Guides
Plain-language guides for laser and CNC files, jewelry and casting, and the metal calculators, each with its formulas or checks.
Laser, CNC & Vector File Guides
File formats, preparation, validation and cutting basics.
Best File Format for Laser Cutting: SVG, DXF, PDF or CDR?
Which vector format to send to a laser cutter, what each one preserves, and how to avoid import problems.
How to Prepare a Vector File for Laser Cutting
A checklist for cut-ready files: closed paths, no duplicates, correct scale, outlined text and sensible details.
Open Paths and Duplicate Lines in Laser Files
What open paths and duplicate lines are, why they cause bad cuts, and how to find and fix them.
CDR vs SVG vs DXF: Choosing and Converting Vector Formats
How CorelDRAW CDR, SVG and DXF differ, what is lost in conversion, and when each makes sense.
Kerf Explained: Compensating for Laser and CNC Cut Width
What kerf is, why it affects joints and fit, and how to measure and compensate for it.
Jewelry & Casting Guides
Casting weight, density and metal estimation for jewelers and designers.
Jewelry Casting Weight: Estimating Metal from a Wax or Resin Pattern
How casters estimate the metal needed from a wax or resin pattern, and the density-ratio method behind it.
Metal Density Reference for Jewelry and Casting
Typical densities of gold alloys, silver, platinum and common workshop metals, and how to use them.
Gold, Metal & Calculator Guides
How prices, purity, units and exchange rates work — with the formulas behind our calculators.
How Gold Prices Are Calculated: From Spot Price to Price per Gram
How the international gold spot price becomes a price per gram, tola or ounce for a given karat, and why local prices differ.
Gold Price per Gram and per Tola Explained
How to convert between grams, tolas and troy ounces, what a tola is exactly, and how purity changes the price.
Gold Karats and Purity: 24K, 22K, 18K, 14K Explained
What karat means, how it maps to fineness and percentage, and how purity affects value and density.
Gold Spot Price vs Local Price: Why They Differ
Why the international spot price rarely matches the rate quoted by a local jeweller or bullion dealer.
How Currency Conversion Works in Metal Price Calculators
How a US-dollar metal price is converted into your currency, where rates come from, and what “delayed” rates mean.
Troy Ounces vs Ounces: What Precious Metal Quotes Mean
Why gold and silver are quoted per troy ounce, how it differs from the everyday ounce, and how to convert.
How Jewelry Metal Value Is Calculated
Metal value, wastage, making charges and tax: how a jewelry price is built from weight and purity.
