Edinburgh jeweller

We're getting married in September! And that means I am making our wedding rings. It's not something I've done before but I have decided to wax carve them and get them cast. My engagement ring is in white gold, I don't wear yellow metals, so I am getting it cast in white gold too. I was considering silver for cost reasons but I think a wedding band should really be gold. My husband-to-be wears a yellow gold ring that his Mum gave him so his will be cast in yellow gold. The rings are at the casters now and I'm excited to see how they turn out. These are the first pieces I've made in gold (although I have gold plated silver pieces in the past) and I have wax carved and cast in silver before. What I'm really happy about is that I can get it hallmarked with my initials and makers mark. I think it's so great that these important pieces of jewellery will have that background.  I'll share photos of the rings on the blog when they are finished. Wax ...

I love trying out new jewellery techniques and this summer was no exception! I signed up for the beginners wax carving class at the London Jewellery School . The process of wax carving With wax carving (also know as lost wax casting) you start out with a lump of wax which you cut, carve, file and sand down until it is the shape you want. Once this is complete, the wax piece is sent to a caster. You choose the metal you would like the piece to be made into (for example brass, sterling silver, gold). The wax piece is attached to a wax tree, along with several others, so that many pieces can be cast at once. The tree is then encased in a plaster-like substance called investment. Once this has hardened the wax is burnt out leaving a cavity in the mould. Molten metal is then poured into the mould. Once the metal has cooled and hardened the jewellery pieces are cut from the ‘tree’. When you receive your piece back it will still need a bit of work to polish up. It will have a sprue, a...