Jewelry Manufacturing Research Articles

Risks Assessment due to the Exposure of Copper and Nitrogen Dioxide in the Goldsmith in Malimongan Makassar

Manufacture of gold jewelry is one of the manufacturing processes involving several dangerous chemicals. These chemicals are used for melting, refining, welding, electroplating, and polishing the gold metal. This research aimed to determine the health risk as the resulted of the exposure to copper and nitrogen dioxide of the goldsmiths in Malimongan village Sub wajo, Makassar city. The research used observational design with the environmental health risk assessment approach. The 30 environmental samples and 30 human samples were chosen using the simple random sampling. The data were analyzed using the Environmental Health Risk Analysis and processed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS version 21. The research results of indoor concentrations copper from measurement point all represent bellow 1 mg/m3. The highest concentration is 0,07390 mg/m3 and the lowest is 0,0015 mg/m3, the mean concentration of Copper is 0,0268 mg/m3. As for NO2 measurement point also is concentrations below 3 ppm, the highest concentration is 0,020 ppm and the lowest is 0,010 ppm, the mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide is 0,0154 ppm. The non carcinogenic risk to copper of the goldsmiths showed that the average is 3,927. From the 30 people indicated 23 goldsmiths (76,7%) at risk had RQ≥1 and 7 goldsmiths (23,3%) had risk RQ≤ 1, the health risk NO2 average is 0,05947. In conclusion, from all of respondent 30 people (100%) had RQ≤1. Goldsmiths has shown risks of exposure copper but not nitrogen dioxide.

Properties of the Green Gold Alloys with Indium Content

The property changes of 18, 14, and 8K green gold alloys for jewelry are observed by adding 0.0, 3.0, and 5.0 wt% of indium (In), respectively. To check the composition of the alloys, an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis is conducted. Color and microstructure analysis is executed through bare-eye, macro camera, UV-VIS-NIR-colormeter, and optical microscope. The melting point, wetting angle, and hardness are measured using TGA-DTA, a wetting angle tester, and a Vickers hardness tester. The EDS analysis result demonstrates that each of the green gold alloys was manufactured with purposed contents. The color analysis result shows that the color of the alloys is similar to the color of the conventional 4 wt%-Cd 18K green gold, and the green color improves as the In content increases. The micro structure analysis result demonstrates that grain refinement improves as the amount of In increases. Enhancements in the melting point, wettability, and Vickers hardness changes appear as the In content increases and Au content decreases. The hardness is up to 260, which implies good durability. Therefore, the results suggest that the proposed 18, 14, and 8K In-added green gold alloys enhance the properties of jewelry products with regard to the green color, castability, and durability.

DETERMINING NEW EXPORT GOALS AND COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES FOR THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY IN EAST JAVA IN A GLOBAL VALUE CHAIN PERSPECTIVE

Global Value Chain (GVC) is a relatively new concept where the process to produce goods or services occurs across countries. Previous research has concluded that integrating in GVC is important for a region to promote its economic growth. One indicator of a region's involvement in GVC is its export value at which in the Province of East Java, the jewelry industry (HS code 71) is the largest export contributor. This study aims to identify new export destinations based on trade data and to analyze internal factors of strength and weakness as well as external factors of opportunity and threat to formulate strategy to improve the competitiveness of jewelry industry with small, medium and large scale in East Java. In this research, the trade balance of jewelry industry between Indonesia and East Java and global importers was analyzed. The results show that some countries in Asia and Oceania, Europe and America are potential markets for the gold industry in East Java to increase the current value of exports. The geographical location of East Java which is close enough to the current export destination countries of jewelry products (Taiwan, Japan and Singapore) as well as potential destinations (India and China) is a competitive advantage. This research also identifies several strategies that can be done by the stakeholders in developing the jewelry industry in East Java.

George William Kenneth 'Ken' Cavill 1922–2017

Ken Cavill knew from his high school years that his career lay in science. Whilst completing his Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney he chose to focus on organic chemistry and made his academic career in that field. Ken gained his PhD at Liverpool University in England in 1949 and was awarded a DSc from that university in 1957. He was employed during World War 2 at W. Hermon Slade & Co., and then as a lecturer in chemistry at Sydney Technical College, becoming a senior lecturer at the newly formed University of New South Wales (UNSW), where he had a distinguished career in research and teaching until his retirement in 1982. He received the first personal chair awarded by the university in 1964 and was made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1969. He was made an emeritus professor by UNSW in 1983. He actively pursued collaboration between chemistry and biology, and pioneered studies in Australia on the chemistry of insect venoms, attractants and repellents, leaving a legacy of a well-respected body of work in this field. Ken was awarded a Centenary of Federation Medal in 2001 for his service to Australian society and science in the field of organic biological chemistry. Pursuing his love of Australiana, he devoted his retirement to researching and writing about Australian silverware and jewellery manufacturers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Diamonds, gold and crime displacement: Hatton Garden, and the evolution of organised crime in the UK

