Lessons in Wax, Fire & Alchemy
My wax journey began in 2017 when I bought Creative Wax Carving by Emilie Shapiro. I’ve always dabbled in different media—clay, ceramics, wire—so starting with soft wax made perfect sense. It felt familiar.
Here are the very first earrings I ever made in soft wax. I used a casting company to turn them into a mold and had multiples made. It was exciting—but at that point, I didn’t yet know how to do the process myself.
That wouldn’t last long.
Here are more soft wax designs I made and had cast before taking the leap.
I slowly gathered more tools and knowledge. Eventually, I taught myself to cast right in my own studio—kiln, centrifugal caster, and all. There were nerves. (Okay, a lot of nerves.) But there was also excitement.
Here are some of the wax trees for the Botanical Collection.
Then I got curious about hard wax carving—and making bezels for stones. That led me to Wax Carving for Jewellers by Russell Lownsbrough and Danila Tarcinale. That book? Total game-changer.
Using the techniques I learned, I created these new pieces, each one pushing my skills just a little further. I started practicing more intricate designs—carving delicate lines, layering textures, and working on symmetry.
And I discovered something unexpected…
Wax shavings everywhere. Tools scattered across my bench. And me? Totally in the zone. The creative chaos of carving has become almost meditative. Therapeutic, even.
Here’s one of my favorite pieces—a rose ring I’m incredibly proud of.
Finished Rose Ring
And yes... I call these my masterpieces 😄
This is a wax tree holding several of my creations before going into the kiln. Once that flask is ready, I bust out my centrifugal caster, and do a quick dance to the casting gods. It’s not graceful, but it helps burn off the nerves before molten metal gets involved. 🙏🔥
Some designs are deeply planned. Others just… appear. Like this bold feather ring that came to life one afternoon, uninvited and absolutely welcome.
But it’s not all wins. I’ve had some ugly fails—like this tree full of bubbles. Yep. Had to cut every single one off by hand. Ouch. But even those failures teach me something.
These days, I combine soft and hard waxes depending on the design. It opens up so many creative possibilities.
Mysterious Moss Aquamarine Ring
Lotus Chalcedony Necklace
My favorite hard wax? The gold by Kate Wolf. It carves like butter but holds crisp detail beautifully.
Probably the most beautiful piece I have made!
Lately, I’ve returned to soft wax to sculpt delicate little flowers. These are two of my most recent.
Daffodil Necklace (for a very special client)
These floral pieces have completely reignited my joy, so I’ll be making more of this style soon!
This didn’t start with wax. It started with a need to create—something real, something lasting. I’ve always been drawn to working with my hands, to shaping raw materials into something meaningful. Over the years, I’ve dabbled in all kinds of mediums—clay, ceramics, wire—but wax? Wax is where everything finally came together.
There’s something about carving wax that just makes sense to me. It’s where my ideas come alive. I can see the form before it exists. I can feel it taking shape as I work. It's quiet, focused, grounding. It lets me express my creative soul in a way nothing else has.
Now, wax carving and casting aren’t just techniques I use—they’re rituals. They’ve become a rhythm in my life, part of who I am as an artist. Sometimes messy, sometimes magical, always meaningful.
Want to see more pieces born from this process? Browse my latest collection here.