Creative Wax Carving: A Modern Approach to an Ancient Craft with 15 Jewelry Projects

by Emilie Shapiro

Overview

For both new and more experienced jewelers, this thorough class in wax carving teaches a fun, effective, and easy way to create beautiful pieces!
Low maintenance and easy to do at home, wax carving requires just a handful of tools and inexpensive materials—and you can work on your kitchen table. Master jeweler and teacher Emilie Shapiro makes her hands-on techniques accessible to anyone, as she leads readers through the fundamentals, explaining how to make molds and multiple models with variations. With projects ranging from a very simple carved ring and tribal-inspired earrings to intermediate-level pieces like an Elephant Pendant, Snake Bangle, and Cuff Bracelet with a Bezel-Set Gemstone, this book is a must-have for every jeweler.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454709329
Publisher:	Lark Crafts
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Emilie Shapiro lives and works in New York City, designing and creating her own jewelry line, Emilie Shapiro Contemporary Metals. She teaches wax-carving classes and specialty workshops at various studios including the 92Y, Liloveve Jewelry School, and other studios throughout the NY metro area. Her previous book is How to Create Your Own Jewelry Line (Sterling).

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Part 1 Wax Carving Fundamentals 1

Chapter 1 Materials 3

Chapter 2 Essential Tools and Machines 11

Chapter 3 Basic Techniques 29

Part 2 Projects 57

Chapter 4 Beginner Projects 59

Basic Carved Ring 61

Wood Grain Textured Ring 64

Domed Monogram Pendant 66

Filigree-Inspired Pendant 71

Tribal-Inspired Earrings 75

Arrowhead Ring 79

Chapter 5 Intermediate Projects 83

Elephant Pendant 84

Snake Bangle 88

Sunflower Ring 93

Basic Bezel-Set Pendant-Hard Wax 98

Prong-Set Ring with Bezel Seat Variation 103

Cuff Bracelet with Bezel-Set Gemstone-Soft Wax 110

Patterned Bezel Wire Pendant 111

Buildup Ring 114

Eternity-Style Tubs-Set Ring 117

Glossary 121

Templates 123

Resources 125

Index 131

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2017
Jewelrymaking instructor Shapiro demonstrates the process of wax carving for creating jewelry models in this in-depth guide. The carved wax is then used to create a mold, which can be used to cast copies of the piece in metal—an ancient process known as lost wax casting. Shapiro focuses on the carving process (she suggests using a casting house for the metal casting piece), describing the various tools, processes, skills, and techniques that are used to sculpt a variety of jewelry pieces. A selection of projects, including several beginner-level pieces, put the techniques into practice. VERDICT This book won't take jewelrymakers from design to finished product—they'll need to work with a casting house for the final step of casting the piece in metal—but it does provide a comprehensive overview of the wax-casting process.

Library Journal