Production in the workshop
Each Nekala piece is handcrafted in our workshop. We give priority to craftsmanship and traditional jewelry know-how. We work with qualified craftsmen who carry out each of the manufacturing specificities in France, including prototyping, lost-wax casting, setting and electroplating techniques - for gilding vermeil jewelry and finishing silver jewelry.
Numerous steps are also carried out in the Nekala workshop, including wax sculpting, assembly, soldering, polishing and other finishing operations.
Lost-wax casting
The lost-wax casting technique is a process by which molten metal replaces a wax model placed in a mold.
This ancient process - known at least since the 4th millennium B.C. - enables the production of complex parts in a single piece, and also allows the same models to be reproduced.
This technique involves a number of stages. From a wax or metal model, a mold is made, into which wax is injected to reproduce the model. Once the models have become wax, they are arranged around a "tree", which is then placed in a metal cylinder. The cylinder is then filled with a plaster mixture and placed in the kiln, where the plaster is baked while the wax melts, leaving only the hollow forms of the models visible. It is only at this stage that the jewelry is formed, thanks to the casting of the metal into the plaster mold. Each model of the tree that has become metal must be worked on to produce the finished jewels.
How our jewelry is made
Prototyping
The first step in the creation of our parts is to make the wax model, in order to begin with the lost-wax casting technique. To do this, we work the wax by hand, or use software to 3D print more complex shapes.
We then use this technique to transform the wax into metal. From this prototype, we make a mold, in which we repeat the previous operations to reproduce the models in solid silver.
Casting and finishing
When we receive the cast parts, we "clean" them. We remove metal burrs, rework the shape and polish the parts.
Then we take care of the finishing touches. Most of the stones are set - those that can withstand the gilding - the chains are mounted, the pearls are assembled... We do the soldering, polishing again... and any other step necessary for the complete creation of the jewel.
Surface treatment
Once the parts are completely finished, they undergo electroplating: the coating of their surface with a layer of metal.
To produce vermeil, the jewelry is dipped in a bath of 18k gold. For our silver jewels, although they don't require it, we cover them with an extra layer of silver to increase their durability and for a brighter finish.
The most fragile gemstones are set after treatment.