Jewellery cutting machines: which solution to create your jewels?
From precious metals to complex designs, discover which cutting technology best fits your jewellery-making needs.
The right jewellery cutting machine depends first on the materials you work with. Precious metals, acrylic, wood, leather, and other materials each require a specific approach to precision, finish, thickness, and production constraints.
From jewellery design with 3DESIGN to final production with Gravotech mechanical and laser cutting machines, benefit from a complete solution tailored to your jewellery applications.
| Looking for solutions to personalise finished jewellery pieces? Please visit our dedicated page. |
What are the best jewellery cutting machines for your creation?
The M20 X and M20 X Jewel are ideal jewellery cutting machines for designers working with precious and non-precious metals. Equipped with a cutting table, it can cut metal sheets up to 2 mm thick, creating intricate shapes, lettering, and decorative patterns. This solution allows cutting small batches of letters or creations. Also, design components can be cut flat and then bent or shaped to create finished pieces such as rings or bracelets.
The M20 X Jewel also supports dedicated accessories such as the Outside Ring Kit for cutting into ring bands.
The LightSpeed 300 and LS900 laser tables allow jewellery makers to quickly produce complex shapes and designs from organic materials and acrylic in large batches.
Its large marking area enables multiple parts to be cut simultaneously, making them particularly suitable for large production runs and growing businesses in fashion jewellery. These jewellery laser cutting machines are ideal for diversifying your offer with jewellery or gift personalisation.
The WeLase™ and LW2 laser stations offer both engraving fine designs, embossing capabilities, and cutting depending on the laser source. Available with Fiber and Green laser sources, it allows jewellery creators to add texture, depth, and decorative effects to their designs made out of metals, wood, acrylic, or leather. The Fiber laser source also enables precise cutting of metal sheets up to 1 mm thick using the wobbling technique, a spiral cutting mode modulating the laser beam's focus to cut efficiently.
Let your imagination run free with Gravotech materials designed for laser cutting and creative jewellery making. From bold acrylic colours to natural wood finishes, our materials help you create unique earrings, pendants, and decorative jewellery pieces with a professional finish.
- Acrylic sheets are available in multiple versions, finishes, and colours, including pink, orange, green, and blue. Choose from mirror acrylic, clear acrylic, fluorescent acrylic, frosted acrylic, or opaque acrylic to design colourful, modern, and eye-catching jewellery collections.
- Laser Wood is available in four wood species: birch, beech, oak, and walnut. These natural materials are ideal for creating lightweight earrings, pendants, and handmade-style jewellery with an authentic finish.
3DESIGN is a professional CAD software that connects bench tools with digital design through an intuitive, artisan-focused interface.
With 70+ jewellery tools, real-time 3D rendering, technical display modes, and high-performance 3D, it helps you create precise, production-ready designs while preserving craftsmanship.
Which type of machine for creating jewellery?
Technology | Machines | Materials | Advantages | Results | Equipment price |
| Mechanical engraver with cutting tools |
| Metals (gold, silver, brass) |
|
| $ |
| Laser stations |
| Depend on laser source:
|
|
| $$$ |
| Laser table with a CO2 source |
| Leather, wood, or acrylic |
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| $$ |
What are the differences between rotary and jewellery laser cutting machines?
Jewellery mechanical cutting
Compared with laser cutting, mechanical cutting creates a slight bevel at the edge of the material. This technology is best for metals such as gold, silver, and brass, up to 2 mm thick.
The advantages of mechanical cutting are its fast production process and its embossing capabilities. Moreover, it is possible to cut and engrave on the same machine.
Jewellery laser cutting
Compared with mechanical cutting and depending on the laser source, metals, acrylics or organic materials (leather or wood) can be cut.
Advantages of a fiber and green laser source on a WeLase™ or LW2:
Using a laser for cutting and engraving means no tool wear, fine detail reproduction (especially with a Green source), and being able to do embossing designs. Also, fiber laser source can cut metal up to 1 mm thick with the wobbling method.
Advantages of a CO2 laser source on a LightSpeed or LS900:
A CO2 laser source allows cutting on different materials, such as acrylic, wood, and leather up to 3 mm. Their large marking area can support simultaneous production of multiple pieces, making it the best solution for creating fashion jewellery collections.
