Capabilities · Prototype Development
Hold the piece in your hand before you commit the run
A prototype is the cheapest place to find out whether a design truly builds. CAD proof, a resin print you can hold, then a metal prototype in the real material and on the real route — each stage answers a different question, and none of them is skipped.
What this means for you
Every stage of a jewellery project gets more expensive, and the prototype exists to find the problems while they are still cheap. A change in the model costs a conversation. The same change in cast metal costs metal, bench time, and sometimes the piece itself — and if it is discovered after a run starts, it costs the run. That is the whole argument for prototyping first: not caution for its own sake, but the observation that the cost of being wrong multiplies as the work advances, and the prototype is where the multiplication is smallest. It is also where the design is still honest — before anyone is invested in a version of it that has to be defended.
Each stage proves something different, and that is why none is skipped. CAD proves geometry — seats, wall thicknesses, join positions, and how the parts relate to each other, all checkable in the model where nothing is wasted. The resin print proves form in the hand: scale, proportion, how the piece sits on the body, whether it wears the way you pictured. Only the metal prototype proves material behaviour — how the alloy takes a bend, how a seat holds under a bur, how a finish responds to this surface rather than that one. A design can pass the first two stages beautifully and still fail the third, and the third is the one that matters. This is also why the order is fixed: printing before the model is checked wastes resin, and cutting metal before the print is approved wastes both.
The prototype also reflects the production route. We build it the way the product will be built — same material, same technique — so what it proves is what production will do, not what an idealised version of the design would do. And the read you get back is honest, including when it is unwelcome: if a seat needs to move, a wall needs thickness, or the route needs to change, you hear it at prototype stage, while there is still a cheap decision to make. Changes are normal here. The manufacturing process page describes the routes we prototype against.
The prototype is not a sample of the product. It is the product's first honest answer.
What each stage gives you
- CAD proof — geometry checked in the model: seats, walls, joins, and tolerances, before anything is printed or cut.
- A resin print you can hold — scale, proportion, and wearability tested in your hand, at the cheapest point to change them.
- A metal prototype on the production route — the real material and the real technique, so the answer is the one production will give.
How we work
CAD proof first
The model is checked for geometry before anything is printed: seats, wall thicknesses, join positions, tolerances. A problem found here costs a conversation.
A resin print you can hold
Form, scale, and wearability tested in the hand. It is the cheapest place to change a proportion, and the last cheap place to change a feeling.
A metal prototype in the real technique
Built on the production route, in the production material — so the proof is about the piece you will actually make, not an ideal version of it.
An honest read, even when unwelcome
The prototype's findings reported straight: what works, what needs to change, and what we would do differently. No polite silence.
Where we are honest
QCan't we skip the prototype and go straight to production?
You can — but the prototype is the cheapest place to find out whether the design truly builds. Metal is an expensive place to be wrong: the same change that costs a conversation in the model costs metal and bench time in the piece, and a run's worth of both if it is discovered late. If budget forces the choice, we will tell you which checks matter most for your design and prototype those, rather than pretend the whole sequence is optional. Skipping the prototype does not remove the risk; it only moves the risk to a more expensive room.
QWill the prototype match production exactly?
It reflects the production route — same material, same technique — so it is the honest predictor. A cast piece may show minor differences from a fabricated prototype, and we tell you which route the prototype used before you approve it. Where the final production route differs, we say so and explain what that means for the proof — a prototype that proves the wrong thing is worse than no prototype at all.
QWhat happens if the design fails the prototype?
Then the prototype has done its job. We adjust the design or the route and prototype again — a failure here is a conversation, not a loss. The only bad outcome is a design that "passes" because nobody looked properly, and that is not a failure mode we accept from ourselves.
QAre changes after the prototype normal?
Yes — changes are normal at this stage, and they are cheap. That is precisely what the stage is for. After production starts, the same changes cost more, which is why we would rather see three small revisions now than one large correction later.
QIs the resin print strong enough to test wear?
It proves form, not durability. Wearability — how the piece sits, moves, and feels against the body — yes, that you can judge from the print. Strength, and how the metal behaves under a bur or a torch, no. That is what the metal prototype is for, and it is why the print is a stage rather than a substitute.
The route your project takes
You send the design
A sketch, CAD, or description, with the intent: what the piece is for and who wears it. If the design is still forming, we can develop it first — that is the ODM development route.
CAD / 3D proof
The model is checked for geometry: seats, walls, joins, tolerances. You approve the model before anything is printed or cut.
Resin print you can hold
The form in your hand — scale, proportion, wearability. Changes here are still cheap, and this is the stage most clients enjoy most.
Metal prototype on the production route
The real material and technique, built the way the production piece will be built. This is the honest answer to whether the design builds — and the stage where the bench leaves its fingerprints on the file.
Report and next step
What the prototype proved, what we would change, and the route forward: a one-off build, a small batch, or a production line. Our inspection page describes the checks the prototype passed.
Craft capabilities
Capabilities we draw on
A prototype calls on the same crafts the production piece will. These are the capabilities this stage leans on most — each has a page of its own, written by the bench that does the job.
CAD & 3D prototyping
The geometry is proven in the model — and the print you hold comes from the same file the bench will build from.
Read about CAD & 3D prototypingGold & platinum fabrication
The metal stage is built in the production material and technique, so the prototype answers for the real piece.
Read about gold & platinum fabricationStart with your design
Send the design and the intent. Whether you are a designer testing a new form, a startup proving a first product, or a brand validating a style before a line, the route starts the same way: geometry proven, form held, metal answered. Our how it works page describes the first exchange, and the mirror-polish twisted hoops in our cases show a form that earned its finish at prototype stage. You do not need a finished drawing to start — a sketch and a clear description are enough for the first read, and the geometry comes after that.
What to send
- Your design — sketch, CAD file, or a clear description.
- The intent — what the piece is for, and who wears it.
- The material — metal and stones, if already chosen.
- The question — what you most want the prototype to answer.