Hi there! I'm Natalie. I make fine jewellery using the lost wax method. All of my designs are carved by hand, custom-cast in precious metals, and finished with traditional goldsmithing techniques. This post is about how I use silicone moulds, and it is part of a series that I'm writing on my design and production process :)
Introduction to casting
If you're not familiar with lost wax casting, it looks something like this:
Every original wax model is destroyed as soon as it is cast into metal, which means that a single carving can only be cast into a single piece of jewellery. To create multiple pieces of jewellery with the same design, we have to use a mould.
Making a mould
A mould is made by pouring liquid silicone around an object. Once set, the silicone can be sliced open to retrieve the object. The impression that remains can be filled with whatever material you need for your project. Normally I have my moulds made at the time of the first casting - here is the first one I ever had made, for the Peony Charm:
To create a wax replica, the two halves of the mould are placed together, and liquid wax is injected into the cavity. Once cooled and retrieved from the mould, the wax replicas can be cast directly in metal, or combined with handcarving to create new designs. Below are four replicas of the Peony Charm design:
From left to right, we have:
- Original casting in brass, made from my handcarving
- Blue wax replica
- Raw gold casting, made from one such replica
- Polished gold casting
Since the handcarving process is very labour-intensive, I almost always have a silicone mould made for my original carvings. The wax replicas usually turn out a bit smushed and uneven, but they are a good starting point for me during production! Rather than carving each piece from scratch (which would take weeks and weeks - orders would never arrive in reasonable time!), working from replicas takes about five to ten hours of handcarving to clean them up and bring the details back.
Using moulds for the design process
I use replicas quite often in creating new designs. Normally you can tell the difference by the colour of the wax. My handcarvings are always done in green wax, which is hardest and holds the best detail, and the replica parts are usually in a blue or pink injection wax, a type of wax which is softened with heat in order to fill the mould.
For instance, the Bonsai is a wax model with many tiny blossoms taken from wax replicas of a different design, set atop newly carved branches in green wax. I have yet to cast this model as the colours of the wax are already so perfect!
Making the Peony Ring with moulded replicas
As one of my most time-intensive designs in the permanent collection, the Peony Ring is a design which absolutely relies on moulds and replicas during production.
The original Peony Ring was made using a combination of replica and original carving. Here, the blue wax comes from a replica of the Peony Charm, and the green wax is a new handcarving of a matching leafy ring band.
I had the original wax cast in gold, and from the gold ring, I had a silicone mould made. Below, the original ring can be seen on the left, and the mould can be filled with injection wax to produce a replica of it, as seen on the right.
Learn more about the craft of jewellery
If you'd like to know more about my work, you can find more information by clicking back to the main blog below. You can also connect with me on other social platforms, where I share different bits of content for those of you who are interested in the making & appreciation of art jewellery!
- Pinterest: A gallery board where you can see photos and videos of everything in the collection together.
- Instagram: My primary social media account, where you can see work in progress and other behind the scenes!
- Email: For all other questions, you can always reach me by the contact form on this website, where you can expect an email response from me within a few working days.
Thanks for reading!