The Process of Making Jewelry
Crafting jewelry is a much more time-consuming and labor-intensive process than most people have any idea about. Crafting can be done with multiple individuals doing different parts, or one individual doing them all.
The steps of jewelry creation are listed in a short version below so that you can understand the process better.
Mining
Miners gather metal ore and uncut gems,
or most commonly in Los Santos, geodes.
Obtaining Raw Gemstones
Gem cutters, or lapidaries, are a separate profession than jewelry smiths. Some jewelry smiths are also lapidaries, as some prefer to cut their own stones.
Gemcutting / Lapidary
Gem cutters / lapidaries get to work grinding down the uncut stone. This is a job that takes a lot of patience and time yet yields beautiful results.
Finished Gemstone
This is a polished and finished purple sapphire. The stone has been cut into a pear shape, or more commonly known as a tear drop.
Lost Wax Casting
Some jewelers prefer to create their own jewelry, then cast it out of metal. This allows for more customized rings.
Filing
One of the most tedious parts of hand crafting any kind of jewelry is filing them down after casting, and cleaning them up.
Polishing
Once the ring has been filed down and smoothed out, it is polished to make the surface smooth and shiny.
Stone Setting
Prong or bezel set are the standard ways to put gemstones into jewelry. This shows a more creative variation of prongs getting ready to be cut.
Premade Bands
Some jewelry bands can be mass-produced and are bought already crafted. The smith then just needs to set the stones into the ring.
Finishing Up
Once everything is cut, the stones are placed into the notches, and the edge of the prongs are folded over to hold the stone in place.
Buying and Selling
Jewelers either sell their pieces themselves, or work with larger companies to offer a wide range of jewelry at varying costs.
Enjoying the Finished Product
It's always wonderful getting to watch people enjoy their jewelry, knowing you created it, helped design it, or repaired something invaluable to someone.