Computer Aided Design

Computer Aided Design, most commonly referred to as CAD, is a tool that has been employed in the jewelry industry for over a decade.  As more jewelry-specific computer software and plug-ins have emerged, there has also been an influx of output devices with increasingly more precise capabilities.  The detail and precision to which the designer is able to build a “virtual” model in the computer has not been manufactured or produced by a machine to the same tolerance, but the technology has improved steadily with demand.   The image below was taken from my computer screen.  I generated this model 3-dimensionally from a family crest image provided by the client.  From the flat image, each shape was built, one by one.  There are 88 objects in this model!  What are the advantages to CAD? Here are a few:

• MULTIPLES: Exact Reproducibility and the ability to copy objects infinitely to make a pattern
• MIRROR: The Ability to Flip Shapes
• SCALE:  Once built in the computer, the output size may be changed with reference to the purpose
• ASSEMBLY/PRECISION:  Parts may be used as guidelines for other parts, so that objects fit together extremely well when assembled

The next image is of a wax model, carved by a machine, from the computer file above.  Just to give a sense of scale, this wax model would fit within the face of a quarter US dollar coin.  The detail is incredible to the naked eye.  This wax model was then used to prepare a mold for metal casting.  It was later produced for a men’s signet ring in silver, as well as for a women’s pendant in gold.  This is just one size, but the computer file may also be enlarged or reduced even further, depending on the application.  If enlarged, it could be carved using a larger machine in a variety of materials, such as wood, metal billet, plastic, etc……perhaps even made for a fireplace mantle, or custom door.

Below is a photo of the finished ring in sterling silver, and it all started with a photo from the client’s collection.  It could have come from a letterhead, or an heirloom etching, to name a couple of examples.