Skyler's Week #3

In my third week with Monika we started brainstorming project ideas together so that I could experience a new process in jewelry making. I remembered when I was new to the store I had asked her how some of the artists has made the bands on some of their rings. It was obvious to me they weren't using stock material to create these organic forms. Monika told me that they had started with wax and carved the desired shape and then had it casted in the desired metal (gold, silver). I was familiar with casting but I had never done so myself. So we both thought it would be a good idea for me to carve a ring in wax to be casted!

Monika got me set up with all the appropriate tools and showed me a few different techniques. It was really interesting to be working with wax which is so different from metal. The process of creating was much more rapid. Majority of the work came from using a wax file to shave down the material. I really enjoyed working in a process of reduction since jewelry tends to be more about fabrication. I also really enjoyed being exposed to all the new tools. My favorite was the spiral blade, which is a blade that cuts in all directions. It was very satisfying haha.

After I got acquainted with the material I then brainstormed a few ideas. I wanted to do something outside of the box & so I envisioned a ring with two seperate bands that were connected at the top. It seemed like a great idea at the time. But as I started working... I realized that I may had been too ambitious for my first wax carved ring. It was hard to manuever around the two rings that were connected & they also kept breaking on spots where I had shaved them too thin. When I realized it wasn't going as planned, I decided to start over. Start fresh.

Monika sent me home with some of the materials so I could continue working in wax. I ended up creating two organic wax rings & I am very excited to put the finishing touches on them so I can get them casted. I know I need to work on refining the overall shape & using more control with my tools. 

I am very excited about the possibilities I can have with wax carving and casting in metal work. I will keep everyone posted about the progress of my carvings and the final products!