The 2015 Hatton Garden Heist was described as the ‘largest burglary in English legal history’. However, the global attention that this spectacular crime attracted to ‘The Garden’ tended to concentrate upon the value of the stolen goods and the vintage of the burglars. What has been ignored is how the burglary shone a spotlight into Hatton Garden itself, as an area with a unique ‘upperworld’ commercial profile and skills cluster that we identify as an incubator and facilitator for organised crime. The Garden is the UK’s foremost jewellery production and retail centre and this paper seeks to explore how Hatton Garden’s businesses integrated with a fluid criminal population to transition, through hosting lucrative (and bureaucratically complex) VAT gold frauds from 1980 to the early 1990s, to become a major base for sophisticated acquisitive criminal activities. Based on extensive interviews over a thirty year period, evidence from a personal research archive and public records, this paper details a cultural community with a unique criminal profile due to the particularities of its geographical location, ethnic composition, trading culture, skills base and international connections. The processes and structures that facilitate criminal markets are largely under-researched (Antonopoulos et al. 2015: 11), and this paper considers how elements of Hatton Garden’s ‘upperworld’ businesses integrated with project criminals, displaced by policing strategies, to effect this transition.

ASSESSMENT OF HEMATOLOGICAL INDICES AMONG WORKERS IN SILVER JEWELRY UNITS

Objective: Workers in the silver jewelry manufacturing units are exposed to heavy metals and toxic compounds during manufacturing. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the hematological indices among the workers in silver jewelry manufacturing units.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in various silver jewelry manufacturing units located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. One hundred and forty eight exposed and 35 unexposed (control) participants were included in this study. Their hematological indices were assessed.Results: There was significant (p<0.05) increase of serum silver (Ag) and hematological profile such as red blood cell (RBC), hematocrit, and the hemoglobin levels of exposure groups (B, C, D, and E) were found to be significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared to control group (A). There was also significant increase (p<0.05) in differential count and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), platelet (PLT), platelet distribution width (PDW), and mean platelet volume (MPV) levels in exposed groups (B, C, D, and E) than controls (A).Conclusion: Decrease in RBC indices and the increased differential count of MCH, MCHC, PLT, PDW, and MPV levels might be due to the exposure to Ag in the jewelry units. In view of these results, it appears that ionized Ag induces hematological disturbances and the present study clearly establish that there were minimal negative effects of Ag exposure on hematological indices.

Desarrollo de revestimientos de sílice para el proceso de microfundición de joyería con pre-engaste de esmeraldas

The possibility of implementing natural emeralds to the stone in place technique in the manufacture of jewelry was evaluated using two silica samples, one commercial and other developed with natural silica sand, both thermally stabilized at 350°C. Raw materials and blend performances were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry and thermo-gravimetry, as well as through compression strength, permeability and thermal shock resistance tests. The sand/gypsum mixture with 68/32 ratio and the addition of 50wt% of water was selected as the most suitable to obtain the new investment, as well as 38% water for commercial investment. Finally, microcasting tests were carried out with a low melting point gold alloy (398°C) and simulation tests of this process were performed using the Solidcast® and Flowcast® software programs, it was observed full capacity of the alloy to fill the molds, as well as a minimum affectation of the emeralds.

Costume Jewellery: The Gloom Behind Its Lustre

This case study presents the strategic decision making aspects associated with the launch of a social entrepreneurial start-up: Lustreus. Lustreus developed the idea of substituting widely available costume jewellery / fashion jewellery by toxin free jewellery for everyday use at reasonable prices. They aim to do this by creating awareness of the harmful effects of the metals used in the making of costume jewellery; on the human body as well as the environment. The prominent 'toxic' elements present in costume jewellery are lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium and tin. There are documented evidences of the toxic effects of many such elements on the human body, ranging from carcinogenic effects to serious health problems. They collected costume jewellery available at prominent brand stores across India, local street vendors, novelty shops selling affordable ornaments, famed street locations in major cities in India and tested these samples at a prominent testing facility. A very high proportion of the sample was tested positive for toxic metals. This reinstated the company's mission for cultivating a more ethical, transparent and sustainable jewellery industry. However, toxin free jewellery shall be at least 15% costlier to the costume jewellery currently available. There are also certain health hazards related to the mining and extraction of metals used in the production of costume jewellery, and Lustreus aims to address this issue, preliminarily with donating 5% of its profits to the communities involved in this hazardous profession. Objectives: It needs to be identified as to how should the awareness for toxicity in jewellery be created. Communication efforts need to be identified which can address the consumers' existing beliefs, attitudes and persistent behaviour towards costume jewellery. Functional Areas: The case can be used for delivering aspects pertaining to social entrepreneurship, strategic marketing, consumer behaviour, business ethics and green marketing.

