The Goldsmith Process

Once you have decided what you want your rings to be like, I make them by hand. Here’s how I do it:

1. I use an ancient process called Lost Wax Casting. The ring is first made in wax, usually carved in a hard wax.
   
   
   
2. A plaster mold is made of the wax model. The mold is then heated in an oven and the wax melts out.
   
   
   
3. Gold ( or other metal ) is melted and poured into the mold.
   
   
   
4. When cool, the gold ring is removed. The rough ring is then finished. All this, the carving and finishing is done by hand.
   
   

Years ago, I taught my son Vince to finish rings. I wrote down a list of 22 separate steps in the finishing process (to do it like Dad does). As I work, I spend a lot of time listening to music, looking out the window…sanding rings.