Laser cutting in jewellery refers to the use of a focused, high-energy laser beam to sever, pierce or profile sheet and wire stock in precious metals, most commonly with fibre or Nd:YAG sources operated in pulsed mode. The beam vaporises a narrow kerf through the metal, allowing extremely tight internal cut-outs and complex pierced patterns that would be impractical with a saw blade or even a CNC mill. In the contemporary trade it sits alongside CAD/CAM milling, EDM and traditional sawing as one of the standard subtractive routes from sheet to component.

Industrial laser cutters used by the jewellery trade typically run between 20 W and a few hundred watts of average power, with pulse durations from microseconds down into the nanosecond range. Lower powers and shorter pulses are preferred for precious metals because they minimise the heat-affected zone, which matters when the part will later be soldered, set with stone, or finished to a high polish. Gold, platinum, palladium and silver all cut cleanly under the right parameters, although highly reflective alloys (high-purity silver in particular) require careful control of beam wavelength and pulse profile to avoid back-reflection into the laser head.

For independent makers and small workshops, laser cutting is most commonly accessed as a service rather than as in-house equipment, because the capital cost of a sub-100-W jewellery-grade fibre laser cutter remains substantial. Where it is in-house, the typical applications are pierced filigree panels, monogram cut-outs in pendants and earrings, accurate sizing of bezel strip, cut-out gallery rails, and the trimming of cast components after de-sprueing. It is distinct from laser welding, which fuses material rather than removing it, and from laser engraving, which marks the surface but does not cut through it.

Laser cutting also plays a role in cleaning up cast jewellery: a CNC laser path will remove flash and trim risers more accurately than hand-filing, and it can reach internal cavities that abrasive tools cannot. The technology has not displaced the saw frame at the bench, which remains faster and more flexible for one-off curves on small parts, but for repeatable pierced patterns and for production volumes above a few dozen pieces it is now the default.