Corporate environmental assessment of a large jewelry company: From a life cycle assessment to green industry

Jewelry and precious metal industry has positively affected global economy via high profits and incomes as well as potentially harmed the environment and society due to its resource intensiveness and pollution. The objectives of this research are to define significant sources of environmental impact throughout a large jewelry manufacturing value chain, and to understand the consequences of using materials from different sources in order to identify potential solutions towards green industry. Feasible solutions to environmental impact reduction regarding material sourcing, energy consumption and waste treatment are recommended based on the comparison of the results. An environmental assessment is conducted following a life cycle assessment framework provided in ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006. The assessment focuses on the impacts of environmental interventions from the value chain associated with the company operations in 2013. All in all one business-as-usual, ten alternative and nine sensitivity scenarios are developed to assess the impacts from the company’s operations in 2013, to determine potential impact reductions from feasible solutions and to investigate the robustness of the results. The representative data for manufacturing stage were primarily gathered from the company while the data for other stages are secondary data. Gold and silver mining and refining is the largest contributor from the overall supply chain for all impact categories considered. Using recycled gold and silver is the most effective solution to decrease life cycle negative impacts. The use of gold and silver recycled from high-value industries (i.e. jewelry production) produces less adverse impacts compared to gold and silver recycled from end-of-life electronic waste. According to the statistical data, gold and silver mining and refining could be the suppliers capable of supplying gold and silver because of the market constraints of recycled gold and silver. Green mining operations are introduced as alternatives to reduce impact directly generated from mining operations. For manufacturing, electricity consumption reduction shows a potential impact reduction. Using recycled gold and silver is recommended for jewelry manufacturers who plan to reduce environmental impacts. Using gold and silver from green mining is also recommended when the use of gold and silver from mining is necessary. Reducing electricity consumption in manufacturing is also one option for the company since it could be activated directly.

Mercury Exposure and Health Problems in Urban Artisanal Gold Mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Urban artisanal gold mining (UAGM) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, has been run by a number of urban gold workers with gold jewelry manufacture as its core activity. The wastes generated from goldsmiths’ activities were further processed by the gold smelters to recover fine gold particles. Smelting gold doré, amalgamation, and burning out the amalgam were the mercury-based gold process usually applied in their work. While working the gold workers are, therefore, potentially exposed to a source of mercury pollution that may cause health problems because of working without proper protection. The aims of this research are to characterize the process of urban artisanal gold mining with the potential mercury exposures during the process, and to assess the health of the gold workers. The results showed that the gold workers had a low educational background, but a relatively high income. The total mercury concentration of gold workers was higher than the control group. They were exposed to intoxicatingly high levels of mercury with the average total mercury concentrations of 6.6 and 10.8 µg/g in the hair of indirect and direct exposed workers, respectively. The health assessment showed that 85% of the gold workers suffered neurological symptoms, such as tremors, and 44%–56% of them experienced restricted fields of vision, slow reflexes, sensory disturbances, unbalanced rigidity, and ataxia. The results also showed that the working years have reasonable correlation with the sum of the positive findings in the 10 neurological symptoms.

Socio-demographic characteristics of traditional gold smelters in Makassar, south Sulawesi, Indonesia

The traditional gold smelting in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, is an informal work with the manufacture of gold jewelry as the core activity. Stages of the gold processing include panning, smelting, and refining with mercury. In the current study, we used a social demography analysis to classify the traditional gold smelter workers in this region. Data (e.g. sex, age, education level, time working, and income) were obtained from a questionnaire survey of 58 smelter workers in the Wajo and Tallo Sub-districts of Makassar. Results showed that 84.5% of the workers were males aged from 21 to 50 years with on the average 15 year of work. The gold smelter were last educated in elementary school (31.0%), junior high school (36.2%), and senior high school (27.6%) levels whereas 5.1% have no education. We found that the monthly income of an un-skilled worker was ∼Rp. 2 million (USD 147.0) whereas that of a skilled worker was between Rp. 2.5 million (USD 183.76) and Rp. 5 million (USD 367.51). An owner could earn over Rp. 5 million (USD 367.51) per month. The result suggested that the traditional gold smelting used rudimentary technique and attracted young people with a low education level. This business continues to exist because the worker earn sufficient income and may higher through mastering gold smelter proficiency.

