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The fun starts next weekend in Albuquerque with the speakers and topics this year all very timely for the changes and challenges in the jewelry industry today. The cast of “characters” from all over the world are donating their time to provide a top drawer education that could help us find our way.

I am looking forward to seeing Alexandre Auberson ( Cartier ) again, the ever entertaining Joerg Fisher-Buhner ( Legor ) on palladium, and Dr Joe Tunick Strauss ( HJE Comp ) on advances in powder metal technology. Also a re-vist from Dr. Boonrat Lohwongtatana from Chulalongkom University in Bankok who blew us all away last yea...Read More

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I had to chance to visit a few “Techno-Jewelers” in Seattle last week who have found CAD/CAM solutions to grow their business.

 Teresa and I left Portland on Thursday hoping to spend some quality time over the weekend at Gig Harbor with friends so on Friday morning we started out in one of the downtown jeweler’s buildings at Shodlt Design.
 
Sholdt is a 70 year old legacy jeweler who caters to retail jewelers with a beautiful bridal line with a distinctive designer look.  Sholdt has long been known by the upper crust jeweler offering platinum, gold and now joining a growing number of designers offering 950...Read More

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There is a rumble going on about how our precious metals are formulated and the resulting “fitness for use” in fine jewelry designs. The US government and EU have long since established guidelines to control the import and export of goods, but they do little to assure the consumer about the real “quality” of the metal we use.

In recent years, the EU mandated changes in nickel content in white gold alloys, and for good cause. The result was a scramble in development by metallurgists to fill the gap with alloys that would provide similar working properties. Today we have myriad recipes with some that are “fit for use” and others that leave some doubt. In recent months, the new kid on the block, palladium, is the subject of even more debate, study, and development where working...Read More

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The favorite toy for the modern day “techno-jeweler” continues to be the 3D printer. Jewelers are utilizing a variety of CAD programs to design fine jewelry and the obvious outlet for creative expression continues to be 3D wax patterns for investment casting.
 

This week in Basel, the next generation of 3D wax printers is being unveiled by the jewelry experts at Solidscape®. With several thousand systems at jewelry factories around the world, Solidscape® has been listening to its user base and continues to upgrade the capabilities of thei...Read More

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So often business and the media use the term “Innovation” to describe a dramatic change in practice. In this instance, the invention is truly innovative. It will change how we produce and market patterned metal jewelry in the 21st century.

Steve Midgett and James Binnion, both recognized independently as masters of mokume ga...Read More

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Casting Material Study : Volume 1

This year for the Santa Fe Symposium, I have been helping Teresa Fryé at Techform Advanced Casting on a study of CAD/CAM patterns. The study will focus on thermal expansion and how it may relate to casting quality. In 2005 we published a white paper on casting CAD/CAM materials and our hope is to expand and prove out our theories derived from that work. The results from months of work comparing numerous materials are now coming in.

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Every year I see new products that utilize technology in the jewelry industry. This year I would like to recognize a product that has made a significant contribution in the CAD/CAM niche.

ProtoWizard is a specialty product designed for jewelers with CAD software who want to mill their own designs in wax or metal. The software/hardware system was introduced in 2005 and is packaged with the Roland JWX10 mill being sold in the North American jewelry market. According to the inventor, the software program also works with many other CNC mills suitable for the jewelry and they will add compatibility for other brands as needed.

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A significant number of CAD/CAM jewelers around the world have now invested millions of hours to create fine jewelry. As a result of these efforts, the inventory of these digital design files is growing rapidly and looking for a new home at a jewelry store like yours.
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I touched on this subject a few weeks ago in my Blog posting ...Read More

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With the season now upon us this week I wanted to remind the retailers out there to keep their digital cameras handy. With all those important sales this month, taking that extra couple of minutes to photograph your customers along with their selections is a great opportunity. These snapshots will come in real handy for advertising and in store promotions in the months that follow your busy season
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One of those ideas for next season is to use ...Read More

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There is something new under the sun in CAD/CAM technology and well worth your interest.

The initial and most obvious reason for jewelers to invest in CAD/CAM has been the creation of patterns for investment casting. That has been all well and good for our industry thus far but in recent months a new product has surfaced that may be a better reason to invest in technology
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Most CAD programs are able to render a jewelers design in what the software companies have called a “photo-realistic&rdqu...Read More

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This week I am giving two educational presentations on CAD/CAM at the Portland Jewelry Symposium. The roster of speakers includes
                              

Jurgen Maertz of the Platinum Guild International, speaking about his platinum magic,
 
Teresa Frye ...Read More

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I had call this week from a jeweler looking at CAD/CAM for her store. Gloria already has the CAD software and has been thinking about buying a CNC Wax Mill to make some of her designs in house. Gloria is a long time customer so I was happy to help

Over the past few years CNC Wax Milling has become very affordable and tailored specifically for the jewelry industry. I have tested many of these machines and most of them are appropriate and very affordable now. There are some companies who focus their efforts in the jewelry industry like.
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Gemvision...Read More

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