Friday, April 7, 2006

handcrafted



"Handcrafted" is a much-abused and misused term in the jewelry world. It actually has a very specific definition, per the Federal Trade Commission (which exists to protect you, the consumer, from those businesses who want to fool you in order to make money off you!).


According to the FTC, the definition of handmade or handcrafted as it applies to jewelry is:

The entire shaping and forming of such product must be from raw materials; and its finishing and decoration were accomplished by hand labor and manually-controlled methods which permit the maker to control and vary the construction, shape, design, and finish of each part of each individual product.

That means the piece cannot be cast (made from molten metal), but rather must be crafted from solid metal which is assembled and manipulated.

That is how this band was made: completely crafted by hand out of solid platinum using saws, drills, files,setting tools, and polishing tools. The milgraining, also done by hand. It is a double-sided band set with tiny 0.8mm Russian-cut diamonds.

Cheers!