Lost Wax Casting Conditions with Tourmaline In Situ

The technique of stone-in-place casting has been established in jewelry production for three decades. However, the process is not widely used since it is limited to precious stones with high hardness and high stability at high temperature. This experiment tested tourmaline, which is a semi-precious gemstone having less hardness and less stability compared with precious stones. The objective was to achieve the conditions of a lost-wax casting process with tourmaline placed in waxes in the casting process. The experiment was divided into two parts. The first part was to understand the tolerance of tourmaline under the heating conditions. Natural tourmaline stones were investigated and compared inclusions tested at a temperature of 700°C. Tourmaline with ion-implantation was also heated to 700°C for comparison. The second part was to test tourmaline in-place casting with tree conditions of flask casting at 550°C, 625°C, and 700°C. The results showed that stones were able to tolerate as much as at 700°C. The inclusion growth of ion-implantation under heating to 700°C also observed the growth of inclusion in the same way as untreated tourmaline. The casting condition at 550°C showed better results. The highest probability of stones breaking after casting occurred in bezel settings.

Design of Jewelry Product Based on Inventor

This paper mainly introduces the various methods and techniques of using 3D solid design drawings of Inventor jewelry products. The main contents include: jewelry design and drawing of the preparation of knowledge, Inventor basic knowledge, jewelry design Inventor function commands, fast drawing entity tool, jewelry design in the drawing.

Toxicity assessment of ash and dust from handmade gold jewelry manufacturing workshops in Bangladesh.

Traditionally, handmade gold jewelry played a very important role in the cultural heritage of Bangladesh. Goldsmiths still are partially using ancient manufacturing process with coal fire, candle flame blowing, and nitric and sulfuric acid treatments. Such process leads to the contamination of workplace with the dust of toxic metals, acidic vapors, and particles of different natures. To evaluate contamination by particulate matter (PM), the passive particle collectors were installed in different manufacturing units for a period of 85days at Tanti Bazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The laser diffraction analysis of the samples collected at the soldering units showed significant amounts of particulates, both PM10 and PM 2.5, and also nanoparticles in both nucleation and accumulation mode. SEM/EDS analysis revealed partially melted micro blebs that contain a very high concentration of Fe along with Cu. The toxic elements were detected with ICP analysis and include higher concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As). It is notable that detection of arsenic contamination was unexpected since raw materials used for jewelry making should not have any arsenic.

Individual expression, cultural specificity and production bias in Ju|’hoan jewelry-making

Few ethnographers have documented the personal experiences of Khoisan communities and even more obscure are perceptions about San individualism and self-expression. Yet anthropologist Richard Lee, in his book The Dobe !Kung (1984), suggested that !Kung (also known as Zu|’hoasi, Ju|’hoansi or Ju|’hoan) women use different colored beads to create intricately patterned headbands whose designs are named and should be regarded as an original art form. To date, Lee’s claim about Khoisan art in their material culture has not been explicitly corroborated or confirmed. This article questions the significance of named patterns, but substantiates the presence of artistic expression through an experiment with beads involving the Ju|’hoan. Ju|’hoan jewelry reveals aesthetic principles that do not seem culturally specific when it comes to the production of jewelry, but rather more so in the context of wearing it. The concept of production bias further separates culture-specific and material-guided elements of the jewelry production. The results confirm that Ju|’hoan beadworking tradition as an art form is reflected in the personal preferences entering the patterns as well as the color schemes and size of the final product. The cultural specificity of San self-made jewelry is mainly expressed in the way it is worn and not through the designs that are created.

Seguindo a constituição da Joalheria contemporânea

A proposta deste estudo visou apresentar o segmento profissional da joalheria, tendo por objetivo identificar em quais circunstâncias a joalheria é considerada arte, por ser uma categoria orientada para a produção de trabalhos mais experimentais, os quais podem ter a intenção de problematizar a ornamentação corporal ou a linguagem da joalheria. Do ponto de vista metodológico, distinguir as características dos produtos gerados por artistas joalheiros implicou no acompanhamento das práticas de produção, comercialização, eventos de divulgação e lançamentos de projetos. A construção teórica da pesquisa objetivou abarcar o ponto de vista do sujeito e seu contexto. Neste sentido, a obra de Bruno Latour contribuiu para se pensar a constituição de uma categoria artística. Como resultados, observamos que os joalheiros, por se situarem entre dois campos de práticas, parecem se encontrar em um espaço liminar. De um lado, afirmam que o que os diferenciam das outras formas de produzir joalheria é a exploração ou experimentação do objeto associado ao corpo. De outro, tem-se o conhecimento especializado da joalheria, o qual faz a mediação das influências externas.

