Technological Modernization in Jewelry Industry

Technological Modernization in Jewelry Industry

Dr. Neeru Jain Jewellery Designer     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 21st 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.      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.                      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.