You will be made aware of the developments in areas such as finishing, coating, ceramics and wastewater control. Innovations in each of these four areas and their benefits to the jewelry industry will be discussed during the presentation. Ongoing research in the areas of automation, such as the use of robots for finishing of jewelry, will be discussed with emphasis on advantages and quality improvements of the product. Included will be a brief overview on color gold coatings using magnetron sputtering equipment to apply gold and aluminum under different operating parameters to get a rainbow of colors. The use of a new, non-wetting ceramic for crucibles will be explored with a brief overview on the advantages and disadvantages. And finally, the use of a new organic chemical, Trimercaptotriazine, will be compared to carbamates, sulfites and hydroxides for metal control and recovery from wastewater.

Author: Ajit Menon