Palladium Like Gold
Massimo Poliero, Ceo of Legor Group S.p.A and Vice President of Afemo, traces the profile of a recovering market due mainly to technological research and product personalization
An assessment of the industry’s progress as the Vice President of Afemo, the Italian Association of Jewelry Machinery Manufacturers and Exporters? 2018 was a good year for Made in Italy. The numbers rose and the global market registered an increase in foreign sales, especially in some European countries, such as France, Spain and Germany, as well as in the United States and South America with Mexico and Brazil topping the charts. However, the international scene is dominated by the two ‘new’ macro realities in the East, India and China, which alone cover 60% of global consumption and with which our associates have been trading for many years. And it is no coincidence that Legor has branches in both these countries. The North African area, on the other hand, has been at a standstill for some time, and, with the exception of Egypt where, thanks to greater stability, growth is on the upturn, is practically in a critical situation. The Middle East, however, is a another story: the trend that is increasingly setting in, is for buying finished jewelry, so local production has come to a halt and the demand for machinery with it. But it does mean that there is more room for those who design, process and produce jewelry, perhaps here in Italy.
Does your sector include the concept of ‘tailor-made’? Our customers’ requests for more personalized designs are growing. They often come to us with an idea but they need someone to develop it and to make it tangible. This is the very nature of the fashion world because it lives on colors and particular finishings and we are now organized to respond to every type of need. In short, what comes from the style office then goes to the research and development department. For example, a ‘softer’ gold might even be required on 18k gold, or a black finishing with a precious metal core may be aimed at, a request that we are able to meet with a specific product called Darkor, our new 12-carat, gold/palladium alloy, the only black deposit with a 100% nickel-free thickness with no heavy metal that is highly resistant to abrasions and corrosion* and which keeps its shine and color.
What are your company’s top products? Besides the new Darkor, another of our essential products is Silnova, a 925 silver alloy with a characteristic white color, blended with a noble ingredient: palladium. It is as resistant as 9ct white gold and does not become opaque nor oxidize. Moreover, it has a ‘green’ spirit in that galvanizing is avoided and no potassium cyanide is used. It took two years to create and involved over 200 experiments and more than 100 kg of silver. NF511, our 18 ct palladium-based, nickel-free alloy is another top product. It can be worked at low temperatures thus guaranteeing excellent mechanical characteristics. Just to give an idea, the cost of this alloy is 20/30 times more than the classic ones and is around €33 per gram, almost on a par with gold.
A foretaste of future projects? As Legor, by early February we will be launching a new e-commerce, a platform for consumables with guaranteed next- day delivery. An important step for us since, up to now, we have always and only used traditional channels, such as agents and direct sales. Then we will certainly be focusing on 3D printing where we are already operating through powder atomization. The market is therefore already familiar with us but I want to take this technique to another level: until now, it has only been used to produce limited series, while, in the future, we could have machines for printing hundreds of pieces, in series. A hot topic that we will also be dealing with at JTF, the Jewelry Technology Forum, Europe’s only symposium on the jewelry world, and an event that, in the role of scientific committee, we have been organizing in collaboration with VICENZAORO for 15 years.
Does your sector include the concept of ‘tailor-made’? Our customers’ requests for more personalized designs are growing. They often come to us with an idea but they need someone to develop it and to make it tangible. This is the very nature of the fashion world because it lives on colors and particular finishings and we are now organized to respond to every type of need. In short, what comes from the style office then goes to the research and development department. For example, a ‘softer’ gold might even be required on 18k gold, or a black finishing with a precious metal core may be aimed at, a request that we are able to meet with a specific product called Darkor, our new 12-carat, gold/palladium alloy, the only black deposit with a 100% nickel-free thickness with no heavy metal that is highly resistant to abrasions and corrosion* and which keeps its shine and color.
What are your company’s top products? Besides the new Darkor, another of our essential products is Silnova, a 925 silver alloy with a characteristic white color, blended with a noble ingredient: palladium. It is as resistant as 9ct white gold and does not become opaque nor oxidize. Moreover, it has a ‘green’ spirit in that galvanizing is avoided and no potassium cyanide is used. It took two years to create and involved over 200 experiments and more than 100 kg of silver. NF511, our 18 ct palladium-based, nickel-free alloy is another top product. It can be worked at low temperatures thus guaranteeing excellent mechanical characteristics. Just to give an idea, the cost of this alloy is 20/30 times more than the classic ones and is around €33 per gram, almost on a par with gold.
A foretaste of future projects? As Legor, by early February we will be launching a new e-commerce, a platform for consumables with guaranteed next- day delivery. An important step for us since, up to now, we have always and only used traditional channels, such as agents and direct sales. Then we will certainly be focusing on 3D printing where we are already operating through powder atomization. The market is therefore already familiar with us but I want to take this technique to another level: until now, it has only been used to produce limited series, while, in the future, we could have machines for printing hundreds of pieces, in series. A hot topic that we will also be dealing with at JTF, the Jewelry Technology Forum, Europe’s only symposium on the jewelry world, and an event that, in the role of scientific committee, we have been organizing in collaboration with VICENZAORO for 15 years.
