Zaena casts her jewelry using the Lost Wax method.

A design is first carved out of wax and then attached to a wax trunk. This is called the sprue-tree.

The sprue-tree is placed into a metal cylinder and filled with a silicone-based Investment.

Zaena's Work Bench

 

After being left to cure overnight, the lid is removed and the cylinder is placed in an oven. The wax melts, hence the name lost wax, and leaves a mold of the design.

Once the cylinder is cool, it is turned upside down. The hole left by the melted sprue-tree is now filled with molten metal.

After the metal has hardened and the cylinder removed, a metal reproduction of the sprue-tree and the jewelry design are left. The jewelry piece is cut from the sprue-tree and cleaned up.

The Lost Wax method produces one-of-a-kind pieces. Once the wax has melted, the mold is destroyed.