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Will we see the day when people use the Internet to design and manufacture
custom jewelry? Can you envision a system where the stone designs
are captured in three dimensions and fed directly into a jewelry-design
software program?
Imagine a system where a few mouse clicks generate views of stones
with exact dimensions and price. More mouse clicks will reveal a
menu of ring designs from different suppliers that will allow the
customer to select from a long list of preworked designs. By dragging
and dropping different settings and stones, a customer builds a
ring using a computer. As the design unfolds, the jewelry piece
can be rotated and viewed from any angle, using 3D glasses, with
real-time ray-tracing that simulates the flash of the stones. At
the end of this process, a machine simply prints out a finished
wax model ready for burnout. Maybe a machine will "print"
the finished gold jewelry with the stones already in the setting.
You don't think such a thing could happen in our lifetimes? Think
again. Much of this is happening now!
In the past two years, we've learned a great deal about the use
of computers in jewelry manufacturing. It started in October of
1999, when we visited Steve's friend Mark Isbell, owner of Mark's
Jewelry, located in Homewood, Alabama. Mark and his brother, Anthony,
introduced us to a new jewelry manufacturing technique that uses
a design generated with a computer to create wax patterns. The Isbell
brothers use a computer-controlled, three-axis, wax-milling machine
that allows them to rapidly create wax patterns. In the past, we
have shown Mark and his brothers our oddly shaped stones, only to
have them tell us how difficult and costly it would be to manufacture
custom jewelry settings for them. Like most jewelers, they looked
for stones cut in calibrated sizes to allow economy in manufacturing.
To our surprise, they were now more interested in our uniquely shaped
stones because they had an economical way of making the settings
for them.
Mark and his brother showed us a system that uses sharp wax bits
to mill designs from a block of wax. The accuracy of the milling
was stunning. They could trace the outline of a stone by laying
their stones on a flatbed scanner. They then used this image to
build a computer model that can be used to cut a custom wax with
prongs and seats tailor-made for stones. The wax patterns generated
using this method fit their stones like a glove. After seeing what
the Isbell brothers could do, we were determined to find a way to
send them designs for which they could create wax patterns for our
one-of-a-kind gemstones. We used the Internet to search for information
on this type of manufacturing process. The results of our search
and experiments are described below.
JEWELRY FROM RAPID PROTOTYPING.
The first thing we learned from our search was that the
general field of using a computer to create and machine parts is
filled with lots of new terminology. Using a computer to create
designs in electronic form is called computer-aided design (CAD).
Computer-aided design software allows designers to draw and visualize
parts in three dimensions. Using a computer to manufacture parts
is called computer- aided manufacturing (CAM).
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| A
ring the Attaways designed around an unusually proportioned
aquamarine; shown at top in software design mode, and below
as a finished piece of jewelry. |
Computer-aided design and Computer-aided manufacturing are not new.
Many of the major jewelry manufacturing houses have been using CAD/CAM
for some time. What has changed is the price of the machines. In 1992,
we toured a "big" jewelry manufacturer that used, at that
time, a $100,000 milling machine driven by a $50,000 computer. The
milling machine now costs $5,000, and the computer now costs $1,000.
Computer-aided manufacturing is divided into two camps. One camp
uses milling machines that remove material to create parts, and
the other camp creates parts in processes that add material layer
by layer. The milling process is called computer numeric control
(CNC) milling; the building of parts layer by layer is called rapid
prototyping (RP).
A rapid prototyping machine can automatically construct physical
models from computer-aided design data. These machines are "three
dimensional printers" that allow designers to quickly create
three-dimensional designs, rather than just two-dimensional pictures.
In this section, we will review the different types of rapid prototyping
processes in use today.
Numerically Controlled Milling Machines. Computer numerically
controlled (CNC) milling machines have been around for a long time.
Industry has used CNC milling machines for complex manufacturing
of items like jet engines and car parts.
From the jewelry perspective, the engraving industry has been the
leader in CNC milling. Engravers have focused on developing software
for making dies and stamps. By concentrating on coins, metals, and
cameos, they mastered the use of very accurate milling in both wax
and metals.
The drawback for milling machines is that they are not fully three-dimensional,
and the method doesn't produce a true 3D product. Instead, it produces
what is called "2-1/2D" parts. Parts are cut using a high-speed
drill that moves up and down, while the part moves in the plane
below. Without rotating the part, undercuts are not possible, meaning
that each part must be projected from a 2D surface. The design process
is complex because of the limitations of bit size and cutting reach.
