When a Twig Becomes a Ring | From Wax Model to Sterling Silver Part 2

Every jewelry design begins with a vision, but the real magic happens when wax is transformed into precious metal. This updated wax model reveals how the branches naturally divide, rise, and gently cradle the gemstone before becoming a sterling silver ring.

Creating nature-inspired jewelry isn't about forcing a design—it's about allowing nature to guide the process.

As I refined this wax model, the trunk became more defined before dividing into two graceful branches. That simple change gave the ring exactly what I wanted: the feeling that the gemstone had been discovered growing within a living tree rather than being held by traditional prongs.

The branches aren't identical because nature isn't symmetrical. Each one follows its own path, twisting and growing as though shaped by years of wind, rain, and sunlight. Together they gently lift the Moss Agate, allowing the stone to become the focal point while the branches quietly support it.

Once the design is complete in soft wax, it will be cast in sterling silver, preserving every carved groove and every organic texture. A medium oxidation will deepen the bark-like details, creating contrast that makes the ring appear as though it has grown naturally over time.

This stage of the journey is one of my favorites because it captures the transition between imagination and reality. The wax is temporary, but the design it holds will soon become a lasting piece of jewelry meant to be worn, treasured, and eventually passed on.

Nature has always been my greatest designer.

I simply listen.

Jewelry that feels like it grew, not made.

— Dawn Vertrees Jewelry

 

Nature Designs the Prongs

A New Sterling Silver Ring Coming Soon

Sometimes, before a piece is cast in precious metal, I like to take a glimpse into the future.

The image you're seeing isn't the finished ring—it's an AI rendering created directly from my original hand-carved wax model. It allows me, and all of you, to see what the design will look like once it's cast in sterling silver.

For me, this is one of the most exciting parts of the creative process.

As I sculpted the wax, I watched a simple twig transform into a living tree. The trunk rises naturally from the band before dividing into two graceful branches. Instead of using traditional prongs, those branches become the setting itself, gently lifting and presenting the Moss Agate as though it had grown there naturally.

This is exactly how I imagine nature would design a ring.

The sterling silver version shown here is my vision of the finished piece—a preview of what's to come while the original wax model begins its journey through the casting process.

In approximately 3 to 4 weeks, this design will become a real sterling silver ring, handcrafted from the original wax sculpture shown above.

Nature Designs the Prongs

"Only one hour into carving, and the branches are already finding their way around the Moss Agate. Nature has a beautiful way of designing the prongs. 🌿✨"

Nature Designs the Prongs...

Sometimes the best jewelry designs don't begin with a drawing—they begin with listening to nature.

Today, only one hour into carving this new ring in blue wax, the design is already beginning to tell its own story. Rather than forcing traditional prongs around the gemstone, I allowed the branches to grow naturally, wrapping around a 10 x 8 mm oval Moss Agate cabochon as though the stone had always belonged there.

The beauty of working in wax is that every curve can evolve organically. One branch becomes two. A gentle twist becomes the beginning of a tree. Before long, the prongs disappear, replaced by something that feels alive.

There are still many hours of carving ahead before the bark texture, flowing lines, and final details emerge, but this early stage is often my favorite. It's the moment when an idea first takes root.

Sometimes, nature designs the prongs better than we ever could.

Materials

• Sterling Silver
• Oxidized Finish
• 10 × 8 mm Oval Moss Agate Cabochon
• Hand carved in wax using the lost wax casting process

 

Introducing the Floating Diamond Collection: Where Nature Lifts Light

Introducing the Floating Diamond Collection: Where Nature Lifts Light

 

Introducing the Floating Diamond Collection

Where Nature Lifts Light

For years, I have created nature-inspired jewelry featuring twigs, leaves, vines, and gemstones sculpted entirely by hand in wax.

Many of my designs begin the same way—with a simple question.

This collection began with one:

How can a diamond appear to float between two leaves?

As the jewelry world evolves, more people are discovering the beauty of lab-grown diamonds and gemstones. I wanted to create a design that embraced this new chapter while remaining true to the artistic style that has defined my work for years.

The result is the Floating Diamond Collection.

This ring features a diamond gently lifted and supported by two sculpted leaves emerging from a natural twig band. Rather than relying on traditional prongs as the visual focus, the leaves become part of the story—offering and protecting the gemstone while creating the illusion that it is suspended between them.

Every detail began as a hand-carved wax model. The bark texture, the shape of the leaves, and the flowing lines of the band were sculpted one cut at a time, allowing the design to grow naturally rather than forcing it into perfect symmetry.

Nature rarely grows in straight lines.

A branch twists.
A leaf bends.
A vine follows its own path.

I believe jewelry should do the same.

The Floating Diamond Collection combines the beauty of nature-inspired design with the brilliance of modern gemstones, creating pieces that feel as though they have grown around the stone rather than simply holding it in place.

This photograph shows the ring resting on a jeweler's mandrel—a fitting reminder that every finished piece begins at the workbench, where an idea slowly takes shape in wax before becoming jewelry.

This is the beginning of a new collection.

And like every collection before it, it begins with a sketch, a carving tool, and a love of nature.

Welcome to the Floating Diamond Collection.  — Dawn