Revealing
the secrets
of crafting fine jewellery
 Remember Howard Carter's expression when he first opened
the unpillaged tomb of the boy pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings
in Upper Egypt? Breathing hard with excitement, his employer Lord Carnarvon
impatiently asked if Carter could see anything. Turning his head Carter answered:
"Yes, I can see wonderful things."
Fancy experiencing what it must have been like to
be surrounded by sublime pieces of jewellery and gems? Or simply taking a
look behind the curtains at one of the most renowned jewellers in the world
and see how fine jewellery is made?
Well, wait no longer as one of the most established
jewellery factories in the world organises a regular guided tour that takes
you through the various stages of jewellery making right on the factory grounds.
Watch with bated breath as talented craftsmen transform platinum, gold and
precious stones into award winning wearable works of art.
What is fine
jewellery?
Did you know that when one talks about fine jewellery,
it isn't so much the price, quality or rarity of the materials that matters?
Rather, it is the expertise and care that has gone into the design that
determines the true value of the item. Non-tarnishing metals like platinum,
gold and occasionally silver are used individually or together in crafting
jewellery. Popular precious and semi-precious gems include diamonds, sapphires,
rubies, emeralds, topaz, spinel, tourmaline, aquamarine, amethyst, garnet
opal and pearl.
 OE history
The Oeding-Erdel or OE factory is one of the world's
oldest establishments manufacturing and exporting fine jewellery. What started
as a family run business in 1906 in Muenster, Germany has now grown into
an international company exporting jewelry to 39 countries worldwide like
the USA, Middle East, Europe and Australasia. Their list of clients include
stores like Neiman Marcus in New York and Mitsukoshi in Japan.
 In 1974, OE set up a factory in the Bayan Lepas FTZ. After
that, five showrooms in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Penang opened their
doors to connoisseurs of fine jewellery. They are opening their factory door
from Mondays to Fridays to take you on a guided, educational and entertaining
tour of the factory.
Since 1979, OE has been winning important and
prestigious awards. The skill of the craftsmen in the Bayan Lepas factory
have helped to placed Penang among some of the best ranking jewellers in
the world.
 The tour
The complimentary guided tour will take the visitor
through the manufacturing process, which comprises eight steps beginning
with the moment the designs are submitted to the in-house designers.
The visitor will then be shown how the designs are
transformed into actual models (model making) using a hard substance called
alpaca (a mixture of lead, zinc and brass) and placed in rubber molds. These
molds are then heated in a vulcaniser and the impression left on the molds
are used to make the jewellery pieces.
Next, liquid wax is injected into the mold cavity
and when it hardens, a casting model of, for example a ring, is formed. These
models are then glued onto a wax stem to form a wax tree. This tree is then
placed into an empty flask and filled with investment powder (a powder similar
to plaster of paris) and baked overnight at 660 degrees Celsius.
When the wax melts and drains out of the flask,
it will leave a hollow tree inside. Into this hollow is poured molten gold
or platinum. After the metal sets, the plaster cast is removed to reveal
a gold or platinum ring tree.
 The individual rings are then cut off and sent to the
jewellery department where they are filled. This is followed by stone setting,
polishing and quality control before they are shipped to customers. The whole
process takes about three to eight weeks.
The factory tour ends with a visit to the showroom
where visitors will see and can purchase the latest creations from OE.
Also on display are famous pieces inspired by Feng
Shui expert Lillian Too – surely a collection that will appeal to those
seeking good luck.
 OE Factory,
Penang
Bayan Lepas FIZ 3, Penang
Tel: 604-647 1288
Website: www.oejewellery.com
Factory tour is availavle from Monday to Friday,
9:L00am to 5:00pm. Admission is free.
Written by
Raja Abdul Razak |
