| How many times have you looked at a piece of your | | | | of plaster has been allowed to dry it is then placed in a |
| jewelry and wondered just how it was made. Is the | | | | hot kiln so the wax piece inside of it can melt and burn |
| meat carved? How is it created with such fine detail? | | | | out. |
| The methods that are used to create the fine jewelry | | | | When it has cooled, the chunk of plaster with the |
| that you wear use the same technology that lifted | | | | hollow shape of the original wax piece in it is placed in |
| civilization from the Iron Age to the Bronze Age. | | | | a centrifugal jewelery casting device. The centrifugal |
| In fact, many anthropologists theorize that ancient | | | | caster then spins around and molten gold or silver is |
| people stumbled onto the idea when molten copper | | | | forced into the hollow spot in the chunk of plaster by |
| melted out of chunks of copper ore that they had lined | | | | centrifugal force. |
| their fire pits with. Its called the “lost wax” | | | | After the the metal inside of the plaster has been |
| casting method and its the same method that ancient | | | | allowed to cool, the plaster is then chipped away. |
| peoples developed to make copper and bronze axes | | | | What is revealed is a whatever was originally encased |
| and tools with. | | | | inside the plaster made of wax, only now it is made |
| To create a piece of jewelry using the lost wax | | | | out of metal. Even things such as bugs and leaves can |
| method, the piece is first crated in exact detail out of | | | | be encased in plaster and then reproduced in gold this |
| sculpting wax. The wax piece is then encased in | | | | way as long as they can be burned out in a kiln. |
| plaster and allowed to cure and dry. After the chunk | | | | |