Journal · 980 notes
Notes from the bench
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 · Aug 2026
OEM Jewelry Factory Service: CAD Design to Bulk Delivery
OEM jewelry factory service walkthrough: CAD design, 3D printing, casting, setting, plating, QC, and export, from idea to shipped carton.
Making & process · Aug 2026
Jewelry Manufacturing Process Steps: A Factory-Floor Walk
Jewelry manufacturing process steps from CAD to carton: wax, casting, setting, polishing, plating, QC. What happens at each bench.
Making & process · Aug 2026
Jewelry Factory Packaging Standards: Bulk Export Protection
How jewelry factories pack bulk export orders, the difference between standard and retail-ready packaging, and the specs that stop transit damage.
Making & process · Aug 2026
Casting Sprues and Investment: Defect Basics
Why porosity, shrinkage, and gas defects happen at the sprue and investment stage, and how shops prevent them.
Buying guides · Aug 2026
Small-Batch OEM: What a Jewelry Factory Minimum Order Really Means
What a jewelry factory MOQ actually covers: tooling, flask size, plating rack, stone packs, and why reorders have lower minimums.
Making & process · Aug 2026
Flask Cooling and Divesting After Casting: What the Shakeout Reveals
Cooling rate, water quench, dry divestment, and how the shakeout tells you whether the burnout or the pour ran clean.
Stones & grading · Aug 2026
How Gemstones Are Heat-Treated, and What It Means for Buyers
Heat treatment changes color and clarity in sapphire, ruby, tanzanite and more. Why it is done, which stones it stabilizes, and what disclosure requires.
Making & process · Aug 2026
Bridal Jewelry Manufacturing Lead Times: What Actually Drives the Clock
CAD, casting, stone setting, polishing, plating: the stages behind a bridal production lead time, and where the delays always come from.
Making & process · Aug 2026
How Rings Are Sized Up or Down: The Bench Procedure
Cut, add stock, solder, refinish. A clear walkthrough of how jewelers resize rings, and which rings cannot be sized at all.
Making & process · Aug 2026
From 400 Grit to Rouge: Multi-Stage Polishing That Scales Across Runs
Consistent high polish across 100 pieces is a process, not a skill. Grit progression, compound discipline and wheel choice decide it.
Making & process · Aug 2026
The Custom Jewelry Manufacturing Timeline: What Happens Week by Week
Custom jewelry is usually quoted as "four to six weeks" or "six to eight weeks." That range hides the milestones that actually determine whether the o
Buying guides · Aug 2026
CAD STL Export for Lost-Wax Casting: Settings That Keep the Cast Clean
Tolerance, mesh quality, wall thickness, and support geometry so a CAD file exports to a wax that casts cleanly the first time.
