Hand Made Vs Machine Manufactured Jewelry

"As silver are we, with metal dross alloyed
That lies within the fingers of the smelter.
At his will he fuses or refines,
Retains the slag or keeps it pure and precious,
So are we in Thy hand, o healing God"

The above poem, or piyut, is chanted by Jews every year on their holiest day of Yom Kippur, and very much exemplifies the loving care a gold and silversmith takes when making a piece of unique Handmade Jewelry.

Hand made jewelry "lying within the fingers of the smelter" is quite different than modern machine made jewelry in which special lathes, polishers, grinders, and other machine tools have revolutionized jewelry making, enabling jewelry to be made at a much faster, and more economical rate.

A piece of hand crafted jewelry often bears the hallmark of the individual craftsman, who designs and fabricates a piece of either gold or silver jewelry, often by order from the customer who wants a piece of hand crafted jewelry made only for him. This is why a piece of hand crafted jewelry takes much longer to produce, and is almost always worth considerably more than commercially made jewelry. Many fine jewelry stores have a 'jeweler's bench' where a craftsman is available to either make jewelry pieces by order, or initiate repairs to jewelry requiring his "fusing of refining" an already finished jewelry piece. Many jewelry craftsmen are so talented that they can latterly create a unique jewelry piece after being shown a only a diagram or picture.

Machine made jewelry, on the other hand, is mass produced using molds, shaping lathes, and other equipment that allows the production of scores of jewelry pieces to be made in a relatively short period of time. It's not to say that machine made jewelry is less strong or has less eye-appeal than hand made jewelry, however, as many mass produced jewelry items are even more refined and better polished than their hand made counterparts. What does distinguish the two jewelry types is often the reputation of the craftsman, who's own individual talent is often no less renown than a well known painter or sculptor.

Purchasing a commercially manufactured jewelry piece such as a ring mounting, bracelet, earring set, or numerous other items is less intriguing than a hand made piece which is made more unique when the person who orders a 'hand made' jewelry item has the opportunity to meet the "smelter" himself.

Both machine made and hand made jewelry are available through a wide variety of sources including the internet. One must be prudent in regards to prices, as well as where to find extraordinary handmade fashion jewelry, as imitations often abound, some of them of very high quality. A piece of hand crafted, made per the wishes of the person who orders it often expresses the customer's own unique personality. This often keeps the customer coming back again and again to order new pieces of unique hand crafted jewelry.