I KNOW that this will be a controversial ask simply because there is no hard and one size fits all rule…Looking at the current rollercoaster that is the metal prices daily…is there a way to guess-timate the amount of metal needed (casting grains) for pieces of jewelry aka amt needed for earrings, ring, bracelet, necklace etc…? I only ask because I want to lock in gold $$$ before they get any crazier and need enough lead time to create/cast the pieces and them set stones all before end of the yr…(going by SOOO FAST!)I understand without a wax or reference model it’s hard, but is there a way to at least say for a pair of earrings I need ______ amount…? Thanks!
I will first admit that I don’t do a lot of casting. But I would never do an estimate with out first developing a model to work from. When I have estimated in the past I have used a model to displace water in a graduated beaker. With the displacement method the model could be just about anything as long as it doesn’t float. I would use sometime very similar to the planned project. A different but similar pair of earrings or a ring. If you are buying casting grain stock to get ahead of the price increases I suspect those volumes are known amounts. (i.e.:What are the dimensions of a cubic Ounce of 14k yellow?) Then I’d add 15-20% for sprues and finishing.
But as I said, I don’t do a lot of casting.
Don
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Estimating without some sort of physical piece is not such a great idea, gold price gyrations aside. You’ll end up with too little or too much. If you’re under, you’ll have to order another min. amount, spending more money.
If you feel you must lock in now, before you have models, you could estimate by finding or borrowing some pieces that are about the size you intend on making. Weigh these and, if not gold, do a conversion to your desired metal. You can easily find weight/metal conversions tables on jewelry help sites. You will also need to add weight for button and sprues.
Note, all this effort is, at best, going to yield a really rough estimate and gold prices up real fast. A pennyweight is physically a small chip and that chip will be pricey. Off a couple of these pennyweights and dollars fly.
The cost exposure to a rough estimate, paying and holding metal for 4+ months; I’m just not seeing the justification. That is unless price is no issue, then have at it.
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To me there are two different questions here. They are how much to buy and when to buy. How much is a fairly straight forward application of physics. When is another story. Precious metal prices are so volatile right now that it is hard to know what or when to buy. I am still not sure if we get charged what was quoted when we placed the order or the price when the order is shipped. This probably depends on the refiner. I haven’t bought precious metal since late 2024. I need to buy a small amount of wire, but will wait until things settle down, should that ever happen…Rob