JEWELLERY SETTING

At Little Jadeite House, our jewellery pieces are done by expert craftsmen whom has been honing their craft for at least 20 years. Each piece of our jewellery is handmade, through a long process to ensure the finest workmanship and durability to our valuable clients.

Here are the steps in the jewellery setting process:

Coming up with a 3D Jewellery model

First and foremost, we look at the jade pieces that are unset. From there, the team thinks about how to best bring out the essence and beauty of this piece of type A jadeite. From the initial rough sketches to the thought process, it is carefully curated so that the piece of jade is brought to its fullest life.

Once the initial sketches are done, it is translated into a digital model. Using a variety of Computer Aided Design software, the design will make a digital mock-up of the jade piece in the design created. The digital model will also allow us to estimate the amount of gold weight and diamonds needed in the jewellery setting process, giving us an accurate view of the overall cost.

Our pieces are always a combination of function and beauty, and we truly believe that jadeite jewellery must be practical to wear and durable to last. With the digital picture, it will allow the client to have a rough vision of the actual product – a truly exciting process.

Wax Model Casting

From the 3D model, the wax model will be produced. In modern setting of jadeite jewellery, the 3D printing machine will print out a wax model of the setting frame and this model will be used for the next step, which is to cast it into 18-karat gold.

Casting the Wax Model into Gold

Now, the jewellery goes through a casting process and the outline of the setting will turn into life. The wax is melted away in a furnace while the 18-karat gold is melted into molten form and poured into the casting machine. The metal then is given time to dry up and the gold cast is ready.

Refining the Jewellery Cast

With the initial stages complete, your jade jewellery gold cast is almost ready! But first, it has to go through a refining process. At this point, the goldsmith will refine the structure of the piece. Be it a ring, pendant or brooch, the goldsmith must file down the casting skin to reveal the cleanest metal underneath. He also needs to make aesthetic adjustments and tweak the frame slightly so that the piece looks as polished as possible. He will also do a functionality check to see if there are any structural flaws that has to be amended at this point of time. After these checks are done, the jewellery frame is ready for setting the precious jadeite gems in.

Jade Setting

If your jadeite piece is set with diamonds, the diamond setter will be wearing an eye glass loupe and cast each piece of diamond into the cast one by one. He will do it carefully and some hand drilling may be needed to secure the gemstones into the final piece of work. Each piece of gemstone or diamond is painstakingly placed one by one, and a skilled craftsman takes years to master this art.

With that completed, the jadeite piece is placed into the setting frame and then clawed or bezelled to secure the piece completely. Now, the product is almost finished, with one last step to go.

Polishing and Completion

In the final stage, a polisher works to make sure the metal is polished to perfection so it’s as shiny as possible. A thorough cleaning is done and any engravings are also applied. Finally, the completed piece of jewellery is analysed and checked that is meets our highest standards.

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