The Ganoksin Project S i n c e 1 9 9 6 Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Techniques
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------------------------------------------------------------------------- In This Edition:
- The Life and Work of Don Tompkins 2. States of Being: The Jewelry of Reiko Ishiyama 3. Life in Orange - Spessartite Garnet 4. How much of a difference does cut make in a gem's value? 5. Causes and Prevention of Defects in Wrought Alloys 6. Fused Photographs in Enamel - The Ceramic Tissue Method 7. Making a yellow gold and platinum ring 8. Manufacturing custom earrings using welding technology 9. Shortening bracelet using welding techniques 10. Sizing a platinum ring using welding technology 11. Installing and repairing hinge rivets using welding technology 12. Moissanite necklace repair using welding technology 13. Repairs and alterations using welding procedures
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In This Edition of Tips From The Jeweler's Bench
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- The Life and Work of Don Tompkins
Tompkins was born in 1933 in Everett , Washington. His Parents were lifelong teachers, mainly in small rural western schools, The Pacific Northwest has long been a fertile center for the crafts, but only relatively recently has the importance of Don Tompkins in this history been acknowledged. And his story cannot be told without bringing in a reminder of Russell Day's significance in this history....
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- States of Being: The Jewelry of Reiko Ishiyama
The delicious paradox of quantum physics is that matter exists simultaneously as particle and as wave. Much of Reiko Ishiyama's recent jewelry shares that strange condition, appearing concurrently as both object and gesture, point and vector....
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- Life in Orange - Spessartite Garnet
The decade of the '90s put spessartite garnet on the map. Once a rare collector's gem, the brilliant orange garnet burst on the scene in 1991, when a deposit was discovered in the rugged mountains of northwestern Namibia, and again in 1999, with a seemingly bottomless find in the remote bushlands of Nigeria. Suddenly, enough spessartite was being produced from these and other sources to market it to mainstream jewelers. Prices dropped and jewelry lines began to feature the stone. Unfortunately, this dealer's dream ended almost as quickly as it began, as by 2001 the African alluvial deposits had mostly dried up. Today, spessartite is again rare, and prices are rising as supplies dwindle....
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- How much of a difference does cut make in a gem's value?
Imagine, if you will, two colored stones. Both exhibit good color. Both are relatively inclusion free. Both tip the scale at about the same weight. But one was cut better, and it's simply more beautiful. Should you pay a premium price for it? Conventional wisdom holds that the answer is yes. Obtaining a good cut usually means greater weight loss in cutting and higher pay for a more skilled cutter, expenses which can only be recovered through a higher price or a lower profit margin. In theory, the market should be willing to pay a premium for the beauty of a better cut....
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- Causes and Prevention of Defects in Wrought Alloys
Much of the recent literature on defects that occur in jewelry manufacture is focused on those occurring in lost wax investment casting, However, defects can also occur during casting of ingot and its fabrication into sheet, tube, wire and rod as well as their onward fabrication into jewelry compon ents by processes such as stamping and forging. These defects, along with their causes and prevention, are briefly reviewed in this article....
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- Fused Photographs in Enamel - The Ceramic Tissue Method
Enameled steel is the best support for the photographic image. It will withstand the burn-off temperatures without cracking the image. Copper can work, particularly on a small scale, but be warned that there may be a significant failure rate. The enameled surface first must be subbed to enhance the adherence of the pigmented gelatin. Subbing is the application of a very thin coat of hardened gelatin which seals the microscopic pores in the enamel and provides a very strong bond between the emulsion and the enamel....
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- Making a Yellow Gold and Platinum Ring
This two-part series highlights tips and techniques, tools and accessories and procedures for custom making the 18 karat yellow gold and platinum ring featured in the counter sketch for a green tourmaline and diamonds....
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- Manufacturing Custom Earrings Using Welding Technology
This custom job of 14 karat yellow gold earrings with diamonds and pink tourmaline is made easy using tack-welding technology. Tacking the pieces prior to soldering enabled me to ensure proper alignment and soldering procedures without the need for excessive and cumbersome holding devices. The sold ering steps were minimized, reducing the potential for prong failure....
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- Shortening Bracelet Using Welding Techniques
This Charles and Colvard created moissanite (hereafter referred to as moissanite) and two-tone karat gold in-line bracelet requires shortening by two links. The bracelet is held together by a heavy link-wire that's wrapped around an open portion of the adjacent link and permanently joined, giving the bracelet maximum flexibility. Below is a procedure for shortening, reassembling and permanent welding of the link using pulse-arc-welding technology.....
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- Sizing a Platinum Ring Using Welding Technology
Sizing and torch welding a platinum ring with diamonds channel set down the shank could be risky to the diamonds. Use of a Pulse-arc Welder for this welding job will eliminate the risk and potential damage....
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- Installing and Repairing Hinge Rivets Using Welding Technology
Installing or repairing hinge rivets can be difficult with a torch. Flooding a hinge with solder and permanently joining a link to adjacent links are among the risks when using a torch and solder. Use of the following pulse-arc welding techniques to weld the hinge rivets will eliminate potential problems and speed up the overall procedure.....
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- Moissanite Necklace Repair Using Welding Technology
This necklace contains Charles & Colvard created moissanite. It has been mistakenly pulled and a few links have broken. Repairing the links using pulse-arc-welding technology removes the potential to freeze links, reduces the build-up of oxidation and decreases time required for clean-up as opposed to using a torch for the repair....
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- Repairs and Alterations Using Welding Procedures
Repairs and alterations of jewelry that has been in families for generations is an ongoing request at retail service departments. These pieces are not of high value, but they have sentimental value to the owner. Often these pieces were not made properly, excessively worn or broken. To keep your customers happy, repairs to these pieces are inevitable and this article covers procedures for simplifying the process, minimizing risk and maximizing profit margins for the service department....
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