Most fine jewelry — whether custom-designed from scratch or created through an heirloom redesign — begins with a fascinating technique called lost wax casting. This traditional process allows us to bring your new design to life with beautifully precise detail.
First, we create a wax model of your custom jewelry design and encase it in a plaster-like material called investment. The block is then heated to melt and remove the wax, leaving behind a cavity in the shape of your new custom design. Molten gold is carefully poured into this mold, filling every delicate detail as it solidifies into your new piece.
How Much Gold Is Needed for Jewelry Redesign
Casting requires a bit more gold than the final piece will weigh. This extra amount ensures that all fine details of your design form correctly. On average, we use about twice the weight of the final piece, especially for rings or small pendants.
When you choose to melt your gold, we’ll carefully assess how much is needed for your specific design. Your jewelry will be cast in its own separate batch, ensuring your gold remains yours. Any extra gold from the casting sprue (the channel that carries the molten gold into the mold) is cleaned and returned to you. The new piece will retain the same colour and karat blend as your original jewelry.
Real Example: Transforming Three Wedding Bands into a New Pendant
Our client came to us to redesign her wedding bands into a pendant to wear everyday and honour her late husband’s memory. We melted her wedding and anniversary bands and her husband’s wedding band and melted them to create a custom Celtic Trinity Knot pendant. The combined weight of the bands was about twice that of the finished pendant, and the new piece glowed with the same warm yellow gold tone as her original
The Importance of Gold Purity
When planning an heirloom jewelry redesign, gold quality matters just as much as quantity. Some older pieces contain solder, which may include trace metals like lead that can affect the integrity of your new jewelry. In our client’s case, her bands were solder-free, so the gold quality was ideal for casting.
We’ll explore more about assessing gold purity and preparing your materials in the next chapter of our Jewelry Redesign Series.
Redesign Your Jewellery
Ready to transform your old jewellery? Let’s chat about how we can re-design your heirlooms a fresh new custom design, created just for you in our studio in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood.
Discover our Custom Jewelry Design and Restyling Experience and Book Your Custom Design Call.
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