what happens to your wax ring after carving?

At the end of a wax carving workshop, you are left with a wax ring — but that’s not the finished piece yet. Your wax design is the starting point for a traditional casting process that turns it into a solid silver or gold ring. This happens off-site with specialist casters, and then the finished piece comes back to us to be cleaned, polished, and checked before it’s ready to wear.

1. The wax is prepared for casting

Your wax ring is carefully checked to make sure it’s structurally sound and ready to be cast. Any tiny adjustments needed to help the metal flow properly are done at this stage. The wax is then attached to a wax “tree” along with other pieces going into the same casting batch.

2. The wax is replaced with molten metal

The wax tree is placed into a plaster-like mould material, which hardens around it.

The mould is then heated in a kiln so that the wax melts and burns away — leaving a hollow space in exactly the shape of your ring. This is why the process is called lost wax casting.

Molten silver or gold is then poured into the mould, filling the space where the wax used to be. Once cooled, the mould is broken open and the metal pieces are removed.

3. The metal ring is cleaned and finished

After casting, your ring looks quite rough — it will have a matte, slightly crusty surface from the casting process. Back at the bench, the sprues (the little metal channels used for casting) are cut away, and the ring is filed, refined, and polished by hand. This is where it becomes smooth, wearable, and beautiful.

4. Final checks and collection

Once the ring is finished, it’s checked for fit, comfort, and quality. When everything’s ready, you’ll be invited to collect your ring from the shop — or it can be posted to you if you’re not local. From workshop to finished piece, the process usually takes a few weeks, depending on the metal chosen and the casting schedule.

Why it’s done this way

Casting allows complex, organic, and hand-carved shapes to exist in metal exactly as you designed them. It preserves the subtle marks of your hands and tools, rather than replacing them with machine perfection. That’s what makes each ring truly unique.

A small note

If you ever have questions about where your piece is in the process, or how it’s coming along, you’re always welcome to ask. Making something personal takes a little time — and that’s part of the point.