The techniques used to make jewelry have evolved throughout the years due to technological advances in equipment as well as innovation of the process by those striving to improve the product.  Today, there are many methods to produce the multiple of styles of jewelry available, but this article will touch on two and how these relate to the way we do things here at Pompos.

Method 1 - Casting:

Old school casting conveys the idea of creating a design by hand in wax, casting it in a metal like silver and making a rubber mold of it. Thereafter, shooting wax into it and casting it in the desired metal. This method is still being used today mostly for production type of jewelry that needs to be done quickly and cost efficiently, regardless of the craftsmanship.

• Casting is also conveyed when a ring is done with CAD and it is cast as one whole piece. Making the ring in CAD is more custom but casting it in one piece degrades the quality of craftsmanship because it limits the amount of polishing by restricting the accessibility to certain areas of the ring. This lack of accessibility also impedes certain aspects of diamond setting.

Method 2 - Handmade:

Throughout the history of jewelry making, many remarkable pieces have been created entirely by hand by some of the most important jewelry houses in the industry. Today however, it is rare that jewelry is made entirely by hand as it takes a craftsman with great skill and experience and can be cost prohibitive because of the extraordinary amount of time involved. Although the end product would most likely be strong and well made, it would not reach the level of crisp craftsmanship and symmetrical perfection that demand here at Pompos.

We use a combination of both. Most of what we make is done with a 3-D program. However, we cast all our items in different pieces and assemble them all together to create the design. This allows us to give full attention to detail leaving “no stone unturned”. This method is not used by all because combining all the components requires a specific skill set and the correct technology to do so. In other words, it is easier said than done.

Today, this method is known as handmade, although not in the traditional sense.

We do make some of the components by hand because of strength, like the center prongs for example. All our center prongs are made from pulled wire and then assembled on to each ring accordingly, and that is because pulled wire is very solid and strong. Most of our pave eternity bands are made from pulled wire as well. Sometimes a certain item requires that we create a tool by hand in order to make a design properly, this also is considered handmade with custom tools.

These two techniques, when executed correctly and skillfully like we do here at Pompos, yield exquisite quality of craftsmanship!

And the result: