Here’s What’s New At Olufson Designs
One of our owners, Elisa, spent two months this summer studying Computer Aided Drafting/Computer Aided Modeling (CAD/CAM) at the Gemological Institute of America in California. She came back with the skills to help Sean and the other staff turn customer dreams into reality. CAD has been used for decades to design and model for industry. Today, it would be difficult to find an industry that doesn’t use CAD in some capacity- think automobile manufacturing, food packaging, architecture, and so many more.
For millennia, goldsmiths and other metalsmiths have carved wax or other materials to produce designs, which are then turned into metal using a process called lost wax casting. They have also used metals to fabricate jewelry by shaping and forming it into a finished piece. Both of these types of metalsmithing techniques take years of practice to perfect. CAD/CAM is relatively new to the jewelry scene, really gaining momentum in the last 30 years and becoming more and more popular each decade.
While anyone with CAD experience can use their skills to design jewelry, it is important to understand how to design jewelry to make it durable enough for daily wear. Just as anyone with an understanding of CAD could design a house, it is the architect and engineer who know how to design to make it safe to live in. Some stores have in-house CAD designers and others contract with CAD designers off-site. We are fortunate to have both expert goldsmiths, with decades of experience making fine jewelry, and owner Sean’s 20 years of experience using CAD/CAM technology to make a design come to life. Communication is very important in either scenario but it is great to be able to have face-to-face conversations with the person who will be doing the designing.
In other news: In August, our lead repair goldsmith Dana spent a packed week of training at the New Approach School in TN honing her gem-setting skills. She learned a lot and is now using her skills to help the other goldsmiths at Olufson Designs complete custom designs and repairs.
In MORE(!!!!!) news: Kendra (Certified Gemologist Appraiser), Elisa (Certified Gemologist Appraiser), Lisa (Certified Sales Associate), and Louise (Certified Sales Associate) have all completed their American Gem Society (AGS) annual recertification examinations. As members of AGS, all Titleholders and Designees must complete this educational training and testing.. AGS is an organization that holds its members to high standards of ethics and continued education. It is a lot of extra work for our staff but the benefit to our customers is worth every minute!