Recently, I've been scribbling some designs that wouldn't make much sense to fabricate - I could carve them from metal, but realistically the only way to do them sensibly is to get them cast. Now, I could use wax - or I could go back to (some of) my roots and use CAD (I used to use 2D CAD quite a lot).

Anyway, the question is - what are people's opinions on CAD (with the attendant CAM stage following on)? Is it a crutch for people who can't model in wax? Is it moving too far from the creation of the jewellery? Does it detract from the essential bench skills (e.g. piercing & soldering - without which you really can't be called a jeweller IMO)? Or is it a useful medium for designing, with myriad benefits over a pencil & paper?

Of course, one of the reasons I make jewellery is because it has physical form - the software I write is ephemera, massless and can only be perceived by its effect. Besides, it gets me away from the computer...