The Jewellery Manufacturing Process By: Neeru Jain

Introduction

Jewellery Industry Overview

Jewellery Manufacturing Process Jewellery Sampling Project / Hazardous Waste Concerns

Industry Overview

The Gem & Jewellery manufacturing units are market in the Sitapura,Japiur There are 30 buildings currently used by approximately 400 jewelry manufacturing and repair businesses. Around 250 jewellery units, which are functioning in Sitapura industrial in Jaipur

JAIPUR ---- The Pink City !

Cradled between the Aravallis, this picturesque Indian city is the State Capital of Rajasthan. Jaipur is a city of Art. It is known for its Architecture and Jewellery. The city has always been associated with Royalty; the jewellery here has the same inclination. The designs are superb and have been praised world over. The colour stones set hand-crafted jewellery has been the forte of the Jaipur jewellery industry. The city has had nimble fingers working out ornamental designs in floral and geometric motifs using Precious stones, Diamonds and beads encasing them in diamond crusted gold frames, strung with pearls, beads and delicate gold chains. It is only in Jaipur that every extravagant idea in art has been translated into reality in the form of Jewellery. Nobody has mooted the idea of an emerald; ruby or sapphire being even remotely forever and nowhere does one consider these gemstones as being the ultimate gift of love. Jaipur has developed a new export hub focused on manufacturing gem-set jewellery at the Sitapura Industrial Area. Set up as an amalgam of two duty-free zones (SEZs) along with an industrial park (EPIP), the complex located, just 5 km. from Jaipur Airport, also houses a stateof-the-art Gold Refinery and Mint. Launched some three years ago, the Sitapura zone has really taken off in the past eighteen months. The two duty-free enclaves will, in a couple of years, have 240 units in production with an estimated turnover exceeding $ 900 million, and generating direct employment for nearly 100,000 people. India is the third largest consumer of certified Diamonds. And, Jaipur has always been the centre for Coloured gemstones. Hence, the new and upcoming jewellery manufacturing units at Sitapura will have the inherent advantages in the manufacturing and sales of the Diamond and Coloured gemstones jewellery. The biggest advantage at Sitapura is that buyers can get a wide variety at one stop. ( Look up our Products Range ). The Sitapura Gems & Jewellery Industry Association(SGJIA), since inception, is acting as a catalyst between the Industry and the Administration to showcase the Gems & Jewellery Trade in Jaipur, not as a Trade, but, as an Industry comparable to the best anywhere internationally.

Industry Overview

The District is comprised of a complete jewelry network support system:

Precious stone sales. Precious stone setters. Jewelry sales. Jewelry repair. Jewelry manufacturing. Jewelry manufacturing equipment sales.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

There are 9 process steps to manufacture jewelry. Various raw materials and hazardous materials are utilized in the process.

Various hazardous wastes are generated.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 1 - Jeweler conceptualizes and creates a master original piece.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 2 - Preparation of Rubber Mold.

Original piece is placed between 6 molding rubber pieces & secured in molding frame.

Mold is placed in Vulcanizer unit at 325 F for 35 min.

Mold is cut opened and original piece is removed. 3- D space is cut out.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 3 - Preparation of Wax Piece.

Wax injected into empty mold at 180 F

Wax piece is removed from rubber mold and attached to a sprue.

Several wax pieces can be attached for mass production.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 4 - Preparation of Investment Mold

Wax Sprue is placed into a stainless steel cylinder.

Investment Plaster is poured and set to dry for 10 min.

Cylinder cured in Kiln 1500 F for 4 hours. Wax melts thus leaving a 3-D space inside cast.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 5 - Casting by Centrifuge OR Vacuum.

Cylinder is placed in Centrifuge unit. Gold pellets are melted at 1600 F in crucible with torch.

Cylinder is place in Vacuum unit. Gold pellets are melted and poured cylinder.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 6 - Devestment.

Cast cylinder is washed to remove the jewelry sprue from the plaster.

Sprue Tree is ready for individual piece removal.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 7 - Jewelry Pieces are Cut From Sprue Tree and Soldered, Grind and Polished.

Pieces are cut from sprue.

Cyanide
Soldering Grinding Polishing bombing

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 8 - Cleaning and Removal of Oxides, Fire Scale and Flux Residue with Haz-Mats. Cyanide Bombing
- Jewelry with deep recesses is cleaned in a solution of 10% liquid potassium cyanide and 35% hydrogen peroxide.

Pickling Cleaning -

Jewelry with minor recesses is cleaned in a solution of 10% Hydrochloric Acid.

Electrocleaning -

Jewelry is cleaned in a Pyrex glass using a solution of NaCO4, NaOH, KCn with a 6V charge.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 8 - Alternative Cleaning without Haz-Mats. Magnetic Tumblers -

Electrical units with metal shot and magnets. The metal shots vibrate and spin and cleans the jewelry.

Ultrasonic Units -

Electrical unit with soap and water mixture. Electricity is converted to sound waves and the bubbles created, cleans the jewelry.

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Step 9 - Polishing.

Electrical unit with a felt wheel or lap wheel, which removes emery marks. Tripoli and Rouge add lustrous shines

Jewelry Manufacturing Process

Deep Recess Jewelry

Sampling & Survey Project

In 2003, DTSC, UCI, and LACo CUPA conducted haz-waste sampling of jewelry manufacturing buildings. Swab samples were collected from walls and equipment. Solid samples were collected from polishing dusts, sludges, and investment materials. Liquid samples were collected from cleaning and pickling solutions.

Sampling results from Buffing, Polishing, and Grinding Dusts

The following metals exceeded regulatory levels for hazardous wastes:

Copper Nickel Zinc Silver Arsenic Cadmium Selenium Barium.

Sampling results from Investment Wastes

Copper and nickel exceeded the regulatory metals for hazardous waste, but not consistently. Therefore, investment wastes are not confidently classified as hazardous

Sampling results from Pickling Solutions

Copper, Cadmium, Nickel, Zinc, Chromium and lead was consistently detected above the hazardous waste levels

Sampling results from Ultrasonic Cleaning

Elevated Copper, Chromium, Lead, and Silver levels confirmed that spent solutions from ultrasonic cleaning is a hazardous waste.

Sampling results from Acid Cleaning

Elevated Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Lead, and Zinc exceeded hazardous waste regulatory levels. The pH of 2 deems the spent acid cleaner to be a hazardous waste.

Sampling results from Cyanide Bombing

97% of the cyanide is consumed in the process of removing fire scale. Elevated copper deems the waste solution to be hazardous waste.

Sampling results from Influent Wastes to basement Treatment Units

The following hazardous waste characteristics were tested: pH, metals, and cyanide. The waste was not deemed to be hazardous; because the waste was commingled and diluted.

Sampling results from Sludge captured at the Treatment Unit

Copper and Nickel exceeded the hazardous waste regulatory levels.

Conclusions

Hazardous waste is produced by polishing, cleaning, stripping or cyanide bombing. Manifests required for spent stripping and cyanide bombing solutions. The solid waste streams meet the definition of a Excluded Recyclable Material, because of the high value of Gold, which is refined and recycled.

Bill of lading / Refining receipts required for polishing dust, floor sweeps, and also solid waste of tumbling and ultra sonic cleaners.

Thanks