Jewelry Making Techniques

Jewelry making techniques may have been our ancient ancestors first steps toward humanity. The desire for self adornment and the use of gems as amulets and as talisman stones created the need for ways ornaments could be worn.

There are two major categories of jewelry making techniques, casting and fabrication. When fabricating jewelry, tools are used to shape the actual metals and other materials used while casting involves the making of a mold into which molten metals are poured to create the jewelry piece.

One of the oldest jewelry making techniques would have to be sand casting. Jewelry items that are to be cast by this method may be shaped from some easily manipulated material such as wood or wax which is then embedded in the sand to create a hollow area to accept the molten metal.

The shape of the final piece can be formed directly in the sand itself without making a model as long as fine details are not important.

Lost Wax Casting

Lost wax casting is one of the earliest jewelry making techniques for creating intricate jewelry as well as sculpture. The pre-Columbian civilizations of central and south America used an early form of centrifugal lost wax casting to create gold and silver jewelry and images of mythical figures.

To begin the process of lost wax casting a shape is created in wax which is identical to the desired finished jewelry. Once this is complete it is necessary to form channels through which the molten metal will flow on its way to filling the cavity left when the wax has been melted away.

Modern Lost Wax Casting

In modern casting methods these channels (or sprues) are made by attaching wax wire to the piece, surrounding the wax shapes by a container and then pouring a slurry of heat resistant material, much like plaster, into the container.

After this material has dried it forms a negative of the jewelry piece when the wax has melted out (lost wax) through the channels formed to allow the metal to fill the hollow.

As soon as the metal has cooled enough to solidify the entire container is quenched, causing the plaster like material to disintegrate, leaving the jewelry item still attached to the sprues. By removing the sprues the jewelry is ready to finish and polish.

Lost wax casting allows very intricate, delicate shapes to be created and is one of the most popular jewelry making techniques. View lost wax casting videos.