Bench skills and the ability to use your tools and materials creatively will always form the foundation of a successful jewelry designer, but incorporating digital tools into the design process can help you get the most out of those skills. In this session, award-winning jeweler Frieder Lauer presents his method for fusing bench skills with digital output technology. Understanding these digital tools can open up new frontiers in product development, enhancing your creativity and versatility as a designer.

The content of this session is intended to be most helpful for bench jewelers with experience in custom design, hand fabrication, wax carving and stone setting.

About Frieder Lauer

An immigrant from Germany, jewelry designer, master jeweler, and CAD modeler Frieder Lauer received his education in gemology and jewelry design from GIA (Graduate Gemologist, class of 1987, Santa Monica Campus).

With more than 30 years of professional experience, his work has received repeated recognition at an international level by major jewelry trade organizations such as the Japan Pearl Promotion Society, AGTA (American Gem Trade Association), JCK (Jewelers Circular Keystone), and MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America).

His latest achievements include: 

First prize winner, 2020 MJSA Vision Awards, colored stones distinction

First prize winner, 2020 MJSA Vision Awards, custom design distinction