Handcrafted Jewellery By Baroque
If you are new to Baroque, you may not know that we create all of jewellery by hand in our onsite workshop in Brighton. Our talented team use a mix of traditional and contemporary techniques to bring our designs to life. We specialise in bespoke jewellery design and love to work with our clients to bring their dream jewellery to life.
One way we do this is through the process of wax carving, so we have created this blog to give you in insight into our workshop and how we create one of a kind jewellery at Baroque
What is wax carving and lost wax casting?
Wax carving is an ancient method of jewellery making that has origins dating back to around 6000 years ago. It’s still an extremely popular process that is commonly used by jewellers all over the world today, and has also been used to create sculptures and ornaments. We love to use it for bespoke jewellery design as it can bring a deeper level of detail and allow us to add 3D element too.
How lost wax casting works
It all starts with a piece of wax. There are different types that can be used for different purposes- some are better for small details, and some are more flexible and better for moulding. The wax is then cut/carved/moulded into the shape required, like a sculpture. Then the finished wax piece is sent to a caster to be cast in metal through the process of lost wax casting. It is called lost wax casting because the wax is melted away during the casting process.
Why does Baroque love wax carving?
We love this technique as it has a rich history in jewellery making. It’s a wonderful way to create detailed and unique pieces by hand, and can be a lot more versatile than hand fabricating directly with precious metal. A mould can also be created of a cast piece so it can then be replicated. We use wax carving for both our stock pieces and bespoke commissions, here are some examples of pieces that started out as a wax carvings.
The Jelly bean Signets
Each ring has been hand carved specifically to fit around the unique one – off sapphires in a freeform organic shape. Then cast into 9ct yellow gold before going off to our wonderful stone setter.
The Snake ring
One of the most iconic Baroque designs has to be the Snake coil ring, this started out as one of the first Baroque designs and was created in wax to highlight the texture of a snakes natural print. This design has been created in both gold and silver and can be personalised with any gemstone or diamond eye variation.
The Octopus Pendant
The medium of wax has allowed us to give this tiny sea creature its sassy personality. Each tentacle has a fluid motion and its face is strong and defiant as it clutches a natural Pearl. By using this method it allows our jewellery to bring their own unique style to the design and give it a lifelike quality where set in silver, gold or platinum.
Our bespoke service
We love working with customers to design their dream piece of jewellery- whether that’s an engagement ring, a celebratory gift, or a sentimental keepsake. Wax carving could be the perfect medium to bring your design to life while still having the charm of a handmade piece. Our team of jewellers are well versed in this method of jewellery making and skilled at hand carving beautiful designs that will last a lifetime. Contact us here to talk about your designs.