Metallurgical investigation on fourth century BCE silver jewellery of two hoards from Samaria

A fourth century BCE silver jewellery collection, which is part of two hoards of Samarian coins (the Samaria and Nablus Hoards), was studied by non-destructive analyses. The collection, which consists of pendants, rings, beads and earrings, had been examined by visual testing, multi-focal microscopy and SEM-EDS analysis. In order to enhance our knowledge of past technologies of silver jewellery production, we developed a metallurgical methodology based on the chemical composition of the joints and bulk. The results show that all artefacts are made of silver containing a small percentage of copper. Higher copper concentrations were measured in the joining regions. Our research indicates that the manufacturing of the jewellery from both hoards involved similar techniques, including casting, cutting, hammering, bending, granulating and joining methods, indicating that the artefacts were made by trained silversmiths. Although the burial date of the Samaria Hoard – 352 BCE – is some 21 years earlier than that of the Nablus Hoard – circa 331 BCE, a noted continuity in the local production technology is apparent in the analysed items. This information provides better understanding of the technological abilities in the late Persian-period province of Samaria and bears implications on the local silver coins produced in the region.

Synthesis, characterization and experimental assessment of a novel functionalized macroporous acrylic copolymer for gold separation from wastewater

Abstract Gold (Au) is one of the precious metals whose availability, use and recovery represent important problems from the economic and environmental point of view. The synthesis of the novel acrylic copolymer bearing dimethylaminobenzaldehyde functional groups (AS–5BA) was carried out in three stages. The structure of the synthesized material was evidenced by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and its morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while the elemental composition was determined through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The AS–5BA functionalized copolymer was used for gold sorption from chloride solution by the batch method. The effects of HCl medium acidity, initial Au(III) concentration, and contact time on the Au(III) retention were studied. The maximum Au(III) sorption capacity was evaluated as 87.75 mg/g. The copolymer under study exhibited strong selectivity for the gold in the binary Au(III)–Co(II), Au(III)–Mn(II) and Au(III)–Cd(II) solutions. Gold could be quantitatively desorbed from the loaded sorbent with acidic solution of thiourea at ambient temperature. The developed AS–5BA copolymer was successfully applied to recover gold from a wastewater collected from a gold jewellery manufacturing plant. The AS–5BA functionalized acrylic copolymer with N as donor atoms has good durability as well as good efficiency for its repeated use for gold removal from aqueous solutions.

Relationship of duration of work exposure and feeling of subjective fatigue: A case study on jewelry manufacturing workers in India

Aims: Fatigue can be defined in various conditions. In literature it has been defined and explored by various researches through different aspects. This study was conducted to establish the relationship between the duration of work exposure and feeling of subjective fatigue. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one jewelry manufacturing workers as study group and 27 students as control group participated with their signed informed consent. The daily diary method and feeling of subjective fatigue evaluation questionnaire were used as a tool in this study. Three categories of feeling of subjective fatigue were considered in this study. The study was conducted mainly in the middle of the week. The data regarding feeling of subjective fatigue were collected before starting of work and after completion of the work day. Results: The results showed that The time spent on the job by the workers engaged in jewelry manufacturing was 670 min and were in four slots with the longest work period being 240 min. Sleeping time was found to be around 480 min. Conclusion: The study revealed that all three dimensions (general, mental, and physical) were affected by the whole day work exposure. Among three types of fatigues, general fatigue was observed at the beginning and end of the work shift.

Mixed technologies of artistic ceramics processing for the jewelery manufacture

The need for the study of different technologies of the jewellery manufacture is due to the demand of the modern world in a variety of high-quality environmentally friendly products. While working with ceramics, it is possible to get the product, which is unique in its form, a wide range of colors, possibility of harmoniously combining it with a number of other modern materials. Images of ancient birds are used, stages of technology, which allow connecting the ceramics and metal, the technology for working with underglaze paints are represented, application limits associated with a particular operation of the product (fragility) are analyzed in the research. The society need for exclusive products determines the relevance of different materials connection, the characteristics research of their compounds, while working with them. The research objective is a bird image stylized design for a piece of jewellery, different materials compounds, the substantiation of technology of its manufacturing “narikomi” technique. Also, the research objective includes the development of the technology stages, allowing the connection of ceramic and metal to get jewellery that is unique in its form, a wide range of colors, a possibility of harmonious combination of it with a number of other modern materials.