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a piece of jewelry custom designed can be a fun and rewarding process. From
start to finish it generally only takes about four weeks, and you are able to
see the project progress through many of its stages. It all starts with you.
Whether you are looking for something specific or if you have multiple aspects
that you would like melded into one design, from us supplying all the materials,
to you wanting some of your stones remounted into a fresh new design. It's all
possible, easy, and exciting. Wearing a piece of jewelry that you helped to
create will give you much joy and happiness for years to come.
The process starts with the designer getting a feel for types of jewelry that
move you. Do you like free-form, symmetrical, classic, or modern? We will draw
up some sketches based on what you have told us and the stones that will be used.
After you have looked at and approved them we will do any refinements that are
necessary. The next step is to form the two-dimensional concept into a three-dimensional
wax model. At this point it is much easier to see the precise shape the finished
piece will take. Once again, after you have approved the wax and we have made
any changes necessary, we move to the next step of transforming the model into a
metal form.
In this step, called lost wax casting, we start by attaching a thick piece of
wax wire to the model called a sprue. The model and sprue are now surrounded by
a special type of plaster called investment, leaving only the tip of the sprue
exposed. Then the wax is burned out of the plaster in a kiln at temperatures in
excess of 1250F degrees. Now the empty cavity in the plaster is an exact copy of
what we want to produce. The only thing left to do in this step is to force the
metal into the cavity. This requires some sort of casting machine. Typically, in
a custom jewelry shop a centrifugal casting machine is used. This type of
machine forces the molten metal into the plaster by spinning at high speeds.
Once the metal has solidified, the plaster is removed and an exact duplicate of
our wax is born.
All that is left, is to polish the rough casting, set the gemstones, and give
the piece a final polish. This step can take many hours of careful work using a
microscope. If it looks great under 30x, it will certainly be beautiful to the
naked eye. Once the work is completed, all that remains is for you to enjoy your
special piece of imagination and creativity for the years to come. A piece of
finely crafted jewelry will always be there to remind you of a special time or
occasion in your life. Whether a gift or for yourself, jewelry is a great way to
express oneself.
© Copyright 2007 Olufson Designs
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