Stefano Campitelli fairy jewelry
Sterling silver ring "fairy and elf" I make my fairy jewelry through the lost-wax casting. This technique enables me to do almost every shape. I use soft wax sheets, wax wires and also injection wax. This is special wax for goldsmith's work. I use injection wax to make my silver micro sculptures even though they can be also made with the soft wax. I use a few tools: 3 dental tools, a curved sewing needle, a blade, an alcohol lamp burner and a pair of goldsmith's glasses. I put the needle on the handle of a cutter and make it curved by heating it on the flame of the burner and then bending it with a pair of pliers. Working the wax If I have to solder, for example, a wax wire to a piece of wax sheet I put the heated point of the needle between the wire and the sheet. This way the two parts will be linked. The pointed needle is used to solder, the dental tools are good for smoothing and modelling. I often create my fairy jewelry with injection wax. This wax is available in flakes. I use a kind of blue wax. I melt some in a pan, make it cool a little bit and then pour it in a paper cup. When it cools I obtain a small block of wax, ready to use. Of course I then get it out of the paper cup. To make this sterling silver ring I first created the skeleton of the elf and fairy by soldering some small wax wires. On them I then dripped drops of hot wax trying to give the shape of the body.Then I started modelling the figures one at a time with the metal dental tools. All this often using the goldsmith's glasses since the two figures are very small. After hours of work I have the finished ring in wax. I then take it to a laboratory to have it in silver or gold. After the ring is in the metal I choose, I have to work it with several tools such as files, emery paper, cutters, drill and others.
Steel and diamond pendant SCC1 Design Stefano Campitelli From fairy jewelry to silver sculpture |
