Angled facets, textured hollows, and engraved or hammered sides are the three aesthetic principles of this “Rhythms” collection:
available as rings made to order or to try on at the CARACTÈRES gallery, earrings, and a pendant, these pieces are crafted using lost-wax casting. I exceptionally chose this technique to offer you generous thicknesses and original surface treatments. This also allows me to create custom rings and let you try on the wax model before casting to check its ergonomics and comfort. It’s a delightful and inexhaustible process exploring rhythmic variations in proportions, textures, hollows, and reliefs. It’s a collection with sumptuous thicknesses that rests pleasantly on your body to enhance it.
What is lost-wax casting?
An ancient metalworking technique, lost-wax casting allows a metal shape to be obtained from a wax model. This wax model can be unique, or multiple when cast from a mold. For the “Rythmes” rings, I create the wax model uniquely to enrich my exhibition collections or for custom orders. For earrings or pendants, I also prepare the shapes directly on the wax block in the workshop. This allows me to vary the shapes and proportions slightly over time.
What are the steps in making a piece of jewelry using casting?
- Sculpting the jewelry shape in a wax of varying hardness
- Polishing it, as every scratch or small detail will appear in the final cast
- Shipping the wax to the subcontractor and awaiting receipt of the casting
- Upon receipt, we begin by removing the porous thicknesses of the raw casting to ultimately restore the metal’s luster.
- Then comes the filing stage to refine shapes, reduce thickness, and also to work on textures or engravings
- Finally, the jewelry is finished by choosing which surfaces will be polished, satin-finished, or left raw to vary the material’s reflections.
