Studio Upgrade: Meet Our New Laser Welder!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s finally here… the moment you’ve been waiting for… the brand new LaserStar Welder has arrived!!

Okay, so maybe this isn’t the moment you’ve been waiting for, but it’s certainly the moment I’ve been waiting for for 10 years! In fact, this event has been several years in the making and has involved a lot of saving, planning, and investment on my part. I’m always striving to improve my processes and my artistry, and with this new tool, I’m once again bringing Kristen Baird® Jewelry to the next level. 

But what is all the fuss about? When it comes down to it, my new laser welder is bringing three major advantages: precision, efficiency, and artistic options.

Precision 

My studio assistant, Abby, sums up the advantages of the laser welder best. “It makes it possible to do really tiny and precise things more easily.”

Traditional soldering involved melting metal with a torch. Laser welding, in contrast, uses the latest technology to “harvest hot light,” allowing me to join itty-bitty pieces together cleanly and instantly, without the risk of melting. Now, some of the tiniest jewelry elements, such as jump rings, can now be made even smaller and more elegant.

Efficiency

Kristen Baird®  Jewelry has always been committed to sustainability, which means eliminating waste. While I pride myself on my traditional metalsmithing skills, no one is perfect, and the smaller and more detailed a project, the more opportunity for mistakes. Especially when working with chains, it’s easy to end up with a melted mess. The efficiency of the laser welder eliminates that problem. Fewer mistakes in the studio mean less metal going to waste, saving time and materials. It also means that I’m able to build more jewelry faster and make more gorgeous pieces available to you!

Artistic Options

While it is true that some jewelers who begin working on a laser welder never learn how to properly solder with heat, that will never happen in my studio. Abby and I are still using our traditional techniques every day, but we’re maximizing them with new technology. 

Far from eliminating the traditional metalsmithing techniques I use in my studio, the laser welder allows us to do a better job with our traditional processes. Essentially, the laser welder simplifies the setup of a jewelry build. Rather than awkwardly holding pieces together under a torch, we can simply tack them together with hot light. Then, we come in with the traditional soldering process, adding that signature ripple look and all the artistic elements that Kristen Baird® is known for. This gives me more time to focus on the artistry of jewelry-making, rather than the foundations of the build. It also allows for complex micro connection points throughout a piece, so my mind is already running wild with ideas for new designs!