Even though CNC manufacturing is limited, there are a lot of cool
things that can be made from this process. Anthony Isbell's milling
machine had an attachment for a ring that allowed some undercuts.
Even though most parts he made did not have undercuts, he showed
us some very complex parts that looked almost 3D.
Over the last few years, several new methods have been patented
that bypass many of the problems with CNC. These methods directly
print or form a pattern using innovative high-tech methods.
Stereolithography. The first method of rapid prototyping,
patented in 1986, was called stereolithography. Stereolithography
forms a model from a liquid, photosensitive polymer that solidifies
when exposed to ultraviolet light.
The model is built just below the surface of a vat of liquid resin,
using a laser that traces out a layer in the resin. The laser solidifies
a thin section of the resin, while leaving unexposed areas liquid.
After a layer has cured, the model is lowered to have a new layer
of liquid exposed and added to the last layer. Layer by layer, a
part is printed. This method of manufacturing works great for larger
parts; however, the viscosity of the resin limits the feature size
and can cause a rough surface finish. In addition, free-standing
parts must be supported with areas that need to be cut away after
the resin is drained from the tank. The manufacturing industry has
used this technique to make plastic models that are then used to
cast complex items, like automobile engine blocks and railroad wheels.
Laminated Object Manufacturing. Imagine building a model
by cutting out paper cross sections and gluing them together. Laminated
object manufacturing does this by cutting layers of adhesive-coated
sheet material and bonding them together to form a part. The technique
uses a paper laminated with heat-activated glue and rolled up on
spools. A focused laser cuts the outline of the first layer into
the paper. This process adds layer after layer of paper as needed
to build the part. The advantage of rapid prototyping using laminated
paper is that it is cheap. Unfortunately, the models are made of
paper, which limits their size. While this technique helped to revolutionize
the industry by providing a cheap manufacturing process, it does
not work well for making small jewelry parts.
Selective Laser Sintering. The selective laser sintering
technique uses a laser beam to selectively fuse powdered materials
into a solid part. It works the same way as stereolithography with
one exception: instead of using a liquid, a powder is used to build
up the part layer by layer. Parts are built upon a platform that
sits just below the surface in a bin of the heat-fusible powder.
A laser traces the first layer and sinters a thin layer of powder
together. The next layer of powder is added, and the process is
repeated until the part is complete. Unbound powder remains to support
the part. The parts that we have seen manufactured from this technique
show a smooth surface, and the parts can then be burnt out for casting.
This technique works great for very large casts. The feature size
for this process is limited by the melting of the powder. While
this method could be used for some jewelry parts, more resolution
is needed.
Fused Deposition Modeling. The technique of fused deposition
modeling uses what we call "glue gun" manufacturing. Some
wax carvers may have seen or have used the Matt wax gun. We purchased
one of these years ago and have used it to squeeze a bead of wax
onto a ring mandrel. Free-form rings with swirls may be made this
way.
In the fused deposition rapid prototype technique, filaments of
heated thermoplastic are extruded from a tip that moves in an x-y
plane. Basically, it is a Matt wax gun on steroids. Under computer
control, the extrusion head deposits very thin beads of material
onto the building platform to form layers. While we haven't seen
any actual parts built with this technique, the photos of parts
we have seen indicate that the resolution is not high enough for
jewelry parts. The technique also has a drawback in that it requires
supports for freestanding parts.
Ink-Jet Printing. The best technique that we have found
for making small jewelry parts is based on ink-jet 3D printing.
Ink-jet 3D printing refers to an entire class of manufacturing that
employs the same technology found in ink-jet printers. If you've
shopped for color computer printers, then you have seen this amazing
technology in action. It works by using a small nozzle that sprays
a small drop of ink onto a sheet of paper. It is called an ink jet
because a fluid jet is formed as the ink is sprayed out of the print
head.
The first "ink-jet" rapid prototyping method was developed
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where models were
built for parts by spraying a binding agent on powdered material.
The "ink" is actually a starch that binds to the powder.
An ink-jet printing head selectively "prints" binder to
fuse the powder together in the desired areas. Unbound powder remains
to support the part. As the platform is lowered, more powder is
added and leveled, and the process is repeated. When finished, the
part can be removed from the unbound powder and then sintered.
