The GetJewelDesigns journal.
Notes on jewellery CAD, working with the studio, and turning an idea into a production-ready file.
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.