Handmade vs Cast: How Fine Jewellery Is Really Made

“Handmade” is one of the most overused words in jewellery. Plenty of pieces described that way are cast from a mould and finished by hand. That’s a perfectly good way to make jewellery, but it isn’t the same thing. Here’s what each method actually involves, how they differ, and how we use them at Edward Brown Jewellery in Sydney.

What handmade means

A handmade piece starts as solid gold. It’s melted down, rolled into sheet or drawn into wire, then shaped with hammers, files, pliers and a torch. Each part is formed separately (the band, the setting that holds the stone, the claws) and soldered together. Then the stone is set and the piece is polished by hand.

This is the traditional goldsmithing method, passed down through generations of jewellers, and it’s how every Edward Brown engagement ring is made unless a client asks otherwise. Nothing comes from a computer file. The setting is built around your particular stone, at the bench.

What casting means

Casting uses a technique called lost-wax casting, which jewellers have used for thousands of years. First, a model of the piece is made in wax. That model can be carved by hand or printed from a computer design. The wax is encased in heat-resistant plaster and heated until it melts away, leaving a hollow mould in its exact shape. Molten gold is poured or spun into the mould, and once it cools, the plaster is broken away to reveal the piece in metal.

A cast piece still needs plenty of handwork afterwards: cleaning up, filing, setting the stones and polishing.

How they differ

• Density and strength. Rolling, drawing and hammering gold compresses and hardens it, so a well-made handmade setting is dense and strong. That matters most for claws and bands worn every day. Cast metal can be excellent, but if it isn’t done carefully it can contain tiny air bubbles, called porosity, that weaken it.
• Shape and detail. Casting is brilliant for flowing, sculptural forms that would be hard to build from wire and sheet. Hand fabrication is at its best for crisp, precise settings and fine claws.
• One of a kind. A cast design can be repeated from the same mould or file. A handmade setting is built once, around one stone.
• Time. Hand fabrication takes longer, and that time is part of what you’re paying for.

When we cast

To be upfront: some of our ready-made pieces are cast. For a few Torsion designs, like the Mahenge Spinel ring and the Santa Maria Aquamarine ring, the wax model is carved by hand in Sydney and then cast. Their twisting forms suit carved wax, and the shape is carved by hand rather than designed on a computer.

Other pieces, like the Pear Ceylon Sapphire ring and the Torsion hoops, are entirely handmade. If a piece was wax carved and cast, its product page says so.

Which is right for you?

For an engagement ring, or anything you’ll wear every day, handmade is our recommendation, which is why it’s our default. For a statement piece with a sculptural shape, hand-carved and cast can be the better choice. Neither method is “cheap”. What matters is that the method suits the piece, and that your jeweller is honest about which one they used.

Questions to ask any jeweller

• Is this piece hand fabricated, or cast and hand-finished?
• If it’s cast, was the model carved by hand or designed on a computer?
• Who actually makes it, and where?

If you’re thinking about an engagement ring or a custom piece, here’s how the process works, or get in touch to talk it through.