This technique has been used to produce ceramic molds for investment
casting. Many companies are currently testing ways of extending
this method to bind powder metal that can then be sintered to produce
metal tools and other products. The big advantage of using ink-jet
technology is that it is an extension of an existing technology.
By simply modifying a printer, a new manufacturing technique is
born. The existing software for driving a printer could be modified
to drive the new process.
Ink-jet printing is also very accurate. As you know, most printers
print at 600 dots per inch. That means that a period, ".",
is made up of about 10 to 40 dots of ink. Even so, capillary action
on the binder means that it will be drawn into the powder and limit
the accuracy of this method.
|
 |
| In
their CAD/CAM experiences, the authors have found that tapered
settings for small diamond accents, such as the three diamonds
at the tops of these earrings allow the stones to slip in and
be set without extensive adjusting of the metal |
Solidscape's ModelMaker II. The latest advance in ink-jet
manufacturing is the Solidscape's ModelMaker II machine (www.solid-scape.com).
This new high-tech tool allows a design to be created in a solid
model (CAD) and printed in 3D with wax (CAM). Sanders Prototype
of Merrimack, New Hampshire, developed a rapid prototype method
that uses heated wax in an ink-jet printer head. The machine uses
the ink-jet printer head to deposit thin layers of molten wax. By
slowly repeating and depositing these layers, it can build up a
wax pattern, even one with complicated undulations and undercuts.
The machine actually uses two different types of wax. One jet dispenses
a green wax to make the model, while the other jet prints a red
wax for supports. The waxes are different in that the red wax can
be dissolved. The lost-wax casting process is then used to convert
this wax pattern into an item of jewelry.
Even though a very fine layer of wax is sprayed onto each layer,
the layers, as they build up, can become uneven. After each layer,
a cutting tool mills the top surface to a uniform height. The method
is extremely accurate, allowing the machines to be used in the jewelry
industry. Remarkably enough, feature sizes of 0.2 mm with an accuracy
of 0.01 mm are possible. Jewelry designers are not limited by ink-jet
technology. In fact, the ModelMaker II resolution is often finer
than what the typical jewelry casting technology can reproduce.
The drawback for the "wax-jet" method is speed. By using
very thin layers, the ModelMaker II can produce smooth wax surfaces,
but each layer takes time to print and dry. While each layer prints
fast, the number of layers needed to build a complex part can require
a long time to print. If thicker layers are used, then the process
is faster, but the parts are not as smooth. The ModelMaker II jewelry
users typically produce between four and six rings in a 24-hour
period at a 0.0015-inch layer thickness (medium resolution mode).
|
| The benefit of computer-aided
design is that artists can create ultra-realistic renderings
of the parts they need. |
We have had parts produced in the medium resolution mode. In this
mode, the surfaces need to be sanded and polished by hand to improve
the finish. Spending five minutes using cotton and alcohol to polish
the wax part can be more efficient than waiting the additional time
required to build at a finer resolution. However, if the part has
internal features that are difficult to polish later, then it might
be worth the extra machine time to get those needed smooth internal
surfaces.
The ModelMaker II machine is currently too expensive for us to
buy one for the garage (they now cost about $70,000 each), but we
found a jeweler/machinist in Florida who will print and even cast
the parts for us. Depending upon the resolution, parts can be "printed"
in wax for about $10-15 per millimeter of height.
This new tool is being used by several of the big name jewelry
manufacturers, but they are being very secretive about their use
of this technology. We were fortunate to meet the western regional
sales manager for Sanders Prototype at this February's Tucson gem
shows. He told us that over 200 machines are currently in use in
the U.S.
We feel that the Solidscape machine is currently one of the best
for making 3D wax parts. Unlike the milling approach, where the
designer has to constantly think about the manufacturing process
during the design, the Solidscape machine gives the designer the
freedom to design about anything that can be imagined without regard
for the manufacturing process. It is more accurate than the powder
binding approach, and the wax that is produced can be added to other
wax parts or be modified as needed.
The main drawback of the Solidscape machine is that its cost remains
very high. Also, it is not easy to maintain. As you can imagine,
mixing hot wax with electronic parts with small nozzles can be a
finicky operation. The law of high-tech competition will eventually
drive down the cost and drive up the ease of use.
