1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,360 Welcome to the Gilt Trips podcast. I'm your host, Kendra Lockhart. As a goldsmith and 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:17,560 gemologist, I'll be speaking 24 carat on all things jewelry, metals, and gems. Join 3 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:24,080 me plus a few friends to demystify both materials and designs as your private jeweler. Let's 4 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:35,560 tune in on these topics and get golden. Like many treasures we see in our world, there is little 5 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:42,360 understanding of what came before or during the making of the end product that you see or use. 6 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:49,160 In this season of podcast episodes, I have covered the origin of diamonds and metals, 7 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:56,560 the beginnings of major jewelry design houses, and how gems are grouped. Today, 8 00:00:56,560 --> 00:01:05,240 let's find out about the birth, death, and rebirth of our creation with jewels and peer 9 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:13,240 into my life and love of being a private jeweler since 1995. What exactly is custom jewelry? 10 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:21,040 How does a project come to fruition? When does a piece need repair work or restoration? 11 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:34,960 Chapter timestamps are in the show notes. I personally start with the partnership, 12 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:43,000 whether I am designing a speculative sale called a spec piece, or a client is seeking and finding 13 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:51,520 me as a maker. Internally or externally, there is desire. To me and my patrons, it begins with 14 00:01:51,520 --> 00:02:00,400 wanting to create, or collaborate, or commission. And that is the spark that helps measure the 15 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:06,680 arc of the making, as well as the temperature of interest in seeing this through to the end. 16 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:15,080 Naturally, there has to be an idea, whether it is fully realized, half baked, or a brainstormed 17 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:21,080 session. Sometimes with a spec piece, I am required to design around a specific gem, 18 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:28,960 or I'm executing a setting for a jewel at a later date. Often, I'm designing in tandem. 19 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:36,080 If a client is in a showroom with me, and we need to capture the conversation in images, 20 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:42,200 that skill is called countersketching, which is drawing on top of the jewelry showcase, 21 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:52,160 or a nearby desk surface. If I'm alone, I may create a mood board, or composite of elements 22 00:02:52,160 --> 00:03:01,480 and ideas to assist in a crystallized plan or pathway. Lastly, there are artists with advanced 23 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:08,080 illustration abilities who execute what is called a rendering, a lifelike version of what is about 24 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:16,920 to be made. This phase needs to communicate clearly what is dreamt up, talked about, and shown in a 25 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:24,880 picture format less than the degree of full detailing. This can become a process, as most 26 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:32,720 ideas go through some drafts or revisions. It is much easier with pencil and paper, or on a digital 27 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:41,120 tablet or monitor, because money and materials are not involved yet. In fact, this step can show 28 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:50,720 how close of a fit I have to my interpretation of my imagination, or regarding a client, the proximity 29 00:03:50,720 --> 00:04:04,880 or distance in our perspectives of a shared conversation. Once a joint decision is made 30 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:12,600 regarding a client, the next phase is discussed, such as, allow me a week to get a materials 31 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:22,680 estimate, or, I expect this range to be x to y dollars, and I confirm that up in three days after 32 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:33,080 I run some numbers. That said, a client may say, can I have a copy of these drawings? Some makers 33 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:43,760 say yes, some say no, and some say sure, for a designing fee. I personally didn't charge on the premise 34 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:50,360 that you would have to have the same exact conversation over with another maker who may not be as 35 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:58,360 clear or innovative on your possibility. My old employer said no, because the effort and ability 36 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:07,560 to draw is proprietary, and a colleague charges $500 design sum that will either go towards the 37 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:15,960 project or be non-refundable should you halt the commission or take the sketches to competition to 38 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:21,640 create. It's dealer's choice on this one, because it takes years to master designing and drawing. 39 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:28,840 Per the agreement, it is on the Goldsmith now to estimate the timeline and cost. If it is made in house, 40 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:37,240 there is more ease around how long it could take. If contractors are being used, or elements of the 41 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:46,360 process require being supplied or outsourced, often a range is mentioned to buffer and give some leeway. 