This commonly used process produces hollow lightweight jewellery such as Creole earrings and brooches as well as jewellery findings such as clasps. Thin sheet or strip of the carat gold is placed between a series of matching halves of hardened steel dies and blanked out and then progressively punched to form the required 3-dimensional shapes. Generally matching pairs of stamped pieces are soldered together to form the completed jewellery piece and then polished. Coins and medals are also made by this technique.

Stamping

In the old technology, parts were stamped out in a sequence in separate steel die sets, each step deforming the component further towards the desired end shape. Typically hand operated or steam powered screw presses or fly presses would be used. Today, complex 'progression' die sets are used in which the strip moves in stages through a single die and emerges in the final shape. Modern hydraulic presses are used, although some hand-operated presses are still to be found in small workshops. Manufacture of the steel dies is an expensive operation and so stamping is only done where high numbers of pieces are being produced.

More information on stamping can be found in Gold Technology No 33, Winter 2001 and No 35, Summer 2002.