Technological Modernization in the Jewelry Industry

Dr. Neeru Jain

Associate Professor & Head
Dept Jewellery Designing
The IIS Uniersity,Jaipur

Technological innovations over the past century have changed almost every product you sell. How these
changes came about, and their impact on jewelers. There is something special in 21 st century. It is a
creative period, a time when both artists and client were suffused with a spirit of innovation, a never-
ending interest in the new, the different and the non- conformist. In this new era, it has seen a rebirth of
design. Designers have shed their cloak of traditional style that governed decorative art for so long. In its
place they have created a new meaning of design which has divergent style individuality. This in turn
has inspired other designers to explore the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements and other ancient and
contemporary forms of architecture. Now a days we can see the spark of creativity in those who identify
and support the future of designs - the consumers.
The sales of designer jewellery have continued to rise in the past few years despite the recession. While
a large breed of customers have bid farewell to mass- produced goods which are almost available in
each and every store, the design promoted firms have begun to match or beat figures. While discussing
the emergence of new design parameters designers commented, "I love to create jewellery. When my
mind is free and my pen moves itself on paper, it is as if an invisible thread is guiding my lines. The
quest for new me to express what I feel in my own way. Each collection is a challenge different from the
other, but what is most fascinating of all is that I don't know what kind of jewellery I will be making
tomorrow." This statement convinces that design has become a vital part of the jewellery industry and
with professionals coming into the field, it will build its identity in the coming time. Designer jewellery
is now showcased at jewellery exhibitions. These displays exhibit everything from award-winning
'classics of tomorrow to truly avant-garde pieces meant to teach and inspire rather than to be worn.
To a consumer’s eye unaccustomed to Indian style art jewellery, the designer halls may seem a waste of
time , but beyond the show stopping sculptures lie some truly interesting and yes, wearable new sources
of designer jewellery.
Costume jewellery contemporary jewellery Branded jewellery

A welcome change indeed, considering costume jewellery is very practical and can be worn as everyday
jewellery. And importantly, it is worn not for any other reason, but purely, to enhance one's beauty and
personality! Not so with precious jewellery, of course! But real jewellery carries with itself a never
ending romance, which has very rarely failed to cast it's spell mortals (and for that matter, even the
immortals have not been untouched by their fatal attraction.), therefore Precious jewellery has a very
feminine appeal to me as a woman and designer, working with the real, noble metals can be very
inspiring.

THE LOOK: In contemporary times, when competition rules the roost, jewellery must, instantly catch
the eye of the beholder or bear the brunt of rejection at first sight! Recognizing the need of new era.
Most of jewellers believe that jewellery must look impressive. They prefer to lend a contemporary
lightness to their jewels for casual wear, seeking more flexibility for pieces and using technical advances
for linking, which allow a perfect imbrications. "But when the event is social or formal, subtlety is not
an loud enough to create a blend and heavier pieces with glamorous presence do the trick." option.
Jewellery styles must speak

AWARENESS
The message is the same, but the speed at which the consumer responds is varying. Some are picking up
designer jewellery and are with it. Others have begun to try a see how their friends react to it within the
circles they move. If the reaction is good, their appetite quickly responds to the next piece of designer
jewellery. While everyone tastes the goodies, it is all an effort to make designer jewellery a staple diet.
only quite happy or two to piece. jewellery couldn't be marketable like clothing and other fashionable
items but now for the first time, we are seeing designer jewellery accepted popular level. On a The
negative side to this is that designing has always been a creative and interesting task. Men and women of
great talent apply their minds to exciting and wonderful works of art. The artists should be respected for
their originality and uniqueness. But this century has become an open season for the copying of art
jewellery. Mass production and duplication Technology permits things to be done quickly and
inexpensively. Let design be a can now be done with relative ease. major breakthrough.

The jewellery category in India is moving towards branded jewellery as regional players are focusing to
become dominant in the territory. They are seeking rapid expansion, including Malabar Gold, Kalyan
Jewellers India Pvt Ltd, and many more.Titan Industries Ltd’s Tanishq branded jewellery outlet is the is
the largest single jewellery brand in India. Titan also operates under the GoldPlus brand, making it three
times larger than second-placed Joyalukkas in terms of retail sales. Tanishq is the only truly national
jewellery brand of India. Thus branded jewellery aims at acquainting people with the latest international
trends, educating people on how to buy jewellery and at the same time providing the customers with a
unique international shopping experience.

