Is technology destroying or enhancing Thailand's jewelry industry?

Nothing says "I've been there" like a traditional piece of hand-crafted jewelry. But as Thailand's jewelry industry becomes more and more popular -- Thailand exported gems and jewelry worth US$9.4 billion in 2009 according to the Thai Gem Jewelry Exchange Commission -- the designers are having to rethink their manufacturing practices. Many are now using state of the art computer software programs for designs they would previously have done by hand.

The problem, for those who prefer to know their jewelry has had the human touch, and more so for those designers who want to stick to traditional methods, is that these computer-assisted designs can be produced faster and are flooding the market. Those who refuse to 'technologize' their designs risk being left behind. 

The CAD fad?

Vanna Weinberg, 60, is a Thai jewelry designer who works with her American husband, David Weinberg, at Multi Colour Gems on Silom Soi 20. "I like to do it with my hands," she says. "For most of my design, I put my art into it. I do it with wax." 

But she admits that for certain aspects of her work a Computer Aided Design (CAD) program can be very useful. "My husband said for some designs we need it. Like sometimes, we like to put a diamond with a stone, and if we use the CAD program, maybe it will produce a more standard size."

And while others are quick to point out the flaws in a computer-designed piece of jewelry, they are also quick to admit they would use it in certain circumstances.

Bella Redl, 36, creates avant garde and fetish designs under her company Body Steel and Silver Company from a factory in Thailand. Her pieces are much sought after in Paris as well as in other high fashion markets. She also designs mostly on paper. "The CAD system, the Matrix system; I'm not very fond of both of them because they do tend to be a little too structured and too impersonal," she says. "They become very geometrical. So the jewelry basically becomes simpler and simpler. Whereas everything you design on paper, there is more fantasy to it." 

But she does use Matrix software for ear and body piercings and other things which "need a little more speed and more control, regarding the sizes and settings." Matrix is good for that, "because proportion is always there. 'Hand' can be wrong, here and there. Whereas Matrix gives you that perfection. Left and right, it's always the same," Redl says. 

And Duncan Diaper, a British jewelry designer whose High Five Design company in Bangkok churns out lower-range fashion products for the tourist industry in silver and pewter, also says he is looking to invest in a CAD software package even though most of his work is easier to do by hand. "You can design, or draft, one piece of jewelry,

one design, and, like in Photoshop, you can expand it or contract it to different sizes without having to re-do it all again. And you can have three or four different sizes from one image very quickly." This is particularly useful for stone-set jewelry and other more precise jewelry, he says. 

How it works

So like it or not, the future is already here, and it does allow jewelry makers to produce quality pieces far quicker and allow them to 'see' finished designs before committing them to the production line. Options within the software include Emerald Builder, Cluster Builder

"I like to do it with my hands," says Weinberg, 60, who dreamed up this necklace.

and Bezel Builder. And after rendering an intricate piece of virtual jewelry, the software can also display how it would look in different materials, such as "silver, or gold, or platinum, with rubies, or sapphires, or garnets," says Jill Goodson, a representative for U.S.-based Gemvision, which offers PC-only Matrix Jewelry Design Software. 

Once the CAD file has been created, the designer e-mails it to a service bureau which can "cut the wax, or grow the wax piece" to make a physical mold for casting, says Gemvision's vice president of operations, Christopher Burger. "There are many service bureaus all around the world. There are plenty of service centers right here in Bangkok. Charles Berman at Bermark is one in particular that does CAD service bureau work," he adds.

Convincing the traditionalists

This may sound like computers, or at least computer programmers, are taking over the jewelry design world. But the purists needn't get too put off. Even when using CAD or Matrix programs, the designer can add handmade touches at any point in the process, so that each piece is unique, or slightly irregular, or possess a rough, or human, look and feel.

CAD software is best for designing jewelry that requires precision setting of stones, such as these loose sparklers.

The other side of that equation is that identical pieces of jewelry can be churned out endlessly, because robotic equipment never stops for food, sleep or holidays. But quality is measured by the value of materials, the eye of the beholder, and the ability of the jewelry to survive wear and tear.

While CAD can offer structural advantage to some pieces, the designer needs to know how to set and place various bits, whether using CAD or working by hand, so the piece does not fall apart. As for jewelry's charm, much of that is the result of an artist's imagination and original design, which may or may not be enhanced by a computer screen, depending how fanciful or practical the piece may be.