Have you ever wondered how it is that some Etsy shops carry
designs that look commercial but claim to be made or designed by the shop? They probably use a 3D jewelry design
software like Rhino. I always wanted to
try something like this, but I figured it would just take too much time to
learn. But then last summer, I met
Brandy of Belenky Girl Designs, a freelance jewelry designer, and we’ve started working together. My first earrings are already out; an
eternity band and a halo ring are in production and should be ready for the
holidays.
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| Kyanite Earrings with Settings by Brandy |
So how does CAD design work?
CAD stands for “computer aided drafting” and there are dozens of
software packages out there, ranging from industrial uses (i.e. for making auto
parts) to the more fun, like jewelry design.
When the design is done, the computer model is “printed” in 3D, that
means a plastic or wax model is created directly from the file by a 3-D
printer, which adds layer upon layer of wax or plastic until the model is fully
“grown” (yep, that’s the lingo). The
model then cast in your favorite metal.
CAD design is not cheap.
The standard price for a model is between $100 and $200, depending on
how elaborate your design is. Plus
growing costs, which can be up to $50. Remember
also that you need to discuss a lot of details with your CAD designer. You have to provide exact measurements of
your gem, have an idea of the dimensions of the piece, i.e. how wide and deep a
ring should be, domed, flat, tapered, prong style, etc. All this is part of the design time you pay
for, and the actual design can still take an hour or two. Then you add in the casting, and of course
the metal cost. So a CAD design is worth
doing only if you want to have something done in gold for an expensive stone,
or if you plan on making more than one piece, like me. I can work the cost of the original into the
jewelry price, if I sell enough pieces.
What are the advantages of 3D design? You can get symmetry and precision that is
nearly impossible to achieve in metal or wax.
Think of the dozens of tiny prongs on a halo ring, or the perfect
curvature of a custom design tapered ring.
Making a wax or metal model takes hours and is very easy to mess
up. I’m not a jeweler by training, so I
can do neither (the organic look of my own wax rings, by contrast, is easy to
get). Meanwhile, the wire you can buy
for the rings I solder is either flat or domed, and that seriously limits the
design. Just being able to solder
together the settings for a 3-stone ring requires weeks of practice – sort of
like playing even a simple Schubert piece on the piano (forget Chopin!). If you make many castings, you also save
money over buying the parts each time, or having to buy finished models
elsewhere at a markup. Plus of course
CAD opens up a wealth of options beyond the traditionally available parts (even
though there are a lot).
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| My Eternity Band (top) with Round Bezel Settings, and an Open Version for a Stone |
I personally decided on CAD designs because a lot of my
stones are very deep. Many colored
stones are have a bulky back which preserve the color. They’re not flat like diamond cut stones, so
many of the traditional settings prove too shallow or the prongs too short to
grab the stone. Some of the silver
settings, in turn, are too flimsy and the prongs can break off during
setting.
There are also some disadvantages to CAD designs. The main one, right now, is a limitation of
the printing and casting process. You
cannot get as much detail with a casting as you can when you work directly in
the metal. Consider the little filigree
pendants I’ve been selling lately. Those
were made in the 1920s, some are stampings (where the metal is stamped out
directly and the design imprints itself onto the metal), others have tiny
millgrain that is applied with a special tool.
For a wax model to capture a design, it has to be about 1/3mm deep,
which means that some engravings and textures don’t show.
I figure, however, that in time, both the
growing and the casting process can be done with more precision, plus the design
software will be easier to use. This
will also lower the cost of production.
Then maybe anyone can make jewelry at home. (Is that a good thing?)
