Second Generation Long Island Jewelers
Adopt Cutting Edge Technology...
Not Their Father’s One Room Shop
Two well establish Long Island jewelry makers have teamed up to bridge a complex gap in the jewelry industry by employing 3D technology and sophisticated CAD (Computer Aided Design) software. While 3D technology is not necessarily new, it requires serious computer competency and fluency with software that allows jewelers to create complex designs using a singular piece. The challenge is learning the software.. something that could take years. Most jewelers have historically designed and crafted by hand but with the growing use of 3D printers to create jewelry and their lack of software experience, most require third parties to assist in the design stage using CAD software required for the 3D printer. This outsourcing is both costly and time consuming for both the jeweler as well as the customer. Brothers Mauricio and John Martinez have invested considerable time and capital to purchase both a state of the art 3D printer and highly specialized CAD software to allow them to perform everything in-house and while they concede the up-front cost was significant, they see a substantial long-term upside as 3D technology becomes more mainstream.
“We’ve been sending drawings and designs to shops in Korea, India and Indonesia and it could easily be a month before we finally sign off on a piece to be manufactured. Time differences, language barriers and just general frustration when a computer geek that doesn’t know jewelry and jewelry designer who knows nothing about software try to communicate fueled our decision to try this ourselves.” Says Mauricio, owner of Snug Harbor Jewelry in Amityville. “We knew there was a better way, we just needed to solve the CAD issue and make the investment.” John Martinez, also a well-established jeweler, has spent time training on CAD software, he’s already designing and creating pieces for customers. “It’s the speed and precision that just can’t be replicated by hand, it’s a game changer.” Says John, adding “the best part for me is the how much more creative we can get, we can basically create anything a customer can dream up and they can see it in 3D, before signing off on the work and creating the product takes less than half the time it would by hand. Customers no longer pay extra for complexity or uniqueness and each design we create becomes a file for future use, like a library of jewelry that other customers can look through for ideas.”
For Mauricio the biggest benefit is time. “I’ve built an excellent customer base over the years, but one thing that has always plagued me is turnaround time. I was spending days on pieces we can fabricate in hours with the (3D) printer and I spend less time with inventory because I don’t need as much. I wish we’d done this 5 years ago!” John also notes they’ve tapped into a new market with their capabilities, “we’re not just serving jewelry customers but other jewelry shops that need to offer their customers access to 3D technology but don’t have the money for a 3D printer nor the software expertise to use it effectively. Outsourcing their 3D needs locally will substantially improve quality and decrease wait time for the customer.”
The Martinez brothers are no strangers to jewelry, they’ve both been in the business since childhood. Their father worked for both Cartier, ROLEX and Jay Jewelers and eventually started his own side business where Mauricio and John learned firsthand the craft of jewelry making by applying the finishing touches to their dad’s work until he trusted them enough to craft themselves. While both brothers have built well established businesses they see this transition as a natural step not only in their business but the industry itself. “We’ve both got strong reputations with a combined 75 years of experience in the business and now we’ve got a shot to become leaders, we’re both excited about the future.”
For more information about the Martinez brothers and 3-D technology, visit...
Mauricio Martinez & John Martinez
email: mjmcadd@gmail.com or info@mjmcadd.com