Ole Lynggaard – fascinating jewelry making by hand
How a new piece of jewelry from the manufacturer is created Ole Lynggaard ? In this article you will learn which steps are necessary from the first sketch to the detailed hand-finished work that makes the Danish manufacturer's pieces so special. Have fun while reading!
The idea is born, a sketch is made
Ole Lynggaard discusses the hand-made pencil sketches of new pieces of jewelry with his master goldsmith. He checked with him the feasibility and effect of the design, checked the setting of the gemstones, changed the drawing, adjusted it again and repeated the process until everything was right for him. Ole Lynggaard takes a lot of time for his designs and only presents them when they feel right to him, not when the market considers it to be the ideal time. Transforming a creative thought into a difficult work of art is a time-consuming process, so some ideas and designs initially remain a dream, end up in a drawer and wait until the time is ripe for implementation. Gold and silver are traditionally cast in the Danish jewelry factory. To do this, the precious metal is heated and brought into the desired shape in a liquid state. Before these steps in the production of jewelry can take place, numerous time-consuming preliminary work is required.
Making a sketch
A wax model is created from the sketch
Ole Lynggaard designed a piece of jewelry Snakes collection a primordial serpent made of wax. In order to be able to reproduce this snake, the goldsmiths first make a negative mold out of natural rubber. To do this, they embed the wax figure in a block with rubber plates and vulcanize the rubber under pressure and heat. The resulting rubber mold serves as the basis for making further wax snakes.
In the next step, the goldsmiths inject wax under pressure into the hollow mold using a sprue, thereby creating a copy of the primordial snake. This process can be repeated as desired. After a short drying time, the wax model can be removed and placed on a wax tree.
In order not to have to cast each mold individually, the goldsmiths use the wax tree. This is a wax rod to which the craftsmen attach the individual wax models in order to cast them in a single step.
The goldsmiths then place the finished wax tree in a cylindrical steel cuvette and add a liquid, heat-resistant, gypsum-based investment material. The Danish artisans use vacuum and vibration to vent the flask to prevent air bubbles from forming in the mold. The cuvette then goes into the oven and is baked overnight at around 730 °C. The wax melts and the goldsmiths receive a negative mold again.
Processing wax model of jewelry
From wax model to casting
The next step is the actual casting of the precious metal. To do this, the experts weigh the gold granules and melt the metal in a special container in the oven. Gold melts at around 1063 °C, silver at 961 °C. The hot cuvette is cooled to around 600 °C in a water bath and the liquid gold alloy is poured in. This process requires a lot of knowledge and experience from the goldsmith. After cooling, the artisans remove the snake tree from the cuvette, clean it of the investment material and separate the individual snakes from it. The first step in the jewelry production process has been completed; fantastic rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets are created from the inconspicuous gold balls.
Snake tree with various pieces of jewelry
The art of surface treatment
After the complex casting process, the goldsmiths begin the loving further processing. They put the magnifying glass in their eyes, bend, saw, grind, solder, polish and shape the gold with a lot of dedication and sensitivity. Depending on the collection, the precious pieces consist of tiny pieces that the craftsmen meticulously put together with a steady hand.
The surface treatment of gold is a special art. Depending on the piece of jewelry, it is satin-finished, brushed, hammered or polished. At the Snake's collection The goldsmiths scratch very fine grooves into the surface under a magnifying glass. Satin finishing creates a matt, elegant contrast to the vibrant diamonds and gemstones. The filigree depressions give the snakes an impressive grain and make their skin appear three-dimensional.
Surface finishing is an extremely delicate process that requires a precise eye. Depending on the collection, the pieces of jewelry have matt or shiny surfaces, so the Nature collection is available in both versions. Felt discs, brushes and abrasive pastes ensure a shiny, polished surface, while a matt and brushed finish is achieved by using rough wire brushes. The goldsmiths use careful hammer blows to create an irregular surface. The settings in the Dew Drops collection feature a finely hammered structure from which the gemstones hang like drops of dew.
The surface is engraved by hand
The insertion of gemstones & diamonds
Gemmology - gemstone science - is a science in itself; as a branch of mineralogy, it deals exclusively with gemstones. As trained goldsmiths, the two designers Ole and Charlotte Lynggaard know gemstones from soft amber to rock-hard tourmaline. Both are constantly looking for very special, natural stones in irresistible tones.
Ole Lynggaard's buyers select the valuable gemstones by hand. They check every single gemstone for perfection; only flawless pieces that meet the dimensions and quality requirements find their way into the factory.
Charlotte Lynggaard's Lotus collection contains cabochon-cut gemstones. This smooth cut gives the gemstones their own lively expression, from opaque to translucent to glamorously glittering. Ole Lynggaard also chose the round cut with a flat bottom for the gemstones in his snake collection.
Before setting the gemstones, Ole Lynggaard puts on his reading glasses in the factory and checks each individual cast and processed snake very carefully. He uses the pliers to carefully bend the bangle or snake ring and checks whether the gemstone fits into the shape. Full of dedication and deeply concentrated, he readjusts the gold snake and checks the result again.
Earrings Snakes by Ole Lynggaard
Setting diamonds is the supreme discipline of jewelry making. The jewel setters of Ole Lynggaard They know their craft and skillfully set the valuable stones by hand with infinite patience. It depends on the exact placement of the individual diamonds. The goldsmiths check this work not only with a magnifying glass, but also under a microscope. Every single stone must fit perfectly in the piece of jewelry. Charlotte Lynggaard prefers many small diamonds to give her pieces of jewelry special highlights. Her Shooting Stars collection with circus stars, the charms from the Sweet Drops series and the Lotus collection reflect her love for gems.
Sometimes classic prongs hold the diamonds, sometimes a more modern bezel setting frames the stones. The goldsmiths bear a considerable responsibility, as the small stones cost a fortune. To breathe life into the magnificent creatures of the Snake collection Ole Lynggaard His snake heads put sparkling diamonds as eyes.
A colored stone is set
Quality control & hallmarking
Every piece of jewelry is subject to quality control. In a final step, the master goldsmiths check their work. No ring, necklace, bracelet or earrings leaves the Copenhagen factory without being flawless. Finally, the artisans hallmark each piece by hand. The hallmark is a stamp for embossing gold, silver and platinum; it reflects the fineness of the precious metal used.
Copyright photos & screenshots: Ole Lynggaard
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