Multi-Jet Modeling. The multi-jet modeling process is similar
to ink-jet printing. A reservoir of molten wax is siphon-fed to
a multi-jet head. The ThermoJet made by 3D Systems in Valencia,
California (www.3dsystems.com)
uses over 300 jets. Parts are built by printing consecutive layers
of wax in the shape of the part's cross-section. A multi-jet head
traverses the print area with the jets turned on and off where needed.
The print head has a resolution of 300 dots per inch.
Although the ThermoJet and Solidscape machines sound very similar,
the ThermoJet builds its parts in a very different way from the
Solidscape machine. The Solidscape machine uses only two wax jets,
moving each jet to trace out a line and lay down wax much like an
ink plotter moves a pen as it plots. The ThermoJet uses lots of
jets in an array and moves the print head back and forth with the
jets' heads producing a matrix of wax dots.
The second big difference between the ThermoJet and Solidscape
process is that the while the Solidscape machine uses a support
wax that is dissolved, the ThermoJet uses only one wax. This means
that the supporting wax must be removed before the part is cast.
The support structure consists of fine columns of the build material
that reach from the bottom and rise to any overhanging surface.
For most parts, removal of the support columns is easy, but support
removal is the biggest drawback of this system.
The advantage of the ThermoJet process is its speed. While the
Solidscape machine may take as much as a day to print a ring, the
ThermoJet machine boasts printing 30 rings in four hours.
The nice thing about the Internet is that you do not have to own
a Solidscape or a ThermoJet machine to make jewelry. We have found
several service bureaus that will print parts. We simply e-mail
the design for the part, and they ship the part to us. We found
one excellent service that will cast our parts in addition to printing
them.
COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN SOFTWARE.
The software that drives the rapid prototyping design process
is rapidly changing. For the most part, the jewelry industry is
not driving these changes; the changes are being driven by the automobile
and aerospace industries. Needless to say, some of the software
is much easier to use than others.
Different sources of software currently exist for creating models
for three-dimensional designs. The broad classes of software include
engineering design software, animation software, and jewelry design
software.
Engineering Design Software. The field of engineering software
is well established, but is currently undergoing rapid change. Software
packages like Pro/E and AutoCad have been around for more than 10
years and are used by many large industrial plants. Pro/E and AutoCad
are very powerful, but some find that they are very hard to use.
The big drawback for these large packages is their cost.
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| Two
ring designs using the Type3 engraving software (www.type3.com)
Image courtesy of Vision Numeric. |
In the rush to the mass-marketing for the home PC, there have been
a whole slew of "low-cost" CAD packages designed for home
use. Versions of AutoCad lite and TurboCad have found their way into
the home PC market with costs as low as $100. We have tried some of
these packages and found that, in some cases, you can get less than
what you pay for. Not only can these packages be cumbersome to use,
they may not have the features needed to create complex jewelry designs.
One advantage of engineering software is that it typically allows
for accurate dimensioning, an essential feature for designing with
faceted gemstones. A drawback is that complex surface designs are
not easy to do.
Some of the most popular software for engineering type applications
are listed below:
• Pro/E (www.ptc.com)
• Dassault Systems CATIA
• SDRC I-DEAS
• AutoCad (www.autodesk.com)
• IronCad (www.ironcad.com)
• SolidWorks (www.solidworks.com)
• SolidEdge (www.solid-edge.com)
• TurboCAD (www.turbocad.com)
Animation Software. Recent trends in animation for movies
have created a variety of software that can be used for three-dimensional
designs. The need for creating realistic three-dimensional Web pages
is also driving the development of three-dimensional software. While
truly unique shapes can be created from this type of software, they
often do not lend themselves to manufacturing, nor to the exact
dimensioning needed for jewelry design. The advantage of these software
packages is that they are usually very economical. The market for
animation software is much larger than the market for engineering
software; as a result, animation software costs a lot less than
engineering software. Some examples of "animation" software
that have been transformed into CAD packages are:
• Rhinoceros (www.rhino3d.com)
• TrueSpace (www.caligari.com)
• FormZ (www.formz.com)
Both FormZ and Rhinoceros offer free downloads over the Internet.
Jewelry Design Software. There are several CAD products
designed specifically for the jewelry market, most of which were
developed for the engraving industry. Usually, these products are
not truly three-dimensional packages, instead working by projecting
a two-dimensional image into the third direction. This limits their
ability to represent undercuts.
