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Jewelry making

How Jewelry Is Made

How a piece of jewelry goes from sketch to finished ring: design, hand fabrication, lost wax casting, soldering, stone setting and finishing.

By the All About Gemstones editors · Reviewed October 2026

Most jewelry is made in one of two ways. A jeweler either builds the piece from sheet, wire and tube (fabrication) or carves a model, usually in wax, and casts it in metal. After that the steps converge: the metal is cleaned up, soldered where needed, set with stones and finished.

Design

A piece starts as a sketch, a wax model or, in most modern workshops, a CAD file. The designer has to plan around the materials. Stone size and shape set the dimensions of the setting, and the metal sets the limits on thickness and strength. A platinum prong can be thinner than a silver one because platinum is denser and tougher. A soft stone needs a design that keeps it away from knocks, so gemstone durability has to be considered at the drawing stage.

Fabrication

Fabrication is the older method. The jeweler saws shapes from sheet metal, draws wire through a drawplate to reduce its diameter, bends and forms the parts, and joins them with solder. Hammering and rolling harden metal as it is worked, so the piece is heated at intervals to soften it again. That process is covered on the page about annealing gold. Fabricated pieces tend to be dense because the metal was rolled or drawn first.

Casting with lost wax

Lost wax casting is thousands of years old and still produces most commercial rings. The steps run like this:

  1. A model is carved or printed in wax or a castable resin.
  2. Wax rods called sprues are attached so metal has a path in.
  3. The model is set in a flask and covered with a plaster-like investment.
  4. The flask goes into a kiln, which burns out the wax and leaves a hollow mold.
  5. Molten metal is forced into the cavity by gravity, centrifugal force or vacuum.
  6. Once cool, the investment is broken away and the sprues are cut off.

Casting copies complex shapes quickly, and a rubber mold lets the same model be reproduced many times. The trade-off is a risk of porosity, small voids in the metal that show up during polishing.

Forging and other metalwork

Forging shapes metal by hammering it over a stake or anvil. Raising, chasing and repousse move metal in relief from the front and back. Granulation, the bonding of tiny gold spheres to a surface, reached a high point with the ancient Etruscans. Enameling fuses powdered glass to metal; cloisonne enamel is one of its best-known forms.

Soldering

Solder is an alloy of the same metal with a lower melting point. Jewelers keep several grades (often called hard, medium and easy) so that each new join can be made without reopening earlier ones. Flux keeps the surfaces clean while heating, and an acid pickle removes oxides afterward. Karat gold solders are matched to the karat of the piece so the joins do not show a different color.

Stone setting

Setting secures the stone with metal: prongs bent over the girdle, a bezel rubbed down around it, or small beads raised from the surface. Each style protects the stone differently and lets in a different amount of light. The workshop methods are on the stone setting techniques page, and the styles a buyer chooses between are described under gemstone settings.

Finishing and plating

The last stage removes file marks and fire stain and gives the surface its final look, whether high polish, satin, hammered or blackened. White gold is often plated with rhodium at this stage. See jewelry finishing for each option.

After the workshop

Many countries require or allow a fineness stamp before sale, explained on the precious metal hallmarks page. Once a piece is worn, regular cleaning and prong checks keep it sound; the jewelry cleaning guide covers which stones tolerate which methods. For words used in the trade, see the jewelry glossary and the metallurgy glossary.

Frequently asked questions

Is cast jewelry lower quality than handmade?

Not by definition. A well-cast piece from a good model can be excellent, while fabricated pieces tend to be denser and less prone to porosity.

Why do jewelers use different solders on one piece?

Each join is made with a solder that flows at a lower temperature than the last. This keeps earlier seams from melting when new ones are added.

What is CAD used for in jewelry?

Designers use computer-aided design to model a piece, check stone fit and print a resin or wax model for casting.

Every page in Jewelry Making and Care

Jewelry makingStone Setting TechniquesHow jewelers set gemstones in prong, bezel, flush, channel, pave and bead settings, the tools they use, and which stones are most at risk.Jewelry makingCloisonne EnamelCloisonne enamel uses thin metal walls to form cells filled with glass enamel. Its Byzantine and Chinese history, the process, and related techniques.Jewelry makingJewelry FinishingHow jewelers finish metal: high polish, satin and brushed, hammered, sandblasted and oxidized surfaces, plus tumbling, plating and how each one wears.Jewelry makingAnnealing GoldWhy gold hardens as it is worked, how jewelers anneal it with a torch or kiln, what the color tells you, and how quenching and pickling finish the job.Jewelry careHow to Clean Jewelry SafelySafe ways to clean jewelry at home, which gems tolerate ultrasonic and steam cleaners, how to handle porous and treated stones, and when to see a jeweler.Gift guideTraditional Anniversary GiftsThe traditional anniversary gift list by year, from paper to diamond, with notes on the gems and metals for the 25th, 30th, 40th, 45th, 50th and 60th.Jewelry historyContemporary and Studio JewelryThe studio and art jewelry movement since the mid-20th century, its unusual materials, gem cutters as artists, and practical advice on collecting.GlossaryGemology GlossaryPlain-English definitions of more than 70 gemology terms, from adularescence to zoning, with links to full guides on gem optics, treatments and grading.GlossaryJewelry GlossaryDefinitions of more than 60 jewelry and design terms, from bail and bezel to repousse and vermeil, with links to full guides on making and history.GlossaryMetallurgy Glossary for JewelersPlain definitions of more than 50 metal terms jewelers use, from alloy and annealing to eutectic, firescale, karat, fineness and work hardening.