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Lost wax casting meets sustainability
Jewellery is an ancient industry in which many techniques and methods have remained unchanged for centuries despite technological advances in jewellery tools and techniques over the last century.
Gold and silver jewellery has shaped countries, cultures and family histories over the centuries and it is one of the only forms of investment to hold value during times of war and economic depression. As a noble metal, Gold is basically indestructible and is therefore in theory still accessible in one form or another and potentially available for recycling.
At Coveted we are fortunate to have access to recycled gold and silver. We endeavour to ensure that at least 80% of all our jewellery comes from recycled gold and silver and from within New Zealand holdings. 90% of our recycled metal comes from recycled jewellery and 10% is reclaimed from industrial uses such as electrical components, X-ray film and glass production.
Gold and silver have been in most parts recycled and reused since around 500 BC when Ancient Egyptians developed a way to get gold to reach it’s high melting point of 1064 degrees celsius. They were then able to refine the gold and form it into new pieces.
Coveted Impression Kits utilise the first steps in the ancient technique of lost wax casting whereby a desirable form is made in wax.
That wax is then returned to us to be cast in metal using the lost wax casting method.
The wax is first ‘invested’ (with refractory plaster) which is mixed and poured into the flask. Once the flask is full and has completely set around the wax, it is then ‘burned out’ and a void is left where the detailed wax impression once was.
‘Casting’ is the final step and a centrifugal casting system is used. Once the molten silver or gold has been poured and spun the casting is recovered from the flask and is ready to be filed, sanded, soldered and polished at the jeweller’s bench.
At Coveted we also take care to use environmentally sound options in other parts of our business. We substitute harsh traditional chemicals in our workshop for more gentle ones (e.g. substituting sulphuric acid for concentrated citric acid) and we have made our branding and packaging plastic free. However there is always more that we can do and we look to improve everyday as opportunities arise.
We will (on occasion) even ask you to help us out by reminding you to return your tin boxes and ring sizers to us so that we can send them out again to other customers.
We handmake your pieces in small batches in our local Wellington workshop. We witness how unique each piece is that we make. It is super rewarding for us to make your personalised bespoke jewellery for you and we hope you will be as impressed as we constantly are with the unique beauty of each piece that passes through our hands to yours.
With love –
Coveted
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