Hand Made?

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A deal is only a deal if you are getting exactly what you want.

The term has so many different meanings that it’s almost useless.  I don’t use it.  The problem is that using tools is required for almost every jewelry item so now it’s necessary to decide what are the tools that would qualify as hand work vs. machine work.  Casting?  Maybe. Rotary power tools? CAD/CAM? Punch presses?  Electric polishing machines? Power assisted engraving equipment?  Who knows? It’s common for a craftsman to use several or none of these techniques in the course of a job and still describe their work as handmade while others would say that this disqualifies a piece.  The other problem is that most modern items involve some assembly using manufactured parts. Heads, clasps, pin catches and gemstones are usually purchased as a component that may have involved automated manufacturing and a strict purist would argue that using such pieces means that it’s no longer 100% handmade.   If it’s 99% handmade, can it still be described with that word? 

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

There's never a crowd when you go that extra mile.

-Matatora Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.

OK, so they seem to mean that it was made by techniques other than lost wax casting or die striking. This probably means that it's fabricated from wire (wire that quite possibly came from an automated mill by the way).  

The advantage of this technique is that drawn metal has a certain density that isn’t possible with cast pieces, which helps the wear properties, and it can be more customized to exactly the right specifications than die struck pieces.  It also makes it easier to pre-finish the components so that the final product can have a more detailed finish in difficult to reach spots like between the seating rings on a basket head or inside the gallery.  People have been doing this for a long time so there is a certain ‘traditional’ feel to it that more modern methods have difficulty replicating.

The downside is that it’s labor intensive and therefore generally more expensive to produce. It’s also sort of an unusual talent and it’s difficult for manufacturers to hire workers with the appropriate skills. There’s not such a big demand for it because of the required pricing and it’s a tough skill to learn.  Craftsmen find that they are better served concentrating their efforts developing other sorts of talents.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

There's never a crowd when you go that extra mile.

Ana "The greatest experts are only as good as the sum total of what they have seen." [Souren Melikian]

-Matatora Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.

"Die-struck Rings:

Die-struck jewelry is denser and more durable than casted or handmade pieces.
Since die-struck pieces are made from extruded metal - metal that is subjected to extremely high pressure - the pieces are free from porosity. This allows the ring to have a higher polish.
Even the thinnest die-struck prong is stronger than any casted prong.
The die-struck blank is cut to accommodate the exact size and shape of the diamonds."

From the Facets web site

-Matatora Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.