CAD and 3D printing in jewelry

A designer turns a sketch or reference into a parametric model: exact dimensions, wall thicknesses, stone seats, weight in the target alloy. At this stage you can check proportions, calculate metal cost and make changes without touching material. For a brand it means fast iterations and renders to show the team before spending anything on a prototype. More on our 3D modelling page.

The model is printed in casting resin to hundredths of a millimetre. The print is embedded in investment, burnt out, and metal is poured into the cavity — a modern version of the lost-wax technique known for thousands of years. Printing allows a prototype in days and casting a series from identical models, giving repeatability unattainable by hand. We write about prototypes in CAD prototyping.

A casting is only a raw shape. Then comes work no machine performs with feel: removing sprues, smoothing, fitting parts, setting stones, polishing and satin finishing, inspecting every piece. This is where the quality a customer feels in the hand is made. That is why at Argentum technology prepares the material, and the last word always belongs to the jeweler.

Combining CAD and craft gives brands three things at once: speed (a prototype in days, not weeks), predictability (the same model in every batch) and detail quality (hand finishing). Variants of a design — another size, stone or thickness — are easy to create without designing from scratch. A real advantage when building collections season after season.

A sketch, a reference photo or a description of direction is enough. The design team prepares a 3D model and render, and after approval a prototype to assess in hand. Only then do we set the series. Ready STL files speed things up. See custom production — as a jewelry manufacturer we run the whole process under one roof.