Before the revolution in 3D printing, the nature of the machining
process limited the parts that could be machined to those that could
be constructed with three-axis milling machines. The 2-1/2D design
was not that much of a limiting factor. One advantage of 2-1/2D
is that very complex surfaces can be created without much computer
power. For example, a complex Celtic weave or a raised texture can
be easily mapped onto a 2-1/2D surface. Rendering the same pattern
in a true 3D software package often requires enormous computer power
and computer memory.
Some of the big markets for engraving are corporate logos, stamps
for punching designs into leather, cookie cutters, candy molds,
embossing plates, special coins, commemorative medals, and cameos.
You may have seen engraving software marketed at the Tucson gem
and mineral shows. For example, Graphitech's product was displayed
and demonstrated during Rio
Grande's "Catalog in Motion" show, and the Model Master's
product, ArtCAM, was on display at the AGTA/MJSA show. Both ArtCAM
and Cimagrafi are targeted toward the engraving industry, as they
can generate complicated raised images. If not done well or with
enough detail in the rendering, the parts produced by these packages
can look like Jell-O(TM) molds. If done well, they have the advantage
of being able to create a more detailed surface than can be typically
created using SolidWorks or IronCad.
Some examples of 2-1/2D or engraving software are:
• Type3 (www.type3.com)
• Cimigraphi (www.graphitech.com)
• ArtCAM (www.artcam.com)
Most engraving software is designed to drive only specific types
of milling machines. Most of these can create files that can be
used by the Sanders Prototype machine.
JewelCAD is a 3D, free-form, surface-based modeler that is designed
specifically for jewelry. See:
• JewelCAD (www.jcadcam.com)
One advantage that JewelCAD offers is an expansive library of
parts. The user can select from a variety of designs that can
be easily modified. One disadvantage of JewelCAD is that it is
not possible to import designs for custom- faceted, irregularly
shaped stones.
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| The
GemVision Corporation (www.gemvision.com)
offers software that specializes in jewelry design. |
While some CAD software has been designed specifically for the jeweler,
it may actually be difficult for the jeweler to use. Jewelers speak
in terms of "four-prong basket heads for a round stone,"
while CAD software usually speaks in terms of "round cylinders
with a 90° symmetry about a central axis." Much of the documentation
for CAD software is difficult, if not impossible, to understand, simply
because the people writing software would much rather write software
than write manuals about how to use software.
A trend that we are seeing is the wrapping of a jewelry design
interface around CAD software. For example, Digital Goldsmith Matrix
from GemVision (www.gemvision.com)
uses Rhinoceros as the modeling engine. Their product includes a
parts library and has a jewelry-friendly interface that makes the
software more compatible.
Creating a good image. An important part of the design process
is creating a realistic-looking picture of finished jewelry. A realistic
image is important, because it enhances the communication for custom
designs between the jewelry designer and the customer. Be careful
not to confuse imaging software with 3D design software. Several
software packages allow the user to design by working with photos.
These packages are fast at overlaying and merging photos to help
communicate a design. They do not, however, provide a design that
can be manufactured using rapid prototyping processes.
Rendering is the process of creating a photo-realistic image
from the solid model. Because this is a computer-intensive process,
creating a realistic image from a solid model is usually a separate
step. Rendering an image from a solid model is an art in itself.
One has to select the lighting, view the angle, and check the background.
Some programs provide simple shading, while others will trace the
rays of light from their source through the stone to give a very
real image. For the better packages, it can be hard to tell if the
image is from a real part or just a computer part.
Most customers will be delighted with a good photo of their prospective
designs. Modern computers allow us to go a step further. Imagine
the possibilities when you can show a movie of a prospective design.
SolidWorks has Web-based tools that allow designs to be e-mailed
and viewed in three dimensions. This tool allows the fully 3D design
to be reviewed. These tools also permit cross-country collaborations.
Selecting a Software Tool. We have tried several different
software packages for computer-aided design. Advantages and disadvantages
accompany each software package. Often, the most general software
will be the most difficult to use. The challenge is to find software
that is capable, yet easy to use. Most of the time, the most capable
and easy-to-use software is the most expensive. However, some of
the more expensive software packages are all but impossible to use.
There are very inexpensive 3D software options that can be used
to gain experience. Older versions of Truespace, for example, are
available for under $100. Out of the box, these tools may seem useless
for jewelry design. However, in a presentation at the AGTA show
in Tucson, Randy Hays of Jewelscapes Imaging showed how this simple
package can be used very effectively if you have a parts library.
