The GetJewelDesigns journal.
Notes on jewellery CAD, working with the studio, and turning an idea into a production-ready file.
Diamond sizes in millimetres: the chart your CAD file actually needs
Carat is weight, not size. Here are the millimetre dimensions for every common cut, and why the seat should be modelled from the stone in front of you.
Why the cast piece comes out smaller than the CAD file
Shrinkage happens three times between the model and the bench. What each stage takes, and how to allow for it before you commit to a size.
Stone setting types, and what each one asks of the CAD file
A working reference to the settings you will actually be asked for, and the geometry each one needs before it reaches a setter.
From CAD to 3D print: resin, wax, and what your printer actually needs
The file settings, wall thicknesses and orientation choices that decide whether a print casts cleanly or fails on the sprue.
The lost wax casting process, from CAD file to finished piece
Every stage between the file you approve and the casting that reaches the bench, and what can go wrong at each one.
Rhino, Matrix, Blender and the rest: which jewellery CAD software does what
An honest comparison of the tools studios actually use, what each is good at, and what it means for the files you receive.
Gold purity explained: karat, fineness, and what each alloy does in the file
What 9ct, 14k, 18k, 22k and 916 actually mean, how the numbers convert, and why the alloy changes the model as well as the price.
The jewellery manufacturing process, step by step
How a piece travels from brief to finished stock, who owns each stage, and where the timeline usually slips.
The custom engagement ring design process, from brief to bench
A stage-by-stage account of how a bespoke ring actually gets made, with realistic timings and the decisions that matter at each point.
Free STL files versus a commissioned model: what the free file actually costs
Downloadable jewellery files are everywhere. Where they work, where they fail at the bench, and the licensing question nobody checks.
Ring sizing for CAD: US, UK and Indian sizes, and the millimetres that matter
Size letters and numbers mean nothing to a model. Here is how they convert, and why the internal diameter is the only figure to send.
How much gold will this ring use? Estimating metal weight from a CAD file
The number every bespoke quote depends on is already sitting in the model. One conversion, one multiplication, and the allowances that stop an accurate figure turning into a wrong one.
From sketch to CAD: turning a drawing into a file that can be cast
A drawing carries intent, not dimensions. What your sketch settles on its own, the decisions it quietly leaves open, and how to annotate one so the first model comes back right.
No design, just a photo: turning a reference into a production-ready CAD file
You do not need a drawing or a CAD file to commission one. What a photograph can and cannot tell us, and the few measurements that turn a good reconstruction into an accurate one.
How much does jewellery CAD design cost to outsource?
What a bespoke CAD design actually costs a jeweller, which decisions move the number, and where retailers quietly lose margin on outsourced design.
In-house, freelancer or managed studio: how to resource jewellery CAD
Three ways to get CAD done, an honest account of what each one costs you in money and management, and the volume at which the answer changes.
What to check before you outsource jewellery CAD
File rights, confidentiality, revisions, accountability. The questions worth asking a CAD supplier before you have a customer waiting, and our answers to them.
Why outsourced CAD files fail at the bench
A model can look flawless on screen and still be unusable in the workshop. The failure modes that cost a casting, and a checklist to catch them before you commit metal.
How to offer bespoke commissions without an in-house CAD designer
A workable process for saying yes to custom enquiries when you have no designer on staff: capturing the brief, protecting margin, and getting sign-off before you cast.
Prong, bezel or pavé: choosing a stone setting before you brief
The settings that cover most commissions, how each one wears, and what the CAD stage needs from you to model it properly.
STL, STEP or OBJ: which CAD file do you actually need?
The three formats every jewellery project ends up asking for — what each one is good at, and when to request which.
How to write a jewellery CAD brief that gets it right the first time
The details that separate a smooth, one-revision project from an expensive back-and-forth — with a checklist you can copy.
Inside the Design Team model: craft with discretion
Why we keep clients and specialists anonymous to each other — and how that protects quality, price and trust on both sides.