Earing
Laser sintering is commonly used in jewellery-making today.A leading supplier of precious metals to the jewellery industry has praised the coming of 3D printing as a major influence that will transform the market.
Speaking to BBC News, chief executive of Cookson Precious Metals Stella Leyton said as a result of new developments, high street shoppers can expect to see more personalised jewellery offered by retailers.
The technique used in jewellery-making is known as laser sintering and is being employed by the company to produce jewellery from computer designs.
There are many advantages to adopting this method - which has been used within the industry for some time - as it allows for complex designs to be made more expediently, while they can be quickly altered and produced.
Furthermore, it allows for some baubles to be manufactured as hollow shapes, reducing their weight and therefore price, as they save on the quantity of precious metal required to complete the design.
However, sceptics say the approach is still expensive and the items produced cannot go straight to retailers, as they need finishing after the laser sintering process is complete.
The Cookson factory in Birmingham's jewellery quarter uses both laser sintering and traditional methods and Ms Leyton believes the increased adoption of the former will put the emphasis on computer-aided design, rather than "bench skills".
She said: "It's inevitable that this will become an integral part of our industry - as it has in the other industries it's been implemented in - but it's a shape changer to the industry."
Robert Kyte of Goldsmiths is not as enthusiastic and claims the system has some drawbacks, as the printed piece would require further work before being made saleable, while the process still uses up a significant amount of expensive gold powder when making jewellery.
As such, the 'toner' used in laser sintering is valued at around £18,000 per kilo.
Mr Kyte agreed that laser sintering is something jewelers need to master, just as they would traditional "bench" skills - but he does not believe 3D printing will take over craftsmanship completely.
