GREEN VALLEY LAPIDARY AND SILVERSMITH CLUB
SPOTLIGHTS CUSTOM JEWELER ELLEN WEST
Meet Ellen West, custom jeweler and instructor of lost wax carving. Wax carving,
developed in ancient Egypt, is a method of making jewelry that is used by the best jewelers in the world.
It is where the ultimate beauty and design of the piece takes shape and can been seen in three dimension.
The wax carving is the prototype model that is transformed into metal by the lost wax casting technique.
The wax model is "invested" in a plaster mold that is fired in a furnace, that vaporizes the wax.
Molten metal is then poured into the mold's cavity using a vacuum to remove the air from the space left
by the "lost" wax. The metal, 14 karat gold or Sterling silver, when cool, perfectly reproduces
the hand carved wax model. The real talent is in the ability to design unique pieces of jewelry.
Once the wax model is cast, the metal is polished, and the gems are set in a beautiful one of a kind piece.
Ellen has been making exquisite custom jewelry for over 30 years. She and her husband came
to Green Valley from Homer and Fairbanks, AK where she studied at the University of Alaska.
Further training was obtained at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco.
Ellen began instructing classes for the club last year and her classes were immediately filled.
She will be holding classes again in the Fall and into 2008. To enroll in one of her classes
you must be a member of the local Lapidary and Silversmith Club. Further information
can be obtained by visiting the club site at (www.gvrlapidaryclub.com).
New classes on wax carving will be announced when dates are finalized.
Ellen is also available to do custom work and may be contacted at:
520-648-3743 or by e-mail at: birchside@aol.com

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