We get the strangest requests!!

[geti-titanium]

Last week I had a call from Nick Fitch of Independant Retailer of the Year 2009, Nicholas James in Hatton Garden.

One of my customers in Hatton Garden had given him my name with regard to setting a couple of small diamonds in a Titanium bike frame and, with me always up for a laugh, I said I would do it for him.

Little did I know that this would be the toughest bit of metal I've ever set diamonds into when I said yes, nor did I realise I would be sweating and swearing so much doing it as well (mainly from fear of damaging it by slipping because my trusty mutt, Oskar, has a habit of pouncing on me when I least expect it

After about 2 hours of what sounded a fairly simple job, they were in and the frame was undamaged. I did have to dip it into the ultrasonic tank to shake one of the diamonds out that went in cockeyed, but all's well that ends well as they say.

I also laser cut 18ct gold logos to be attached to the frame in place of the standard transfers and if you are interested in bikes and would like to see it, I think it will be on display at the Cycle Show 2009 Earls Court, London 8th - 11 October.

It'll be an expensive bike I'll be bound - I hope they don't shake it around too much!

[bustagasket]

LMAO some people just Have to have the right accessories lol

[ps_bond]

Worst I had was someone wanting a diamond flush set into a tungsten band...

It ended up I taught him how to do it instead of my having the aggro of drilling the tungsten.

[ps_bond]

Actually, er... No. Not a penny. He was "going to" send me a bottle in return for the tuition (over email, primarily); never happened. Good experience on the teaching though - although it's not something I'd recommend.

[geti-titanium]

If you do all my setting I'll send you a virtual pallet load of wine down the pipes.

[ps_bond]

If you do all my setting I'll send you a virtual pallet load of wine down the pipes.

Hmm. How about I do the setting virtually too?

Steel's easier than you'd think, Jason... Go slow with the burrs (and accept they'll blunt faster than in silver) and be patient with trying to move the steel. If it's stainless, use 416; otherwise, use mild - don't waste your time setting in high-carbon steels.

There's also the Signity presets - bought some of those for a project that then never happened Thankfully they're just CZs!

[geti-titanium]

If I haven't got one within 2 years I will be very disappointed. Obviously not your laser machine, that would be way out of my reach

Even medium to large companies consider the price of new technology to be unjustified.

50,000 euros or thereabouts is a lot of money for a laser engraver but the capabilities of such a machine open up whole new markets and I am still only scratching the surface of what it can do.

You need the technology to work with Titanium on a production level and it's quite exciting to have a new piece of kit delivered and then start playing on it - it gets quite addictive buying machinery!

[geti-titanium]

as titanium is such a sod.

Not really - it's like everything, if you have the right tool to do the job it's easy.

Engineering products need engineers tools - the majority of jewellery tools are for cutting soft metals so they tend to be of poor quality - It's horses for courses, I would never dream of buying drills from a tool merchant in the jewellery quarter, the ones we use are for cutting all manor of exotic steels with coatings and geometries that can only have come from alien technology

[geti-titanium]

This is an update of the Gold logos and diamond setting we did recently.
_______________________________

The first woman to cycle up Snowdon has been presented with an Enigma custom-built titanium bike personalised by Nicholas James jewellers with inset diamonds and 18ct gold parts and trim.

The bike was commissioned by cyclist, Digi Foo-Kune’s husband who asked jewellers Nicholas James to produce a special present for his wife. Nick Fitch, owner of Nicholas James, said that the request was a sign of the times as people increasingly seek something different. “People are constantly searching for a bit of individuality,” he said. “We find that with our jewellery too where we offer low volume and lots of bespoke work.”

The bike’s Enigma frame incorporates two diamonds and 18ct solid gold logos. Fitch explained that although the request was unusual it was not beyond their means. “We are contemporary fine jewellers at heart but we were more than able to take on the challenge. We wanted to produce something that is not a gimmick but is very usable,” he added.

The bike will be on display at Nicholas James’ showroom in Hatton Garden until the end of December.



Courtesy of Retail Jeweller Magazine

[Chameleon]

thats amazing, must be great to be asked to do something like that