Floral Wax Seal Jewellery - Uniquely Made for You
The floral wax seal jewellery pieces are some of my favourite pieces to wear at the moment. Every piece is unique because of how they’re made - here's how.
Modern Jewellery Made With Ancient Methods
The wax seal earrings and necklace are made using two ancient processes - wax seal making and lost wax casting.
Wax Seals
Wax seals have been used since at least the 13th century to seal scrolls and letters. They are made by pouring melted wax onto the paper and stamping it with a stamp or a signet ring - these rings would have symbolic imagery carved into them, such as a family's coat of arms, signifying the status and heritage of the owner.
Photo by Thalia Ruiz on Unsplash
The imagery from the stamp or signet ring would be transferred in reverse to the wax seal, making it clear who sealed the document, conveying status and proving the authenticity of the letter.
Lost Wax Casting
Lost wax casting has been used for thousands of years to make intricate and three dimensional jewellery that can’t be made by combining sheet metal and wire. Wax can be shaped using a variety of techniques and tools into almost any shape, and this is how I created the Pressed Flower Signet Ring.
Once the wax shape is finished, it is encased in a mould made of super fine plaster called “investment”. Once the plaster has set, the whole mould is placed into a kiln, melting the wax out of the mould and leaving a void in the shape of the wax design. This is why it is called "lost" wax casting - the original wax shape is melted away.
Molten silver or gold is then poured into the mould, and once set, the investment is dissolved away, leaving a perfect copy of the wax shape in precious metal.
Making Wax Seals for Jewellery
Since I make my jewellery from wax, I realised I could make wax seals from jewellery wax using my Pressed Flower Signet Ring. These could then be cast with lost wax casting into solid silver.
I make every seal individually, rather than using a mould of a single piece like I do for my other designs - click here for a video showing the process.
I use a wax melting spoon held over a tea light candle to melt pieces of jewellery wax. Once the wax melts, I pour a small amount of wax onto a silicone mat - a smaller amount for earrings, so that they’re wearable, and a larger amount for pendants to give them some weight.
Quickly while the wax is still liquid, I press the signet ring into the wax, which spreads out and is embossed by the ring. When I pull it away, a perfect reverse image of the pressed flower design is raised on the surface of the wax seal.
Wax Seal Jewellery
The final step for the wax seals is to drill a small hole which I’ll use to attach the seals to earrings and necklaces.
I send the wax seals to a casting company, who use a lost wax casting process to make solid sterling silver versions of the wax seals.
Wax Seal Earrings and Necklaces
Since I added a small hole when the seals were in wax, they’re ready to be turned into earrings and pendants. I create ear wires with recycled silver wire and attach the seals to them.
For a pendant, I attach a silver wire ring to the seal which I solder closed to make sure it’s secure. Once the piece is polished and beautiful, it’s ready to be put on a chain.
Unique Jewellery
Because of this process, every piece of wax seal jewellery is unique. The shape made by the signet ring pressing into the melted wax is slightly different every time. Each one is the only one of it’s kind!
I make pendants slightly heavier to give them a comforting weight, and earrings slightly lighter to make them easier to wear. I also make sure every pair of earrings is a good match, so their unique variations complement each other and add to their beauty.
That’s how I make my wax seal jewellery! Click below to explore the finished wax seal jewellery pieces, and click here to see a video of the process in action.