Most of the jewelry that you see today started out as a pciece of wax.  A form of jewerly making commonly know as“lost wax casting," utilizes special waxes (usually jeweler’s wax) to create a design, which can then be cast into a variety of metals, usually gold, platinum, silver, copper and bronze.

The lost wax technique begins by carving or forming a piece of wax into the object to be cast into metal. The wax original is covered in a mold material and then baked; the wax melts leaving a void in the shape of the object to be cast. Molten metal is poured into the void, creating and exact duplicate of the wax original.  In the course students learn techniques to complete a wax original, which will be cast into silver using the CCGMS equipment.  Students will also learn to use rubber molds, wax paterns and trees.

Lear a little bit about “lost wax casting” from Florence “Shutsy” Reynolds, during World War II she was part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) -- women who piloted fighters and bombers from factories across the country to Army Air Corps fields in the United States and to air bases in Europe.

Crutesy: Florence "Shutsy" Reynolds