WHY BUY HANDMADE?

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Firstly, it is important to note that there are different manufacturing methods used to create jewellery. A piece may be cast, cast with hand assembly or handmade. The differences are vast.
With a cast piece of jewellery, a model is made of a ring, either by carving a wax or more commonly these days by 3D printout of a CAD (computer aided design) drawing. Put simply, a mould is then made using this model and molten metal is poured into the cavity. Thousands of rings can be made at one time using this method and possibly the only time an item touches human hands is for a final polish.
A hand-finished ring is a ring with cast components which may then be soldered together by a human. This is not hand-made.
With a handmade ring on the other hand, the jeweller starts with a bar of metal (or old pieces of gold which are then melted down into a bar (ingot)), and using mostly hand tools, creates a one of a kind piece of jewellery. The process includes hand rolling the metal in a rolling mill, hammering, bending, shaping, soldering, filing, sawing, emerying and polishing. This is all done with age old techniques and tools, with some modern touches.
Because of this process of rolling, hammering, bending and shaping, the piece becomes work hardened. This changes the grain structure in the metal and creates a piece which is inherently stronger and longer wearing than a cast piece. Cast jewellery is softer, doesn’t hold as nice a polish and can be prone to sudden cracking. This can be especially problematic if the part that cracks/breaks off is a claw holding a diamond in. Casting methods have improved over the years, but this problem can still happen. This doesn’t occur with work hardened handmade jewellery.
Also with handmade jewellery, each piece can be polished to a high lutre finish before assembling and soldering the individual components together, so every part of the piece looks finished and shiny. This cannot be done with cast pieces due to the different manufacturing process.
Another advantage of buying a handmade piece of jewellery is that it will be completely unique. There will be no-one else with the exact same piece of jewellery as you in the world. Even if two items are handmade to the same design, each will be slightly different due to the inherent nature of handmade items.
With handmade jewellery, the design can be made to your unique specifications and desires. This is especially important if you have a gemstone or diamond which isn’t a standard size. Also, designs can be easily altered and different coloured metals can be combined into the design.
Buying a piece of handmade jewellery means you are supporting a local tradesperson (not a factory in China or India), and investing in a piece which has been made with love, time, care, attention and many years of learning and practice. It’s even more special when you can learn the story of a piece direct from the designer and maker.
As you can see, the process of hand making an item of jewellery is very labour intensive and the jeweller must be very skilful to produce work that is precise and durable. It is impossible to compare the cost of a handmade piece with that of a cast piece. Yes, a handmade piece of jewellery will cost more than a cast piece, but the differences between the two are vast. The extra price of a handmade piece of jewellery is greatly compensated for by its’ quality and its’ longevity. A hand made piece of jewellery will be something you can pass down to future generations to love and enjoy long after you have also loved and enjoyed wearing it.
You will not regret investing in a handmade piece of jewellery.