Welcome
Explaining the science behind the art that we all know and love.
We aim to help customers, store agents understand better and bench-top jewellers achieve more.
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Sterling Silver Globe constructed by Granulation
Courtesy of David Huycke
Courtesy of Marc Adwar
Our Mission
The science of noble metals explained simply... for everyone
Whether you're making intricate pieces, selling or buying them on the shop floor, or developing jewelry materials and techniques for the future, understanding the principles of what jewelry is made of, how it's made, and why the materials behave as they do is essential.
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At JewelryScience.com, we aim to explain these principles in quick, easy-to-understand 3-5 minute reads with minimal jargon. Any we do use are highlighted in italics! We're a group of metallurgists and artisans who specialize in precious metals and want to share our knowledge.
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Want to understand something that isn't yet covered? Let us know! We'll add it as quickly as we can.
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Metallurgy for the Jeweller
We've split up all the science of metals (metallurgy) into 6 key topics relevant to jewelry. They cover the fundamentals of metallurgy, to what each material is made of (alloys), and what the future of metallurgy may hold for jewelry design and manufacture.
If you just want to browse our site, then please click here.
Alloys & Composition
18K Gold contains more elements than just gold! An alloy contains two or more elements. The exact quantity of each element (composition) is carefully controlled to make sure the desired properties are achieved.
Casting Techniques
The type of mold the liquid metal is poured into and how it is poured can have a substantial effect on the final appearance and properties of the final piece. Many of these techniques have been optimized over hundreds of year. Metallurgists can now explain why we do what we do.
Metal Working & Heat Treatments
How you deform a metal and heat it can dramatically affect the final properties and how much you can shape it. Joining two or more pieces of metal can be done in several different ways – choosing the right one is important for a long-lasting jewelry piece.
Techniques
There are many techniques that produce stunning jewelry, but many people have never heard of them. Have you heard of Mokume Gane?
Want to understand more how materials behave from their structure at the atomic level. Here is a brief introduction to the underlying principles of metallurgy – the scienfitic study of metals and their properties. We've come a long way since the bronze age!
Heard of 3D printing? Powder processing and Metal Injection Molding? Bulk Metallic Glasses? There are many exciting areas of development that could soon reach the jewelry bench and your wrist.
Our Story
Courtesy of Chris Manning
How it started
At the 34th and final Santa Fe Symposium, there were many discussions about in what format the Symposium should survive in. From these fruitful discussions, this website emerged as a possible way to spread the knowledge shared at the symposium further and all the way to the consumer.
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