42 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:54,360 On that note, it is rare that all of the components to complete the necessary project are under one roof, 43 00:05:54,360 --> 00:06:04,280 meaning it's highly unlikely a maker has just the right alloys, all of the diamonds, the exact gems, 44 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:12,440 and the wire size or bits on hand. Part of the estimating is getting quotes that will factor 45 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:17,560 into your own estimate. 46 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:30,520 Once a formal quote or estimate is created, whether it is proposed as 47 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:41,240 it's a $5,000 project and four weeks, or more itemized such as materials plus labor plus hours 48 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:48,680 equals this much and this long, it is shared with the client in a down payment to secure assets 49 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:55,720 and schedule the run is charged. Now this can be materials charge non-refundable, 50 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:05,080 and it goes towards metal and jewels, or it can be a percent like 25, 30, or 50 percent. 51 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:13,000 Some jewelers prefer a labor retainer and are willing to restock elements should the project get 52 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:22,840 cancelled with or without a surcharge. Now this becomes dimensional and not just conceptual 53 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:31,640 or contractual as an idea and a relationship. Before computer aided drafting, or CAD technology, 54 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:40,920 a wax carving was made to impeccably match the final product. A perfect two scale sculpture 55 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:49,320 of what would be cast in the decided upon metal alloy was now made, or in a different approach, 56 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:57,240 a maquette, which is a fancy word for mock-up, in sterling wire, should I need to fabricate 57 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:05,160 or produce this item outside of the casting process and therefore be more of a carpenter 58 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:13,640 with sheets of metal and wires in the chosen alloys. But more often than not, 59 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:21,560 we are in a modern relationship to artificial or mechanical tools. Nowadays, if the design has 60 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:29,560 been made on software and turned into a file, that file is sent to a machine that can 3D print 61 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:35,720 the modeling made on the computer. While a wax can be carved in one to three hours on average for 62 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:42,280 the basic engagement ring, and a maquette can be blocked out in two to four hours on an intermediate 63 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:51,080 design, a cam printout can be up to six hours. The benefit is it can print dozens of files and 64 00:08:51,080 --> 00:08:59,960 does not need to be tended to by the jeweler. Hence, it is a powerful advantage even if a single model 65 00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:07,400 is run because it can be productive elsewhere while the printer is going. And let's say it's 66 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:23,320 producing 20 files at one time. Labor management is taking care of for me in that key part of the end game. 67 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:31,080 The next layer is the metalwork. Some jewelers make their own alloy. They will order solid 24 carat 68 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:38,760 gold grains and the combination of other metals in grain form to create the desired alloy. 69 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:47,560 For example, if 14 carat white gold is needed for the project, a goldsmith needs the non gold 70 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:55,640 metals to blend with the pure gold in order to make that. We would order both if we wanted to 71 00:09:55,640 --> 00:10:05,080 make this in house. Otherwise, we order 14 carat white gold already alloyed in grain form. It's like, 72 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:12,360 do you want a jar of marinara or do you want to hand make your own? It's a time versus money 73 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:21,160 equation. But you also need to have the skill of alloying. If you're good with timing, a torch, 74 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:28,280 and math for ratios and fractions into weights, then it is kind of fun to save a few bucks. 75 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:36,440 If the project is being built by song and soldering shapes for metals, well, you've got to go ahead 76 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:43,320 and order those. Getting the correct gauges or thicknesses of necessary gold or platinum 77 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:51,960 is what comes next. Back to the idea of a model. If we are moving forward in the casting process, 78 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:59,320 it's time to get the wax carving or printed model to the next step. This is called investing, 79 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:07,400 which makes sense if you learn that that word is being used in regards to creating a plaster mix, 80 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:15,560 putting that wax model or print out version on a base, fitting a steel heat resistant cylinder 81 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:23,400 over that base to form a flask, which is a fancy word for the bottom holding the model in place 82 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:32,040 with a circular sleeve on top to look like an open can. We pour plaster over it, which will dry and 83 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:40,520 become solid. The point of this is to take an impression of the model because that will melt 84 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:47,960 out in the oven