The Fashioning Process

All of the wonderful jewelry created by Marty Magic is "lost wax cast" in sterling silver and/or 14K gold and she personally sculpts every original in wax in her Santa Cruz studio.

The lost wax casting process involves creating a detailed model in wax which is then suspended in a metal flask and "investment" is poured around it. (Investment is very much like plaster.) The invested flask is then placed in a kiln and the wax model is slowly melted out until only the negative cavity, the exact shape of the original wax model, remains. Molten metal is then centrifugally spun into this negative space and allowed to cool and solidify.

The metal piece is then broken free from the plaster and there is a long process required to finish the piece. The "sprues" (the bump at the opening where the molten metal was poured into the mold) and the connecting channels to the piece must be cut and ground and numerous polishing medias are used to bring the piece to its final finished state. All of het jewelry is oxidized which darkens the recessed areas and gives contrast to the design. If gemstones are to be set they are mounted just prior to the final polish.