Wax Model
Also called casting wax, wax pattern
A wax model is a copy of a jewelry design made in casting wax, either injected from a mold or grown on a 3D wax printer. It is used to shape the plaster cavity that metal is poured into, and it is destroyed during casting.
In other words, it is a throwaway wax version of the piece. Its only job is to hold the shape until the metal takes over.
How a wax model is produced
There are two routes. A rubber mold taken from a master model is injected with hot wax, which is the cheap way to make many identical copies. Or the wax is printed directly from a CAD file, which suits one-offs and first samples.
Printed waxes carry the file's detail closely, which is why a design that reads badly in CAD will read badly in wax. The wax will not fix your geometry.
Why clients ask for a wax sample
A wax sample is the traditional way to show a customer the shape before committing to metal. It is honest about proportion and size, and you can put it on a finger.
It is also slow. Someone has to print or inject it, clean it, and ship it, and the client sees a dull white object with no metal colour and no stones. Then any change starts the loop again.
Rendering instead of shipping a wax
For approval, a render usually does the job better. The client sees the piece in rose, white, and yellow gold with the stones in place, at high resolution, on a white background, and a turntable video shows every angle.
It also arrives by email in 24 to 48 hours rather than by courier, and the two included revision rounds cover the changes a first sample would normally surface. Wax still has its place for fit and hand feel, so the sensible order is render first, wax only once the design is settled.
Questions about Wax Model
Can a render replace a wax sample for client approval?
For most approval decisions, yes. A render shows colour, stones, and finish that a plain wax cannot, and it arrives in 24 to 48 hours. Keep the wax for checking physical fit and weight.
Do you make wax models?
No. We render from your CAD file and deliver images and videos. Your caster handles the wax and the metal.
What file do you need to render a design that would be printed in wax?
The same one your printer uses. Send 3DM, STL, OBJ, or STEP, and we render from that.