The craft
Three techniques, one pair of hands
Lost-wax casting, electroforming and fine beadwork are three separate crafts. Here is how each of them works.
Technique 1
Lost-wax casting
An ancient technique, made precise with modern tools. The design is 3D printed in wax, and that wax model is “lost” — melted away — and replaced by solid silver.
Material: solid 925 sterling silver, made from recycled silver · Used for: rings, pendants and other pieces that need to be strong and last a lifetime.
01
Design & model
Every piece starts as a sketch and is then sculpted digitally in 3D, down to the finest texture and the exact ring size.
02
Print in wax
The model is 3D printed in a castable wax resin. It captures every tiny detail and burns away cleanly later on.
03
Investing
The wax model is attached to a wax sprue, placed in a steel flask and surrounded with investment — a fine casting plaster that sets hard around it.
04
Burnout
The flask goes into the burnout oven for hours. The wax melts and burns away completely, leaving a perfect hollow in the shape of the design.
05
Casting
925 recycled silver is melted and poured into the hot mould, filling every line and texture the wax left behind.
06
Finishing
Once cooled, the plaster is broken away. The raw casting is cut from its sprue, then filed, sanded and polished by hand until it shines.
Technique 2
Electroforming
Instead of melting metal, electroforming grows it. A form is placed in a copper bath with a low electric current, and over many hours copper builds up on it, atom by atom — following every curve and texture. This makes light, organic shapes possible that could never be cast.
Material: electroformed copper — left as bare copper, silver-plated, or a mix of both; each product tells you which · Used for: organic, sculptural and lightweight pieces.
01
The form
The base of the piece is a 3D-printed design or a natural object, such as a shell. It decides the shape and texture of the final metal.
02
Conductive layer
The form is painted with a conductive coating, so the electric current — and the copper — can reach every part of it.
03
Growing copper
The form hangs in the copper bath for many hours. Slowly, a solid shell of copper grows over it, layer by microscopic layer.
04
Silver plating
The copper is cleaned and refined, then — for silver pieces — lowered into a silver plating bath, where a layer of pure silver is deposited over it. For a mix of both, parts are covered so they stay copper. Some pieces skip this step and stay warm, bare copper.
05
Finishing
Some pieces get a darkened patina to bring out depth and texture. Then everything is polished by hand and fitted with its ear wires, chain or clasp.
Technique 3
Fine beadwork
A completely different craft: no metal to cast or grow, just tiny beads, a needle and thread. Every bead is placed by hand, one at a time, to build up intricate patterns and shapes.
[Add the bead types, thread and stitches you use.]
Used for: earrings, necklaces and bracelets. A single pair of earrings can hold hundreds of beads and many hours of work.
Step by step
01
Pattern
The design is worked out bead by bead as a pattern of colours and shapes.
02
Stitching
Row by row, the beads are stitched together with a fine needle and strong thread.
03
Finishing
The thread is secured and the ear wires, clasps or chains are attached.
For every technique
Laser engraving
Names, dates, symbols and even photos can be laser engraved in the studio — on cast and electroformed pieces alike. Every piece is inspected, photographed and packed by me before it ships.
For your home
3D-printed objects
Plant pots, home accessories and marker organizers are designed in the same studio and 3D printed in small batches.
Have an idea of your own?
I love making one-off pieces in any of these techniques. Tell me what you have in mind.