while the plaster will remain. And therefore we get a little cavity or fossil 85 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:56,120 imprint where the metal will go soon. Voila! Now there is a negative space where the wax 86 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:03,800 or model that was printed has melted out of the plaster because it went into the oven. 87 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:12,200 The flask now goes into the casting machine. It's time to reheat the alloy we made or torch 88 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:19,160 the remade alloy into a molten liquid state because it will release into the spinning flask, 89 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:26,600 much like fabric softener dropping into a spinning laundry dryer. The centrifugal force pushes the 90 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:34,520 metal into the cavity details as it fills that hole of the design. And I personally love this part. 91 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:43,320 It's high precision, timing, and energy for me. Once the speed slows down, you better believe 92 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:49,320 that plaster and sleeve are going to be hot from the heated metal. Tongues are needed after the 93 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:56,840 spinning stops. We clamp the flask and place it in a bucket of water. The temperature difference 94 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:03,880 blows out the plaster and you can retrieve your casting. So let's move on and discuss the aftermath 95 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:14,280 called benching, which is the result as a goldsmith, setter, or jeweler. 96 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:24,280 Now we have a cooled off casting. How was it anchored to the base before the sleeve covered it? 97 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:31,800 And plaster was poured on top. Well it was attached to a little wax dome for surface area, 98 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:38,360 for incoming liquid metal, and then a little stem, much like the areas of a funnel and spout, 99 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:45,240 those attached to the model of the design. So now all of that is solid gold or platinum. 100 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:53,720 The little stem is called a sprue and removing it from the casting is called despruing. The button 101 00:13:53,720 --> 00:14:02,920 and sprue are eligible for recasting because they're raw and pure. The design now as a casting is ready 102 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:10,120 to move on for labor. Once again a machine is here to help. This time it's the tumbler. 103 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:18,120 The casting is ready for pre-polish. It has a skin on it from the metal that touched the texture 104 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:24,440 of the plaster. So it looks a little like orange peel and this gets put into a washing solution 105 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:33,160 that has steel beads and bars, much like BBs or buckshot. It pummel the casting so that the surface 106 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:40,200 gets smoothed down and made into a regular treatment. This part of the process happens overnight 107 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:49,800 so the hard work is done for us. Then the casting moves on to the prep stage. Here I will use metal 108 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:58,200 files that are both gross for big reductions and fine for detailed shaping. Perhaps the casting needs 109 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:05,800 to be hammered up, if it's a ring, to the size on the order since the casting process can cause 110 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:14,840 shrinkage. Then it's time for sanding. Again a coarse process and on to a finer one. Sometimes 111 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:21,720 the inner surface where a gem will be set requires buffing and polishing by machine or hand. Why? 112 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:29,240 Once the jewel is in place thanks to a gem setter, a finisher cannot access those areas. 113 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:39,800 Now it passes on with the project's gems to the jeweler or setter. Their job is to cut, drill, 114 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:48,440 and file into the metal to make the place to secure the jewel and either work the gold or platinum 115 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:55,080 over the gem to clamp it down or raise beads to trap the jewels on their facets. 116 00:15:55,080 --> 00:16:05,640 It requires precision, strong grip, and a keen eye for leveling the angles. Once this is complete, 117 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:13,160 it's time for the home stretch. And here it goes to the buffing machine. There is a fabric 118 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:19,960 wheel that spins with a greased compound on it that has a soft grit to it to smooth out all of the 119 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:26,840 sanding and tool work. Once that is done, the polishing wheel also works with a compound 120 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:34,280 and elevates the refining of the surface. Once a perfect sheen is achieved, the ring is complete. 121 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:43,160 Sometimes there are surface treatments such as satin finishing, matte finishing, or sandblasting. 122 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:52,680 Other times, plating is involved, such as rhodium on the white gold or creating other surface colors 123 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:56,920 on top of a solid metal. All of this is handled in the finishing. 124 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:13,640 At last, it's done. And it makes sense to do what we call the QA phase, or quality assurance. 125 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:21,560 This is usually made up of borrowing magnification to inspect the security of the jewels. 