Lost Wax Casting — The Ancient Technique Behind Modern Silver Jewelry
5,000 Years of Lost Wax Casting
Lost wax casting (cire perdue) is one of humanity's oldest metalworking techniques, dating back to 3700 BCE in the Indus Valley. Today, STRUGA uses this same fundamental process in our Bali workshop — proof that some technologies need no improvement.
The Process
1. Wax Model
A precise wax replica of the final piece is carved or molded by hand. Every detail in the wax will transfer to the silver.
2. Investment
The wax model is encased in a ceramic shell (investment), which is heated to melt and drain the wax — leaving a perfect negative cavity.
3. Casting
Molten 925 sterling silver at ~960°C is poured into the cavity, filling every detail the wax left behind.
4. Breakout
Once cooled, the ceramic shell is broken away to reveal the raw silver casting.
Why It Matters for Jewelry
Lost wax allows complexity impossible with other techniques — organic curves, internal cavities, intricate surface textures. STRUGA's Thorn earrings with their caged tourmaline crystals would be impossible without lost wax casting.
Read: Inside a Bali Silver Workshop →