Have you ever wondered how those beautiful pieces of fine jewelry that you love wearing so much were created?

Well, one of the most common ways to make jewelry is through the lost wax casting method. This is the process our goldsmith uses when creating all of our custom-made jewelry pieces. So what exactly is the lost wax casting method? We’ll break it down for you below.

The first step is to sketch out the design, either by hand or through a computer. After the sketch is approved, we’ll create a wax model of the jewelry piece. The wax is not only a vital part of the jewelry creation process, it also gives our customers a better sense of what the finished jewelry piece will look like.

Once the wax is approved, we attach it to a rubber base in a flask and then pour a very high-grade liquid plaster (called investment) over the wax to create a mold. We then place the flask in a vacuum to remove any potential air bubbles. We wait until the plaster hardens and then place it in a kiln so that it can be heated over a period of several hours. Eventually, the wax melts away (hence the name lost wax casting) and leaves a jewelry-shaped cavity inside the plaster.

We then melt our grains of gold (or platinum), pour the precious metal alloy into our hardened plaster mold, and then place it in water to remove the plaster. Afterwards, we’re left with a rough version of our finished jewelry piece. All that’s left is to remove the sprue, clean the piece off, set the gemstones (if necessary), and then polish the piece to make it smooth and shiny. Now we have our gorgeous, new piece of fine jewelry!

For any questions regarding the lost wax casting method or to schedule a time to come in and discuss creating a custom-made jewelry piece, feel free to contact us via phone at 414-276-2457 or email us at info@kloiberjewelers.com.