Are you creating a jewelry line? You might have heard of jewelry casting. Jewelry casting, or lost wax casting, can only be done by jewelry manufacturers, but it is still good to be prepared to work with them by understanding the process.
Jewelry casting is the process by which a wax pattern is made into a jewelry mold and then filled with molten metal or silver to create a custom piece of jewelry. It is also called lost wax casting because the wax is always “lost” during the process of making jewelry. Let’s see how:
1. Most jewelry that is manufactured starts off as a wax pattern. Jewelry manufacturers will take the wax pattern and use plaster to create an “invested” mold.
2. Once the mold is prepared, jewelry makers will put the mold into oven until the plaster hardens.
3. In the oven, all of the wax will melt out of hallow cavity inside of mold of wax pattern. (The cavity for the mold is set when setting up the wax pattern.)
4. With a wax-free mold, manufacturers will then pour molten metal or silver into the hallow cavity that is in the mold with a vacuum machine or a centrifugal casting machine.
5. After a few minutes, jewelry makers will throw the mold into a bucket of cold water and mold will dissipate. You will then be able to reach in and pull out a piece of jewelry that is the exact replica as the initial wax pattern.
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