Jewelry Wax Prototyping Phase

The wax prototyping phase is the critical bridge between a flat sketch and a finished piece of fine jewelry. We hand-carve a three-dimensional model of your design out of jeweler's wax, allowing you to try on the piece and check its exact proportions before we cast it in metal.

A wax prototype lets you check the band width, setting height, and daily comfort before a ring is permanently cast in 18K gold. Sketches show you what a design looks like from one or two angles, but jewelry is meant to be worn and felt. By carving the shape first, we remove the guesswork from the bespoke process.

This physical review prevents costly adjustments later. If a setting feels too high or a band feels too wide between your fingers, we simply file the wax down or carve a new model.

Why We Carve Before We Cast

When we design custom jewelry designs, the translation from a two-dimensional drawing to a three-dimensional object always introduces new variables. A heavy signet ring that looks perfectly balanced on paper might feel too bulky on your hand. A delicate engagement ring might look beautiful in a top-down sketch, but the side profile might sit awkwardly against your wedding band.

We use the wax model to solve these physical realities. Jeweler's wax is a specialized material that is firm enough to hold crisp details but forgiving enough to carve, melt, and reshape.

By holding the wax version, you get an immediate sense of the volume. It stops being a concept and becomes an object you can actually interact with.

Traditional Tools and Techniques

Inside our Copenhagen atelier, carving wax relies heavily on traditional Danish hand tools rather than automated machinery. We start with a solid block or tube of hard carving wax. Unlike the soft, pliable wax you might use for candles, carving wax behaves more like a dense plastic or soft wood.

First, we saw the rough shape from the block. Then, we use coarse files to establish the outside diameter and the basic profile of the ring. This is where the structural foundation is built. If we are working on a heavy men's ring or a chunky square profile, we spend a lot of time establishing sharp, symmetrical outer edges.

Next, we switch to finer tools. We use wax files, precision burrs, and dental tools to hollow out the inside, adjust the finger size, and shape the intricate details of the setting.

Sometimes, we need to add material rather than take it away. To do this, we use a heated wax pen.

The heat melts a tiny drop of softer wax, allowing us to build up a prong or thicken a band drop by drop. This ability to add and subtract material is what makes our goldsmithing workshop process so adaptable during the prototyping phase.

---

Fitting Your Stones in the Wax Model

If your piece includes gemstones, the wax phase is where we finalize exactly how they will sit in the metal. Whether you select ethically sourced diamonds, vivid blue sapphires, or deep green tourmalines, every stone has a unique cut, depth, and girdle thickness.

We don't use standard, pre-made settings. We measure your specific stones with digital calipers and carve a setting in the wax tailored to those exact dimensions.

If we are setting a large sapphire in a bezel, we carve a precise seat into the wax so the stone drops perfectly into place. This allows us to place the actual loose stones into the wax model during your fitting. You can see exactly how the colors interact and how high the stones will sit off your finger.

This step is especially important when we are redesigning old jewelry. If you bring us inherited heirloom pieces with stones of varying sizes, we can arrange them in the wax until we find a layout that honors the history of the materials while creating a completely new aesthetic.

The Client Review Session

When the prototype is ready, we invite you to review it. Trying on a wax model is a slightly delicate process because the wax is brittle and can snap if squeezed too hard, but slipping it onto your finger provides essential feedback.

We guide you through specific checks during this fitting.

1. Close your fingers together to test if the band feels too thick between them.
2. View the ring from the side to assess if the stone setting sits too high for your daily activities.
3. Slide your existing wedding band or everyday rings next to the prototype to verify they sit flush without rubbing.
4. Check the visual balance of the ring's proportions against the size of your hand.

Treat your wax fitting as a practical test run; how the ring feels against your neighboring fingers is just as important as how it looks from above.

If you want the band narrower, we file it down while you watch. If you decide the stone needs to sit lower, we adjust the seat. This collaborative review is a core part of our personal design philosophy. We only proceed to casting when you are entirely confident in the physical shape.

Transitioning from Wax to 18K Gold

Once you approve the prototype, the wax model has served its primary purpose, but its job isn't quite finished. We use this exact wax carving to create your final ring through a process called lost-wax casting.

We attach a small wax rod, called a sprue, to the model. We then place the model in a steel flask and pour liquid investment (a material similar to plaster) around it. Once the plaster hardens, we place the flask in a high-temperature kiln.

The heat burns away the wax entirely, leaving a perfect negative cavity inside the plaster. We then pour molten 18K gold into that cavity. The gold fills the exact space the wax just occupied, capturing every file mark and carved detail we created together.

Because custom pieces range widely based on weight and stone choice—typically falling between DKK 1,200 and DKK 62,000 or more—finalizing the exact volume in wax also allows us to calculate the final metal weight and confirm the exact cost before we cast.

After casting, the rough gold ring requires hours of filing, sanding, and polishing to bring out the final shine. We also set the stones and apply any specific surface treatments, but the underlying architecture is exactly what you approved in the wax phase. While you can also find beautifully proportioned pieces in our ready-made jewelry collection, the wax prototyping phase is what makes a bespoke commission uniquely yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the design after seeing the wax prototype?

Yes, you can make adjustments to the design during the wax phase. This is the exact purpose of the prototype. We can easily file down the width, lower the stone setting, or even carve a new wax model if you decide to take the design in a different direction.

How long does the wax carving phase take?

We typically need one to two weeks to carve the initial wax model after you approve the sketches. Complex designs involving multiple stone settings or intricate geometric patterns may require slightly more time to ensure the proportions are exact before your fitting.

Does the wax model look exactly like the final gold ring?

The wax model shows the exact size, volume, and stone placement, but it does not have the shine or color of final metal. Carving wax is opaque and usually green or blue, with a matte finish that looks vastly different from polished 18K gold.

Will the stones fall out of the wax during the fitting?

Loose stones rest securely in the carved seats during the fitting, but they are not permanently set. We place them carefully into the wax while you view the ring, but we remove them before the casting process begins.

Can we reuse the wax prototype if I want a second ring later?

No, the lost-wax casting process entirely destroys the wax model. The wax melts and burns away inside the kiln to create the hollow mold for the molten gold, meaning every hand-carved wax piece yields exactly one unique piece of jewelry.

Choose a ring profile by checking how the band width, setting height, and your daily routine interact; if you work heavily with your hands, ask to have the wax prototype's setting lowered to sit as close to the finger as possible.