The Process
Design
First comes the inspiration.
For me, this can take many forms...sometimes it starts with a stone, other times with a hand-drawn sketch. And often, I’ll go straight in with wax and see where it takes me.
Most of my designs begin in wax, an ancient process that allows me to sculpt intuitively and organically. I mainly use the build-up method, melting wax and shaping it slowly from scratch. It’s a free flowing way of working that suits the natural feel of my pieces.
I sometimes use the carving method, where I shape a block of hard wax with files, burrs, and carving tools which is ideal for chunkier pieces like a signet ring.
Lost wax casting has been used for over 6,500 years. Despite advances in technology, like CAD, there’s something timeless about this method that I love.
Casting
Once the wax model is final, I take it to my local casting house. There, it’s attached to a “tree” with other wax models. A negative mold is created using a plaster like material called investment. The wax is then burned out, and molten metal is poured in, replacing the wax and forming the final piece. This method captures incredible detail, perfect for my more intricate, organic designs.
For certain pieces, I use a more hands-on technique: sand casting. This involves pressing a wax model into delft clay to create an imprint mold, then pouring the molten metal in myself. While it doesn’t retain as much fine detail as lost wax, sand casting has a beautiful rawness to it.
It also allows me to repurpose sentimental metals, old pieces of jewellery can be melted down and transformed into something new, made just for you.
Finishing Touches
After casting, it’s time for the most exciting (and nerve-wracking) part: stone setting. This is when the piece truly comes to life but it’s also when the most can go wrong. Some jewellers outsource this part, but I prefer to do it myself. It's so exciting once that stone is set and you see the true potential of a piece!
Once the stones are secure, I begin the finishing and polishing which is a slow and sometimes tedious process, but so satisfying when that final piece catches the light just right.