Strengths and unique selling points? Palloys is the jewellery manufacturing division of Pallion. We offer a complete in-house service that consists of experienced drawers, an unmatched printing capacity and a complete finishing service including polishing, stone setting, plating and engraving. An in-house service gives our clients the certainty of consistency, quality and ultimate discretion. Our Responsible Jewellery Council membership also means that our clients receive the benefit of guaranteed sourcing responsibility – something that is increasingly being demanded by the consumer. The My Dream Ring collection of mounts features a huge range of engagement rings and matching wedders, cocktail rings, earrings and pendants that will satisfy most general requirements. The collection can also be customised to suit specific client requirements. What is the typical turnaround time? General CAD/CAM orders are completed within 2–5 days of order. A fully finished piece from the My Dream Ring catalogue (including stones) will be dispatched within 10–14 days of order. Full custom designs, including finishing and setting, will also be dispatched within that time. Quotes are provided instantly on the Palloys website. What can affect this timing and how can customers help? The biggest variable is timely client approval of CAD drawings and all necessary design details being specified. The more details, direction and feedback we receive the faster we can deliver a job. Of course, the benefit of using the My Dream Ring catalogue is that the drawings are already complete – all that needs to be done is an adjustment for stone and finger size, which is a complimentary service. What formats does your software accept? Palloys accepts CAD orders in all major formats including 3DM, STL, JCD and SLC. Custom orders come in a range of formats from a hand-drawn design, photographs or replicas of actual existing pieces. What assistance is there for designers to take their ideas from concept to creation? Having the largest jewellery trained design team in Australia allows us to work with our clients on a more personal level, tailoring our CAD/CAM service to suit individual needs. Managed by qualified jewellers, our team understands how to translate designs into production pieces. The Palloys bespoke design service provides all levels of assistance to jewellers, retailers and designers – from mood boards, range planning, complete CADs or tweaking of customer-supplied files. Our clients can also access their CAD files and mould libraries from our website. Will you accept and work with client supplied resin/wax models? Yes, we certainly do. With the advent of new printers can you work with a client to establish the correct casting procedures for their particular model? Palloys will always liaise with its clients regarding the casting of any client design or supplied files. We look at the best way to print in wax, resin or ceramic to ensure that our clients receive the highest quality castings. Is the customer’s model secure, or can it be resold to, or be reused by, other clients? Palloys acts for many of Australia’s top jewellery houses and our 60-year history is testament to the trust Australian jewellers have in Palloys. Our proprietary software guarantees no client model can be resold or reused by third parties. Every mould is categorised by client to ensure no one can view, see, borrow or use your designs. Do you have a return policy for porous or incomplete products? Palloys offers a 100 per cent satisfaction guarantee on all of its products. If you are ever unhappy with our service, have been offered lower rates or require assistance, we will act promptly to rectify the issue. We always welcome feedback as it helps us improve our services and benefit our customers. We are always here to help. Do you have print-only services so clients can cast themselves? Palloys offers a complete end-to-end service. Do you offer in-house completion of a product for non-bench jeweller CAD designers? We are one of the few casting houses in Australia to be able to return a fully finished piece of jewellery to our customers, completely in-house. We even offer a laser soldering service, plating and setting to customers. In what ways has CAD/CAM changed the wider jewellery industry in the past two years? CAD/CAM has put a renewed focus on customisation in jewellery design. The old ‘one size fits all’ mantra in jewellery is well and truly a thing of the past. Coupled with this, are the time benefits that come with CAD/CAM. It evidences a marriage of age-old jewellery production techniques and cutting edge technology. In this regard, it’s interesting to note that our group sales of AGS|PJW fabricated products and Regentco findings have also increased in line with CAD/CAM. In lots of ways, this makes sense as although CAD/CAM technology provides a building block for jewellery production, it also necessitates the supply of things like solders, stock gauge, wire, chenier, plating solutions and findings to finish the job. How is CAD/CAM likely to further evolve in your business? CAD/CAM is a fact of life in the jewellery industry. How it will evolve will be wholly dependent on our clients – we will continue to invest in the latest technologies for their benefit. It’s all part of the Pallion ethos that from mine to market, we aim to be our clients’ partner in precious metals. |