How We Make Custom Stainless Steel Jewelry: The Lost-Wax Casting Process

If you are a brand looking for a reliable custom jewelry manufacturer, you need to know how the production works. At Udinery, we use the Lost-Wax Casting method. It is the best way to make high-quality OEM/ODM jewelry in large amounts.

Here is a simple look at how our jewelry factory makes your products step by step.

1. 3D CAD Design & Prototyping

You send us your idea or drawing. First, our team uses 3D CAD software to make a digital file. (Note: We sign NDAs to keep your designs 100% safe). Then, we use a 3D printer to make a real model out of wax or resin. We check all the sizes and details here before moving forward.

2. Making the Silicone Mold

Next, we put the 3D-printed model inside liquid silicone. When the silicone gets hard, we cut it open and take the model out. Now we have a master mold. We use this mold to make hundreds of exact copies for jewelry mass production.

3. Wax Injection & The "Wax Tree"

We inject hot wax into the silicone mold. When it cools, we pull out a wax piece that looks exactly like your jewelry. To save time and keep your unit costs low, our workers attach many wax pieces to one main wax stick. It looks just like a tree.

4. Making the Plaster Shell

We put the wax tree inside a metal tube and fill it with liquid plaster. After the plaster hardens, we put it into a very hot oven. The wax melts and runs out of the bottom. Now, we are left with a hard plaster shell that has empty spaces inside, shaped perfectly like your jewelry.

5. Casting Stainless Steel

This is the most important step. As a trusted jewelry wholesale supplier, you can choose to use 316L stainless steel. We melt the steel and pour it into the hot plaster shell. We do this inside a vacuum machine. This pulls out all the air so there are no bubbles or weak spots in your jewelry.

6. Breaking the Mold

After the metal cools down and hardens, we break the plaster shell off. We cut the raw jewelry pieces off the main branch. Right now, the metal surface is rough and needs finishing.

7. Polishing and PVD Plating

This final step makes the jewelry ready to sell.

• Smoothing:We clean off any rough edges.
• Hand Polishing:Our workers polish each piece by hand until it has a perfect mirror shine or a nice matte look.
• PVD Plating:If you want gold, rose gold, or black jewelry, we use PVD coating (Physical Vapor Deposition). Real 18K gold PVD plating lasts a very long time and does not fade easily.
• Quality Control (QC):Finally, we check every single piece to make sure there are no scratches before we pack and ship them to you.
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Looking for a Jewelry Factory?

Finding the right factory makes all the difference. Whether you want to start a new line or need better prices for your current products, Udinery is here to help.

Contact us today to talk about your design, get a price list, or ask about our MOQ!