For the most part, software packages are not very interchangeable.
We tried to create surfaces using the engraving software and import
them into the engineering software. While this was possible, it
was not practical. Often the mathematical methods used to construct
the model differ greatly from program to program. While we would
like to have one software package that does it all, we have found
that each software package excels in one or two areas.
For example, one feature that is well done in SolidWorks is the
ability to parametize designs. Designing a ring so that the ring
size can be input as a parameter is easy in SolidWorks. Other programs
require you to totally redo the design for each size ring.
While SolidWorks allows engineering precision, it does not allow
for easy creation of swirls and loops. While these can be created
in SolidWorks, it may take 10 to 20 steps. The same process may
take only a few steps for a program like JewelCAD, which was designed
to do this type of thing from the start. Trying to create a cameo
design in either SolidWorks or JewelCAD is next to impossible. However,
ARTCAM and Semigraphi specialize in software for cameos.
For most cases, learning to drive the software can take some time.
CAD-CAM is quickly becoming a part of the jeweler's formal education.
For example, the Gemological Institute of America is currently offering
CAD-CAM training. General CAD-CAM training is also taught at community
colleges across the country. In addition, many of the more expensive
CAD packages offer their own training options. Most software companies
offer demo versions that can be downloaded or ordered from the Web
for free.
Is it art? Most software packages are very powerful tools
that allow you to create designs more quickly and with more precision
than by hand carving the wax. However, even the most powerful manufacturing
tool allows you to create a design that only you will like.
Creating a design with an artistic intent that is liked by all
still remains a labor of love. Remember that the invention of the
camera did not replace oil paintings, and the invention of the video
camera did not create millions of great movies. CAD/CAM programs
that allow the manufacture of jewelry designs will not replace the
artist.
As we have learned more, our designs have increased in complexity.
With these new tools, we can render jewelry images and make the
seats for the stone that correctly correspond to the dimensions
of the gemstone that we want to set. Length, width, and depth are
all taken into account, as well as the pavilion angles that were
used in faceting the stone. This information allows us to make such
an accurate seat for the stone that it can reduce the setting time
by a factor of ten. Also, tapered settings for small diamond accents
or other melee allow these stones to slip in and be set without
adjusting the metal very much. Designing unique gallery work in
the settings for large stones is now fun. The real problem is that
it is now too easy to change a design again and again because the
possibilities of design exploration seem endless.
If you would like to learn more about rapid prototyping, then see
the Web sites listed above. You can also find more information on
the Web sites: www.Sculptor.Org/Technology/rapidpro.htm;
www.cc.utah.edu/~asn8200/rapid.html;
and home.att.net/~castleisland.
Scanning 3D Images. 3D Web pages are creating a demand for
3D images. We are already starting to see libraries of 3D images
on the Web; in the near future, almost anything imaginable will
be available on the Web as 3D clip art. The geometry of animals,
cars, plants, and people are already available on the Internet and
can be purchased on CDS.
There are also tools that help create lifelike 3D images. Several
companies are currently making 3D scanners. With these tools, a
part can be sculpted in clay and then scanned or probed to create
a surface with the computer. The idea of scanning a person's face
or an object will mean that customers will be able to create very
personal designs that include grandchildren and pets or that celebrate
special life events.
THE RAMIFICATIONS of rapid prototyping in the jewelry industry
are many. Rapid prototyping allows the creation of specialty designs
for those uniquely faceted gemstones that have become a trademark
of the American faceter. For faceters, it means that there will
be a higher demand for their uniquely cut gemstones. The expense
of designing jewelry for non-calibrated, unusually shaped gemstones
could drop in price, and rendering those designed pieces may become
much easier to accomplish. Many gem cutters are not jewelers. With
the advent of design software, gem cutters and gem carvers will
now be able to design jewelry and better communicate those designs
to goldsmiths.
Will this new manufacturing technique be the end of the craftsman?
We do not think so. Even though mass marketing of wax-injected and
cast parts have already created catalogs of pre-made "easy
settings," there are design limitations with these. We know
that many parts cannot be cast, because pieces are too thin or fine
details cannot be incorporated in the wax. Designing and manufacturing
jewelry with rapid-prototyping are new and powerful tools for the
jeweler's tool box. Nevertheless, jewelry design still needs an
artist's touch to make it special. | 
by
Stephen and Nancy Attaway
