The Future of Jewelry?

The past few blog posts have been centered on revisiting trends in jewelry through the years and seeing what social and historical events created these trends. Graham Newton has over 20 years of experience and studied history. We asked him his thoughts on what the next trend in jewelry will be:

 

Custom-made engagement ring- From the Vault

When I think of how the gems and jewelry trade may look in the future, I do it through the lens of a custom jeweler.  There is a technology called direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), which is where a chamber of powdered gold is hit with a laser, and like a 3d printer, the item is created layer by layer.  This technology is already used in high-end Aerotech applications, and the machines are VERY expensive… but as time passes, this cost will come down, and I can see a future with small design shops owning a direct sintering machine and being able to create amazing designs with precise tolerances. 

Currently, it is mostly high-end Italian shops using this in a limited way.  Our first laser welder was a pricey machine, but today there are more powerful welders in the marketplace for half the cost!  Today, no serious repair shop would operate without one of these time-saving machines, and eventually, I feel it will be the same with laser sintering machines.  Imagine coming into a store for a custom design consultation, working with a designer to create a CAD design, and then having a finished piece the next day! 

AI-generated engagement ring from the WIX AI

 “AI” and the Designer’s Toolkit

We have also seen a rise in what folks are calling “AI”, but this is just predictive systems/algorithms… but they are doing amazing things with it!

We are already seeing “AI” designed CAD and jewelry models… of course, the “AI” right now really depends on a knowledgeable operator inputting the correct commands, but I think it won’t be too long before we start to see clients coming in with AI-designed pieces.  I have seen some great renders of 3D models that were assisted/created with “AI.”  I think that a well-trained CAD Jewelry Designer could be assisted by these “AI” programs to create some great pieces quickly with clients during a consult, and then make the needed adjustments “behind the scenes” so the piece could actually be created (the “AI” that I have seen design pieces doesn’t “know” about many of the required tolerances needed to produce a castable piece of jewelry, but that could quickly change!). 

Rae using CAD to design a custom piece

Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future

I personally know several jewelers who are “old school” to me, who hand carve waxes, or hand fabricate items from stock.  I was taught to do hand fabrication, and this is the place where I usually “come from” when I approach a custom project.  I quickly adapted CAD to assist with creating designs, as it can really save time when you are working with a client to be able to show them in real time what we can do and give on the spot cost and time estimates. 

I’m a firm believer in trying to always have the best tool for any given job.  In the future, I think we’ll see technology improve, greatly increasing the number of tools in a designer’s kit, and with time, the costs of some of these amazing technologies continue to drop.  I’m excited for the future of the gems and jewelry trade!