It was 2005 when I first became aware of the emergence of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) in the jewellery industry.
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I love to draw. There is no greater satisfaction for me than to see a concept come to light. Drawing allows me to be creative and helps with better communication with my students and employees, which is why I’m always prepared to pull out a piece of paper and quickly sketch a design.
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Most of my career has centred on creating custom-designed jewellery for individual clients. As such, a review of my past work would show a comparatively schizophrenic collection of jewellery, since most designs were largely driven by my clients’ needs and desires.
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What I like best about Europe are the small towns with their narrow winding streets. Take this photo of a small village in France, for example. The homes all appear to have been built back in the 1800s.
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Missing due dates, stones breaking, and rings melting are what keep me up at night. Nothing is worse for me than to have a sales associate tell me a customer is in the store to pick up their ring and I haven’t finished setting the stones yet.
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According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), China has the world’s fastest growing major economy at a rate averaging 10 per cent over the last 30 years. This statistic can be attributed to its large and inexpensive labour force, as well as its political system.
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The decision to incorporate CAD/CAM into a business may conjure visions of Santa’s workshop set up at the back of a jewellery store. Although using a service bureau is one way to produce a custom piece, purchasing your own milling machine or 3-D printer is also an option to consider.
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Joe Karbo’s 1973 book, The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches, is about an ordinary man’s struggle to become a great salesman. In it, he dedicates his success to always trying to meet his customers’ needs. To this end, Karbo identifies the motivating factors for why people make significant purchases.
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Halos and micro-pavé have both been on the fashion charts for several years now and remain hot sellers for most jewellers. For the past two years, though, I’ve noticed raw diamond designs skyrocket in popularity. For me, these little opaque twinklers have been selling as fast as I can set them.
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Sean Plunkett often finds himself having the same friendly argument at trade shows when he represents ArtCAM. Inevitably, a jeweller will stop by to check out the computer-aided design and manufacture (CAD/CAM) software program and argue they could make a piece faster by hand.
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