Revolutionary Technologies :
There are two revolutionary technologies that transformed jewelers’ whole operations. One was the
computer. The efficiency and detail that it brought to inventory management, payroll, and customer
tracking improved record keeping and streamlined procedures. By century’s end, the computer had
become an indispensable tool.
The computer also transformed jewelry stores’ use of credit. The practice of extending credit led to a
cultural rift among “credit” and “cash” jewelers as credit firms turned jewelry into a more middle-class
purchase. But the introduction of computers in the 1950s and their widespread use in the final quarter of
the century fostered greater acceptance of credit cards among jewelers. In the 1980s, advances in
computer hardware and software made it possible for credit card issuers to implement fast, accurate
billing and accounting, creating the information-management infrastructure needed to manage an
income stream from finance charges.
As credit cards became a daily fact of life, jewelers derived perhaps their greatest benefit from the cards’
influence on impulse buying, as the financial impact of a major jewelry purchase could easily be
deferred.
The other innovation was the Internet, which enabled even small jewelers to present information and
online selling not only in their own markets but also around the world. the mode of -sales through
mobile phones, televisions, laptops, tablets, computers. jewellery sales is Rapidly growing through
Internet use by jewelers and consumers: the Internet hosted some 10,000 jewelry Web sites; experts
predict that annual online jewelry sales will top $1 billion early in the new century.
Technology also has led to improvements in security, though it often seems as if the crooks are still a
step ahead. The invention of such devices as bulletproof glass, video cameras, and better locks for safes
and cases as well as refinements in alarm systems have improved store security and increased the safety
of jewelers and their merchandise.
Design Techniques
Some important repair instruments have debuted in recent decades. These include the steamer and
ultrasonic cleaner, the laser welder (which lets repair technicians solder close to gems that would
otherwise have to be removed), and the electric flex shaft, which plays a major role in all jewelry work,
including repairs. Some new repair tools–such as modern setting pliers and bounceless mallets are
improvements on old tools.

Color Treatment of Gold

Gold has been desired and fought over for thousands of years, but only in the 20th century has man
thought to give the yellow god a radical color job. Ancient civilizations alloyed gold with other metals,
but the ancients were seeking strength, not colors.
Technological developments this century have influenced jewelry design in a variety of ways. New
techniques in gem cutting have allowed designers greater creative latitude, as have modern methods of
setting gems into metal. New treatments can make metals harder, stronger, safer–even colorful.
Automation, through such innovations as chain-making machines, has made a wide range of jewelry
designs affordable.
Computers refined many automated processes, increasing speed, efficiency, and precision and narrowing
or eliminating margins of error. Even in a shop where jewelers do most of the work by hand, computers
can help make clasps and findings, giving the goldsmiths more time to be creative.

Lightweight Jewelry
Electroforming, one of the century’s most important developments, enabled craftsmen to create light but
strong metal designs. The technique produces a hollow skin of gold or silver, allowing production of
large, lightweight pieces, and is most often used for earrings. Electroforming differs from electroplating
(also developed this century), which applies a thin layer of gold over base metal.
Platinum electroforming has been done successfully in Japan and by a few American manufacturers but
is still in the development stage. The stumbling block is cost. Unlike gold and silver electroforming,
which can be done with various alloys in a cold electrolyte bath, platinum electroforming requires pure,
unalloyed platinum and a heated bath. It also requires a metal mandrel–the heated bath would melt a
wax one–which must be acid-etched out of the finished form instead of melted out.
3D Printers for Jewellery
3D printers were initially introduced to create rapid prototypes. However, the extreme versatility of 3D
printing has opened up many creative possibilities. One such area is 3D jewellery printing. With India
being a nation that adorns gold ornaments, the potential for 3D jewellery printing is very high. Over the
past few years this technology has gained more acceptances for jewelry making.
Now manufacturers can use computer-aided design (CAD) software to render a three-dimensional
digital file of a custom jewelry piece. Then a 3-D printer creates a thermoplastic wax mold, the metal is
poured into the mold and the gems are added. What used to take weeks now is achieved in days.
This rapid prototyping processing (whose concepts can be applied to many other industries) lets jewelry
retailers offer customized pieces with reduced turnaround time, enabling domestic manufacturers to
offer finished–product delivery dates at prices that companies overseas can't compete with.

3d printing Niessing’s rings

Consumers can look forward to unlimited online choices and customization possibilities, reduced prices
and completed products shipped to doorstep through the magic of 3-D printing and computer-aided
manufacturing
Finally, design often was inspired by technological application Technology is merely a means to an end.
The driving force behind jewelry design innovation was, and always will be, imagination. Technology
makes the process faster, easier, more cost-effective, or more precise, but it will never replace the
creative spirit.