The Amazing Refinement of the Granulation Technique in Jewellery – We’ve recently talked to you about the Sand Casting Technique and, today, we will explore the Granulation Technique that’s more used in the jewelry. Nevertheless is an important technique that PullCast Artisans are capable of using and, who knows, maybe in a near future, we will have a PullCast Piece that’s made using this technique.
As we’ve told you, Granulation is a jewelry manufacturing technique whereby a surface is covered in spherules or granules of precious metal. The technique is thought to have its origins in Sumer about 5,000 years ago. Many civilizations used this technique over the centuries, but it was the work coming from Etruria which became famous, in part due to the mysteries surrounding the process.
There are three basic techniques that may be used to attach granules to a metal surface: hard soldering, fusing and colloidal soldering. The metals used in granulation are usually gold and/or silver alloys of high purity. With each technique, the process begins with the making of the granules themselves.
The granules are usually made from the same material as the base to which they will be affixed. Very narrow fringes may be cut along the edge of a thin sheet of metal, a further cut producing small squares or rectangles of metal. After being melted into globules, these may be sorted into various sizes by the use of appropriate meshes. Another option is to use thin wire coiled around a mandrel, the coil then being cut into small rings – this creates even-sized granules when melted.
It’s an ancestral technique that produces stunning products. Some of the major jewelry brands of today use this technique in their pieces, but this technique is more common in earings. Even though is very popular, the Artisans that are capable of applying this complex technique are becoming extinct, so there’s a global need to preserve this technique.
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