126 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:28,920 Any tool marks missed by the naked eye, prongs being less symmetrical, or other things of this 127 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:34,680 judgmental nature that would make or break the wearing of the ring and the standard usage on 128 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:44,120 the piece by the consumer or client. It either goes back to the finisher or the setter for adjustments 129 00:17:44,120 --> 00:18:01,160 or it is deemed done. After project flourishes are usually engraving. Whether it is surface 130 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:07,400 patterning on the metal like a tattoo or an inscription inside the ring to commemorate 131 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:16,040 dates, names, or phrases, this is a specialized art. Engravers are not necessarily versed at other 132 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:22,440 bench skills. The tools needed to put a design in metal below the surface require gravers, 133 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:29,640 which are angled instruments that look like a variety of thin to thick scalpels to carve into 134 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:39,480 the project. Now, what do we do if the project is a ring and it has a technical problem? The easiest 135 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:47,000 is to change the size. If a size goes up, the bottom is cut and a metal bridge is fused in 136 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:54,840 place and blended. If the size goes down, the overage is cut and the gap is soldered closed. 137 00:18:54,840 --> 00:19:02,040 A single sizing is just over 2 millimeters, so it is not substantial unless the ring's metal is 138 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:10,600 overly thick or super wide. The term retip or retipping means a prong or a bead has been compromised 139 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:18,040 or broken. So metal has to be added and the setting of the stone needs to be recreated. Older rings 140 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:25,240 that have been exposed to wear and tear have lost metal over the years due to repeated contact. One 141 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:31,720 good blow against a hard or sharp object can also cause the need for this procedure. Reshanking 142 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:39,480 means the underside or bottom of the ring has been fatigued or stressed and a sizing seem possibly 143 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:46,440 split open. And in older rings, it simply gets thinner with wearing. In this instance, a section 144 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:52,200 of metal is matched, bridged, and blended into place to continue the life of the piece. 145 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:59,080 One of my favorite types of repair is a full restoration, such as, let's say I'm at an 146 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:06,200 estate sale. I come across a setting where the head or the metal area for the center gem is missing 147 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:13,240 because somebody chopped out the jewel instead of gently removing to preserve the work. Maybe the 148 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:20,280 shank or bottom of the ring is fatigued, busted, or worn thin. Perhaps the engraving is faded from 149 00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:27,480 time or a few gems are missing. In cases like this, it is fun to do restoration work, which could 150 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:34,520 incorporate all of the repair work mentioned above and beyond if I take it in a new versus traditional 151 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:49,000 direction. And now we can discuss the rebirth of a ring. If it has been gutted, or the style is 152 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:56,200 terribly dated, and the new idea is in the same alloy, then it can be melted down and poured into 153 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:03,560 the space of that new model for a design. I've done this with many projects. Yellow gold is the 154 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:10,840 most forgiving as far as blemishes in recycling, and platinum is the least. Bubbles in metal can 155 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:18,200 show up as porosity or pitting. And this doesn't cancel the casting in every case. It can mean 156 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:23,080 more bench work and finessing. Let's say the client isn't interested in recreating, 157 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:30,120 or your spec piece didn't sell in a certain period of time. It becomes a matter of removing the 158 00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:36,440 gems from the existing item and deciding the casting or fabrication should go off to the refiner. 159 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:43,640 For a small percentage of a total amount of dollars, they will heat the alloy up, remove the non-gold or 160 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:50,440 non-platinum metals at certain temperatures, until eventually they have the pure element once again. 161 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:57,000 You receive a payout on the valuable portion, and the remainder is sold as recycled metal 162 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:04,600 to jewelers again to alloy and cast, creating a never-ending life cycle in metal as starting, 163 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:06,680 completing, and renewing. 164 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:16,520 Thank you for listening and learning with me. I would love you to share this project with people 165 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:21,480 finding rare beauty in today's world and throughout our times. Until the next episode, 166 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:27,480 keep your own story sparkling.