The finish of the jewelry
The finish of the jewelry
Once the precious stones are set, comes the moment of the finishing polish. This is the final touch, the perfectly shiny metal will be able to make all its radiance. The latest touch -ups are made and the latest faults after set are caught. The jewelry is then cleaned in an ultrasonic bath.
The last step of a jewelry piece
The last intervention of human hand before marketing is punching. Guard's guarantee, the punch makes it possible to identify the metals used and the workshop where the jewel was made, this is our signature. Finally, the final rendering is meticulously observed by going through draconian control of drastic quality in order to detect any defects. The finished jewelry must be flawless before being sold.
Within the Tournaire jewelry, we are fortunate to have the whole integrated production process internally, from the idea that germinates in the head to the sale by going through creation. We mix well with ultra -modern techniques, with 3D, as well as ancestral techniques (cast iron with lost wax).
Having an internalized production allows us, in addition to being able to create what we want, to guarantee high quality products and a bond of trust with our customers. As far as we can go up, man has always made jewelry. Make to mark your passage, to evoke something or to symbolize your success. In general, he was fascinated by what he found in nature, especially the beautiful stones.
But these are only pebbles, chosen for their particular color or brilliance, which we will then sublimate by size and polishing. The value that is attributed to a stone is not necessarily related to its price, it all depends on the value that is attributed to it, whether sentimental or merchant ... Even a common stone can have value, It depends on what she talks about. For example, if two lovers walk on the beach and find a pebble together, it will have much more sentimental value than another stone. The price is often synonymous with rarity for a stone, for example, shellfish had a high market value for people who lived in land, because it was rare for those who were not traveling.
When I choose a stone, it is not only with the eyes but with the heart too, I choose it simply because it is beautiful. Its color "sparkle" must, stone is alive. I do not choose a stone for its name but for the optical effect it creates. But before I present the stones that constitute what I call my color palette, I have to give you the keys to understand how I look at the stones.
The stones that are used in jewelry are "gems", hence the science that studies these stones holds its name: Gemmology. We consider that all the elements beautiful enough to be mounted in adornment are gems. It is important to distinguish between the different types of stones that exist. There are obviously natural stones, found by man in nature with their singularity. Thanks to the evolution of techniques and research, there are also synthetic stones. These are made by humans but have the same physical, chemical and optical properties as their natural model, such as synthetic sapphire for example. Finally, there are also imitation stones, that is to say counterfeits of natural stones which can be just both natural and synthetic. They imitate its appearance, color and optical effect; But they don't have chemical or physical properties. For example, synthetic zirconium oxide is the best known imitation of diamonds, but transparent glass can also be considered an imitation.
When I choose a stone, I take into account its physical properties and in particular its hardness, that is to say its resistance to the scratch and abrasion.
To measure this value, we use the Mohs scale, the ladder ranging from 1 to the tender, 10 for the hardest. To have an idea, we consider that the gems whose hardness is less than 7 can lose their brilliance and polish over time, due to the presence of quartz in the ambient dust but also because of the things that are subject to jewelry by carrying them. These must therefore be worn, maintained and stored with attention. Another indication is important in the choice of a stone: its weight. We mainly use the carat as a mass unit of a gem that is equivalent to 0.2 grams. This value has been used since antiquity in gems trade. The word comes from the Greek "Keration", name of the carob seed renowned for its constant weight around 0.2 grams. But there is a distinction to be made, the carat is also used for precious metals like gold, it then designates purity. Thus a 24 -carat gold is 100% pure but it is soft, it is for this reason that 18 -carat gold in jewelry is more often used, like all major brands. This gold is made up of 75% gold, and the remaining 25% will give hardness and color to the alloy. In this percentage, you can find money, copper, palladium ... in variable proportions.
Until 2002, the term "precious stone" was used to talk about diamonds, rubies, sapphire and emerald. It was a historic arbitrary classification which implied that there were precious stones and less precious stones ... Thus, since February 1, 2002, all the qualifying terms of the old classification are repealed, we are now talking about " gems stones ”to characterize all the stones formed in natural lodgings. This is the legislation, I just like to use the terms "stones" or "stones" to talk about these treasures. The jewelry is thought of according to the choice of stone, I cannot afford to set up a too fragile gem if it is exposed to shocks, otherwise I adapt the jewel so that it is protected. Finally, the carat is important because it will directly influence the price of my raw material. But I do not choose a stone taking into account its size absolutely, as I always say: "Better a little pretty than a big naughty".
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