Tips & Tricks
Metal cutting
Cutting with a mechanical machine
- Use Engraving Gel to cool both the tool and the material, and improve cutting quality and tool lifespan.
- Use the cutting table to ensure cleaner cuts and easier waste removal.
Laser cutting with a laser station
- Use a pin table to limit heat transfer, reduce material deformation during cutting, and preserve surface appearance and material colour.
- Use the wobbling cutting technique to reduce cutting time. For example, for brass cutting, this technique can reduce the process by 5 times.
- Use an extraction pipe near the cutting area to enhance suction power and reduce dust and smoke.
Wood cutting
Cutting wood is only possible with a laser table, therefore we recommend:
- Applying masking paper before laser cutting to minimise smoke marks and improve surface finish.
- Use a laser nozzle during cutting to protect the lens from fumes and dust.
- Using a honeycomb cutting table, pin, or blade table to support the wood and achieve more consistent results.
Acrylic cutting
Cutting acrylics is only possible with a laser table, here are a few tips:
- After cutting, use masking paper to facilitate handling the cut parts.
- Do not remove the protective plastic film before cutting to avoid traces of smoke and facilitate cleaning.
- Use a laser nozzle on your CO2 laser cutter during cutting to protect the lens from fumes and dust.
- Choose a laser table for cutting to minimise beam returns on the back of the material to be cut.
How is Bijouterie Fournier meeting the demand for increasingly complex jewellery designs?
Discover the use case
Bijouterie Fournier is a family business that has been perpetuating its know-how for over five generations.
Specialising in the jewellery manufacturing, it has adapted to current trends by offering ever more complex and unique creations. Bijouterie Fournier has invested in a WeLase™, a jewellery laser cutting machine. It allows them to save time on designs while providing optimal precision and quality.
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"Even though our jeweller is extremely talented, we needed a way to support the growing needs of custom manufacturing. That's why we turned to Gravotech: we needed a machine for engraving and cutting."
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Why use 3DESIGN for jewellery creation?
A professional CAD software designed to accelerate jewellery design
3DESIGN's latest version, V13, is the most advanced and efficient release yet, helping jewellers design faster and more accurately. Enhanced rendering engines create hyper-realistic jewellery visualisations that support faster client approvals, while upgraded modular curve tools provide greater precision and flexibility for creating complex, refined designs.
| FAQ: The 5 questions most frequently asked of our experts |
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🔽What's the best jewellery cutting machine?
It depends on your materials, allocated space, production volume, and expected result. For metal cutting with a more traditional finish, prefer the M20 X or the M20 X Jewel that can cut into ring bands. For intricate metal cutting with clean edges, we recommend the WeLase™, or LW2 if you have more space. For cutting acrylics, leather, or wood to make fashion jewellery in batches, the laser table LightSpeed 300 is ideal.
🔽What is the maximum metal thickness that can be cut?
Mechanical jewellery cutting machines such as the M20 X can cut metals up to 2 mm thick. On the other hand, jewellery laser cutting machines such as WeLase™ and LW2 can cut metals up to 1 mm thick.
🔽What cuts into metal easily and fast for creating jewellery?
The M20 X and M20 X Jewel are the jewellery cutting machines for the easiest and fastest way to cut into metal, by using the right tool and power.
🔽Can you cut intricate patterns and lettering for jewellery?
Yes. Both mechanical and laser jewellery cutting machines can produce highly detailed designs, decorative patterns, and personalised lettering. For cutting names or messages, on Gravostyle™ software, you can choose a serif font and manually bring each letter closer so they can touch.
🔽How do mechanical and laser cutting work?
On metal, mechanical jewellery cutting machines, like the M20 X, use a tool that cuts into the material. This technique can result in a slightly beveled cut. When using the WeLase™ or LW2, we recommend using the wobbling technique, a spiral cutting method that modulates the focus of the laser beam to cut more efficiently.
For acrylic, wood, and leather, the laser beam of the LightSpeed 300 and LS900 will easily cut up to 3 mm thick.
Whether you design one-of-a-kind pieces or produce small series, Gravotech provides the technology you need to turn creative ideas into ready-to-sell jewellery.
👉 Contact our Gravotech experts for personalised advice!
