| When you purchase Handcrafted, Hallmarked | | | | When the mold is finished, it is filled with wax to |
| Jewellery from Irish Master Craftsmen you get | | | | create a wax copy which will then be coated with |
| quality heirloom pieces. Here is a brief description | | | | sand and silica. This ceramic shell will then be |
| of how your piece of jewellery is handcrafted for | | | | heated so that the wax is melted out. The wax |
| you. | | | | can be reused so it is safely collected during this |
| Casting Jewellery is an ancient skill that has been | | | | step. The molten metal is poured in the ceramic |
| around for as long as there has been jewellery in | | | | shell then allowed to cool. Afterwards, the ceramic |
| the world. The process allows identical pieces to | | | | shell is lightly hammered away to reveal the |
| be made quickly and efficiently. Molds used for | | | | finished product. |
| casting jewellery allow a great amount of detail. | | | | After casting the rings are sent to the Assay |
| Modern casting techniques are less porous than | | | | Office for Hallmarking. A small metal sample is |
| ever before, meaning the ring will be stronger. | | | | taken from the ring to ensure it is of the required |
| The first step in creating new designs is creating | | | | quality. Rings that do not meet the metal content |
| the master copy. The design process typically | | | | required are crushed. Rings meeting the quality |
| starts with sketching then proceeds to | | | | standards are stamped by the Assay Office. Each |
| handcrafting the ring. Each size of ring is | | | | ring typically contains 4 hallmarks: The date |
| hand-crafted. For a men's ring available in sizes | | | | (represented by a letter which changes annually), |
| 7-13.5 that is 15 handcrafted rings for one style! | | | | Assay Office mark, metal content (Silver, 10K |
| Obviously the design and handcrafting of each size | | | | Gold, 14K white or yellow gold, or platinum), and |
| is a time and labour consuming task. | | | | the manufacturer's mark. |
| A cast is created from the original master copy. | | | | The rings are then returned to the manufacturer. |
| The mold created is placed on a tree made up of | | | | Each ring is then hand polished prior to shipping to |
| many rings. | | | | the customer. |