Jewelry casting involves creating a wax mold to hold hot metal and shape it into uniform elements. Investment casting dates back to early dentistry and is popular with jewelry artists for its ability to display great detail. Different metals can be used, and the possibilities for fine jewelry designs are endless.
Jewelery casting is the process of creating a wax pattern. This wax mold is then used to hold the hot metal to shape it into uniform elements based on the pattern. Investment casting, as the procedure is often called, dates back to dentistry in the early 1900s. It grew out of dental casting to become a method used to create jewelry such as rings, pendants, and charms. Interestingly, many jewelry artists today still use dental tools to add detailed features to their castings.
A jewelry artist first perfects the metal model to be cast. Alternatively, after sketching ideas for a metal pendant, earring, ring, brooch, or other piece, a jewelry artist then sculpts a likeness of the sketch in green jeweler’s wax. The model must be well formed without pits or cracks, otherwise the resulting jewelry casting will be unsuccessful.
The jewelry model is often covered with heated and pressurized rubber. The rubber coating must be carefully removed from the metal piece of the model so that it can be filled with wax. The wax can be injected into the hollow rubber. If the eraser isn’t peeled off carefully, it may leave lines that will appear in the resulting wax mold.
To make it ready for use, the wax mold is set in a plaster-like material before being heated or boiled. Other dry ingredients can also be added to the chalk-like mixture, mixing everything with water to achieve the desired consistency. The heated and finished wax mold can then be used repeatedly for jewelery casting. This investment casting, or investment, technique is popular with jewelry artists, as it allows great detail to be displayed in completed metal designs. Whatever will appear in a wax model will typically appear in the pieces cast from its mould.
Different types of metals such as gold and sterling silver can be used in most investment casting molds. Investment casting techniques can be used to create jewelry with uniform or symmetrical shapes, such as rings with continuous, round bands or more irregular or asymmetrical pieces, including pendants that are curved at one end and angled at the other. Textured details including even the smallest dots, dents or other features are usually extremely pronounced in jewelry casting techniques. Combining unlimited shapes and infinite details, the possible fine jewelry designs that can be created with investment casting techniques are only limited by the artist.
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