Silver Linings

Each luxuriant collectible is handcrafted in Los Angeles by a team of expert jewelers lead by Guillame Pajolec, founder of Spectrum Manufacturing and a veteran of the fashion industry who earned his reputation for superior manufacturing while working with the likes of Gerbot, Chrome Hearts, and Henry Duarte. Bringing over 20 years of experience in gemology and the jewelry arts, Pajolec is perfectly suited to bring the JMM vision to life.

The process requires an incredible breadth of knowledge—from materials to production techniques to finishes—and an unerring meticulousness. Once designs are formalized, the appropriate precious metals are procured, in this case ethically sourced sterling silver and recycled gold that is certified conflict-free (Dodd Frank Act-compliant), and contains no added lead or cadmium.

For most jewelry, Pajolic’s team will then 3-D print the design in wax, cast it in metal to create a master, and use that to make production molds. “But, in the case of JMM,” says Pajolec, “we do it a little bit differently.”

For one, the intricacy of JMM jewelry doesn’t allow for the making of a production mold; each piece must be cast directly from a wax 3-D print. “When you make molds you tend to lose some of those fine details,” explains Pajolic. “So the JMM jewelry requires a little more attention, and requires my best guys to work on that product, because the brand’s expecting that really, really terrific quality. There's no room for any mistakes.”

Of utmost importance to Pajolic iscasting quality: how the pieces are melted and transformed into a piece of wearable art. “If the casting is not done properly,” says Pajolic, “you'll be dealing with a lot of porosity and other tiny flaws. That’s why I'm actually the one that does the casting, I’ve got it down to the way I want it to look.”

With Pajolic pouring, once the pieces are cast the refinement of their shape and tone begins: grinding it to its appropriate size and setting; sanding the piece to smoothen and clarify its curves and lines; then polishing, antiquing, and polishing the piece again, adding highlights to crevices and hairline accents before finalizing with the appropriate matte or satin finishes. The gemstones are placed last—real, undyed turquoise sourced from Kingman, the last full-time production mine in the United States, as well as responsibly sourced diamonds and bloodstone.

Applying ample amounts of attention to each individual piece, the artisanship and artistry becomes self-evident. “We treat each piece like the exceptionally fine jewelry that it is,” says Pajolic. “Wehave toin order to reflect the level of taste and quality that JMM is known for.”