Journal · 542 notes
Making & process
Written for buyers rather than for search engines: what a specification actually means, where an order usually goes wrong, and what to ask before you pay a deposit.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Checking for Casting Pits: A QC Bench Routine
How a jewelry QC bench screens for casting pits, porosity and pinholes under 10x, and which pits are actually rejectable.
Making & process · Sep 2026
From CAD File to Cast Ring: The Custom Jewelry Workflow Hand-offs
CAD geometry, support gates, resin printing, burnout and casting: where a digital design succeeds or fails before it ever reaches the bench.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Tension Seats: Cutting the Depth That Holds the Stone
A tension seat that is too shallow drops the stone; too deep cracks the girdle. Our seat-depth math and test-set routine for tension-style settings.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Producing Moissanite Jewelry at Scale: What Changes on the Factory Floor
Moissanite is 9.25 on Mohs, but it cuts, sets, and tolerates pressure differently than diamond. Here is what changes in production.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Stone Setting Types: Prong, Bezel, Pavé, and Channel — When Each Holds Up
Prong, bezel, pave, and channel settings compared on security, light return, and repair cost. Which one holds up on a daily band?
Making & process · Sep 2026
Roller Printing: The Rolling Mill as a Loom for Metal
A rolling mill does more than thin metal. We run it through textures, mesh, and leaves to imprint a surface before the piece is even formed.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Filigree Jewelry: How Hand-Drawn Wire Lace Is Made
Filigree draws metal hair-thin, then solders it into lace-like patterns. We walk through draw plates, solder work, and the handmade premium.
Making & process · Sep 2026
OEM Jewelry Manufacturing Service: A Buyer's Walkthrough
What an OEM jewelry manufacturing service actually does: your designs, our factory. Handoff docs, sample rounds, tooling ownership.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Soldering Joints in Jewelry Repair: What a Clean Joint Actually Requires
Hard solder grades, flux, joint prep, pickling and fire scale: why a jewelry repair joint fails and what separates a clean solder from a weak one.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Polishing Compounds and Finishing Stages in Jewelry
Rouge, tripoli, and the compound sequence that produces a true mirror finish. Why skipping a stage costs more than it saves.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Hand Engraving: Script and Block Fonts at the Bench
Letter height, burin angle, script vs block, and when a rotary machine cannot follow a copperplate swash on a curved band.
Making & process · Sep 2026
Final Visual Inspection: Angled Light Catches What Loupes Miss
A loupe sees detail; angled light sees overall finish. Our final visual inspection routine that catches haze, scratches and asymmetry before packing.