Nivrel's Dragon Repeater

Courtesy of Nivrel

So this past weekend was spent running around like crazy, trying to get Christmas and holiday presents organized for friends and family - to be followed by the multitude of holiday cards to be sent - and we haven't even started baking yet.  Those of you who find yourselves in Santa Barbara any Saturday this month, stop by 33 Jewels at old Paseo and have some gingerbread and hang out and talk about Hanhart, Arcadia and Meridian.  I will be there from 2 - 5 through Christmas.

But with this mad rush to get the "next thing done", and move forward to the next holiday, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on something cool from this past year.  With the Chinese New Year coming in the not - too distant future, I wanted to reflect back on something cool that was offered this past year - Nivrel's Dragon Repeater.

Here are some details straight from Nivrel -

Courtesy of Nivrel

Gemstone Engraving: A hand-engraved rock crystal (dragon motif)

The basic idea of our Pièce Unique watches is the creation of a piece of jewelry with the various possibilities offered by the craftsmenship of a watchmaker and a goldsmith. Each year, NIVREL presents a new motive for the Pièce Unique collection. For 2011/2012 the series is supplemented by a dragon that is engraved into a rock crystal.

A rock crystal is a colorless gemstone from the quartz group. In jewelry manufacturing it has been used for centuries and was once considered a miracle of nature due to its properties: smooth-faced, extremely hard and transparent. In ancient times, people assumed that it was frozen ice, which gave the crystal its name.

The rock crystal which we use for the dragon watch is a pure, completely transparent rock crystal without inclusions. In order to use it, it also has to be completely free of tension. It is cut into a 2 mm thick, polished, and circular plate. A hole of approximately 2 mm is drilled into the center.

First, the motive is selected and roughly sketched. The position of the center hole must be taken into account.

Courtesy of Nivrel

Then the motive will be mirrored and sketched on the rock crystal with a pencil. This is followed by an incision of the sketch into the crystal. This step is necessary, because the engraver will later work with oil, so the pencil sketch would be smeared and become unusable. Thereafter, the real engraving work begins. The motive is engraved in a so-called intaglio style into the rock crystal by using a hand-rolled steel wheel.

Courtesy of Nivrel

When the engraving work is completed the motive is painted in different layers with oil colors. The color that is visible on the top has to be applied first. In the dragon example it is the black color that has to be applied first. A normal brush would be too coarse for the application of the oil color. Therefore, the engraver uses a spur needle that is fixed in a special holding device.

Courtesy of Nivrel

Courtesy of Nivrel

After each coat of paint, the color has to dry for several hours up to several days. Only then, the next layer of paint can be applied until the motive is finished.

Courtesy of Nivrel

Finally, the engraving is sealed with hard wax so that the color won’t come off. By using UV light, the stone is glued to a mother-of-pearl dial. Once the piece of jewelry is completed, it is ready to be built into a watch by the NIVREL watchmakers.

Courtesy of Nivrel

Courtesy of Nivrel

So enjoy the rest of the Year of the Dragon - Nivrel has you covered!

www.nivrel.com