The Art of Lost Wax Casting

We make many of our pieces using the lost wax casting method, a technique that has been in use for thousands of years. In this process an original model is made in metal or hard wax. A rubber mold is made of the carving and molten wax is injected into the mold to make a perfect wax replica. Several wax replicas are then arranged on a central wax core to make a "tree" which is then immersed in a plaster-like material. The hardened plaster casing is heated over a long period at high temperatures until the wax inside vaporizes. What's left is a hollow mold into which molten silver or gold is poured. Once the metal cools, the mold is broken open to release the new metal pieces. Finishing the new pieces is a multistep process that produces a perfect copy of the original design.