Electroforming
Also called electroformed jewelry
Electroforming is a plating process that grows a metal shell onto a shaped core by passing electric current through a metal solution. It is used to make large, hollow, light pieces that would be too heavy or too costly to cast solid.
In other words, metal is deposited layer by layer over a form until it is thick enough to stand on its own, then the form is removed.
How it works
The core is coated with a conductive paint and hung in a bath of metal solution. Current runs through the bath and metal settles onto every conductive surface, thickening slowly over hours.
When the shell is thick enough, the core is dissolved, melted, or left in place if it is meant to stay. The result is a hollow piece: big statement earrings and wide cuffs are common uses, because the wearer feels almost none of the weight.
Rendering an electroformed piece
Electroformed surfaces read differently from cast ones. They are often slightly textured, and the piece is larger than its weight suggests, so a photo can mislead a shopper about scale.
A render handles that well. A turntable video shows the true volume of the piece from every side, and the same file rendered in rose, white, and yellow gold lets a shopper compare finishes on a design that would be slow to sample three times over.
Questions about Electroforming
Is electroformed jewelry solid gold?
No. The piece is a hollow metal shell over a removed or remaining core, so it uses far less metal than a solid casting of the same size.
Can you render an electroformed design?
Yes. Send the CAD file and tell us the surface finish you want. We can show the piece in rose, white, and yellow gold on a white background.