Hand-Carved Belt Buckle
My first personal project in jewelry design. I wanted something practical that I could use on a standard basis.​
Wax Carving
The first step is to carve the initial design in wax. This involves many hours of tooling: carving with knives, chisels, or with a Dremel, melting to perfect the smooth shape, or joining wax in a process similar to soldering.​​
Finishing Touches
Afterwards, more care needs to be taken to ensure that the piece sizing and shape is as desired. I picked out these metal pieces from a belt I already owned, and fit the buckle to the shape. I wanted to add some flowers, which were also carved using the same methods. Of course, I also needed to make a prong to fit the buckle.
Silver Casting
Finally, once the wax is completed, it is used as a mold. It was casted in silver, taking the shape of the mold I carved. I assembled it by soldering the nail in place to hold the buckle together.