage to its beauty can be the cloudiness, scratches and pieces of black carbon of the stone (called Inclusions)
- Like with the colour, the less inclusion the better the stone
- There is also a clarity grading chart for diamonds
- Good target for SI quality diamonds (Slightly Inclusive)
- people checking for clarity of the stone usually use magnifying glasses to check
Cut: Different cuts of the stone can better its shine âround brilliant is a popular shape cutâ
Carat weight: Carat is just the weight of the diamonds
Using https://www.fiverr.com/ & https://www.cgtrader.com/
Used these two websites to look and download 3d models of pieces
cgtrader: shows you how 3d render model pieces would look like after it is finished. Here you can purchase the design as well as even contact the designer and also see how many diamonds youâll need for the piece and the total carat weight
The cost of pieces will vary depending on how detailed and how big the piece is.
Once the designer has finished making your file, theyâll send back an STL or 3D M file in which will be ready to print
Good tip: build a portfolio of 3d files in which you will mask for production
https://www.jewelryshoppingguide.com/top-10-types-of-necklace-chains/
Blog about the top 10 necklace chains
Personal favourites from here
+ I like how this is a versatile piece (worn by both men and women)
+ Pretty durable and difficult to break but easy to fix up
+ Length of chain can be worn any way to suit your look
+Like how delicate it looks on its own
+ Like that with this particular chain, would go nice with a pendant since its petite look isnât doing too much
+ Can be thicker or thinner (really depends on what look youâre going for)
+ Most commonly worn
+ Timeless design dating way back
+ Another versatile piece for men and women
+ Sturdy and easy to maintain
+ Love the mix of pattern sizes in this particular piece
+I like how elegant it can appear
+ Gives a very chic vibe and details are good but also a simple statement piece
Need to consider its strength so its longevity is maximised
Cable, curb, Figaro and rope chains are usually the strongest
Weakest Chain: (be on the lookout for)
Chains with flat think links
Herringbone, snake and omega chains are usually the weakest
Best Metals for Necklace Chains:
Gold, Silver (sterling is more durable), Platinum (more expensive/similar to white gold) and Titanium (inexpensive, light and highly durable, darker colour than white gold and silver)