A Wax Artist’s Palette: The Alchemy of Hand-Sculpted Jewelry

"A Wax Artist’s Palette: Where the alchemy begins. Every color represents a different level of hardness, carefully layered on my hand—my true canvas—to build a foundation of strength for each one-of-a-kind design."

From Wax to Wonder: The Art of the Carve

When you look at my workbench, you’ll see a vibrant mix of pinks, greens, and blues. These aren't just for show—each color represents a different hardness and flexibility in the wax.

In this custom ring, I use a "harder" wax for the structural base to ensure it holds its shape on the mandrel, while a "softer," more pliable wax is used to meticulously "grow" the organic vines around the diamond. This allows me to capture the delicate, overlapping flow of nature that defines my signature style.

My hand-sculpted palette of colorful waxes, each chosen for its specific hardness to build a foundation of strength and beauty.

Visualizing the Final Piece

Because these multi-color waxes can be difficult to imagine in a single precious metal, I want to help you see the final vision. This is a one-of-a-kind ring with a cast-in-place rough diamond. Since the wax model is lost during the casting process, I can only cast this ring once.

Precision in motion—using a heated tool to carefully "grow" the soft green and blue wax twigs around the rough diamond.

By showing you these recreations, I can give you a solid choice between styles prior to the final pour.

Your Choice: Silver or Rose Gold?

The metal you choose completely changes the "soul" of the ring:

Sterling Silver with Light Oxidation: This option highlights every tiny detail. The light oxidation sits in the deep crevices of the hand-carved vines, creating a beautiful contrast that makes the organic textures look like a piece of forest floor.

My hand-sculpted palette of colorful waxes, each chosen for its specific hardness to build a foundation of strength and beauty.

The completed 100% organic vision, where the twigs serve as the setting, locking the diamond in place forever during casting.

14k Rose Gold with a Light Antique Finish: The 14k rose gold offers incredible durability for daily wear. The light antique finish removes the harsh "new" shine, giving the ring a soft, heirloom quality that glows against the skin.

My hand-sculpted palette of colorful waxes, each chosen for its specific hardness to build a foundation of strength and beauty.

 

The warmth of 14k rose gold finished with a light antique glow, perfectly capturing the organic flow of hand-sculpted vines around a rough diamond. 

The Final Touch

As with all my work, I have hand-carved my "DV" initials into the wax. It’s a signature I’ve used for 20 years, inspired by my father, Hubert, who signed every one of his wildlife paintings. It is my promise to you that this piece was sculpted by hand, with heart, right here in the North Carolina foothills.