Tools and tech: the jeweller's latest must-haves

In an uphill battle against cheap offshore manufacturing, the right tools can help bench jewellers and retailers to compete by improving the quality, speed and efficiency of their work and services, boosting margins in the process "Technology has introduced faster and smarter ways to derive the origin point of manufacturing, in the guise of CAD and CAM advancements, but developers of technology have overlooked a critical component: the art of model making - how to make a jeweller's design work perfectly for casting." Sales specialist Andrew Saliba believes the company's latest range of analysers will be especially useful for jewellers So how do the above tools help jewellers improve and expand on opportunities? Desma Noble, a goldsmith and jeweller who owns Desma Designs, believes jewellers should be aware of innovations in welding technology also.

Speedy advances in technology mean new tools, machines and equipment continuously enter the market but technology means little if jewellers lose the original, emotional aspects behind jewellery manufacture Jewellers can work with all the tools in the world but they should also embrace the most important tool of all - the human touch, Botha says. . Source