Cutting the stone is only the beginning of the jewelry making process. It’s when our designers start their work on
your sapphire jewelry that things get really exciting. Once you’ve selected your natural, untreated sapphire, you
have the option of placing it in one of our classic settings or working with our designers to develop a custom
setting of your own. Either way, innovative Gemvision Matrix 3D Jewelry Design software lets us show you exactly
how your stone will look in its setting - from any angle you choose. A virtual preview of your finished jewelry strips
away guesswork, so you’ll be sure your sapphire is set precisely the way you want it.

That’s not all: this Computer-Aided Design (CAD) system allows us to adjust any detail, be it shape, proportion, or
finish, until the design is perfect for you. Do you want to see your ring in yellow gold instead of platinum? No
problem. Bigger side stones? Easy! Add some delicate scrollwork to the band? It only takes a moment. Design
changes that once took hours can now be made as you watch. This speed and flexibility set our designers’
imaginations free to create ever finer sapphire jewelry. They also make our workshop more efficient, which
translates into lower prices for you. Click Here to view CAD modeling in action.

This elaborate CAD/CAM wax model is tailored precisely to fit the chosen stones.	The digital printer renders wax models in astonishing detail.

Once your design is finalized, we employ Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) to transform the 3D CAD file into a
solid wax model. The digital CAD file guides a Solidscape 3D printer as it deposits ultra-thin layers of wax to “grow”
a precise model of your jewelry. Built in layers as thin as 0.013 millimeters, these wax models are accurate to
within 0.025 millimeters! This tremendous resolution allows the 3D printer to produce the most complex, fluid,
organic forms that our designers can imagine. Click Here to see the 3D printer at work.

The CAD/CAM production process, start to finish.

After the wax model is finished and inspected, more traditional techniques take over. In a millennia-old process, a
mold is made from the wax model. While automation and high-tech mold materials have entered the picture, this
lost wax process is fundamentally the same used by the ancient Sumerians over 4,500 years ago. When the mold
is hardened, the wax is removed by melting it in a furnace or kiln. Hence the term “lost wax.” Every trace of wax
must be removed from the mold, since any residue present during casting will cause surface flaws in the metal.
Once the mold is entirely clean, it is filled with molten gold or platinum, and the metal casting that results is the
foundation of the finished jewel.

Multiple impressions are made in single mold, connected by a network of channels called sprues. It is through the
sprues that the molten metal enters and circulates within the mold. The placement and sizing of the sprues are
both critical, since uneven flow or gasses trapped within the metal can ruin the entire casting. Modern casting also
employs vacuum technology to ensure the mold is completely and evenly filled. When removed from the mold, a
successful metal casting is an exact replica of the original wax model. Click Here for a look at the casting process.

Most CAD/CAM-produced jewelry is cast as components, which our master metalsmiths and jewelers assemble by hand. The extreme tolerances and accuracy made possible by CAD/CAM production ensure an impeccable fit between components. So precise is our CAD/CAM technology that elaborate pavé settings can be tailored exactly to the small stones our jewelers select, with no need for drilling once the metal is cast. This keeps our glittering pavé-set jewelry neat and consistent, even while making it more affordable. Once assembled, each piece of our sapphire jewelry is painstakingly finished and inspected by our Old World craftsmen. Their careful attention and demanding standards guarantee that every surface is flawless and every detail perfectly in place.

Traditional skill meets high technology as one of our jewelers removes a wax model from the digital printer.