Designing a Custom Ring

Custom jewelry designs begin with an idea often brought in by their customer for a jewelry piece they have been contemplating or an engagement set they have always wanted. My first step is to sketch out the design and get a good idea what my customer wants. From this point I decide what would be the best procedure to create it. Often this involves a process called lost wax casting, in this I carve a wax of the ring design. This wax is not only identical to what the ring will look like it will actually become the ring. After the owner of the ring approves the wax we cast it. The casting process is called lost-wax casting, in this process a wax tube or sprue is attached to the base of the wax ring, this intern is placed in a steel cylinder or cup and filled with a plaster called investment, this will become the mold. The plaster encased wax ring is placed in a kiln and heated to about one thousand degrees, this turns the plaster to a water-soluble ceramic and literally burns or vaporizes the wax out of the plaster leaving a mold or impression of the ring as a cavity in the plaster with a hole from the wax sprue or tube at the surface of the mold, this is how it derives it's name "lost wax". The mold while hot is place in a casting machine and molten gold or platinum is injected through the hole and into the ring cavity and thus the ring is made. Once the ring casting is made it is cleaned polished and assembled and the necessary stones are set. It is then polished, the finishing touches are put on it and it is a one of a kind piece ready for my customer.

Crown Jewelers of Montana, Since 1915

8 Third St. N., #402 Great Falls, Montana 59401

406-453-3011

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