I have always been somewhat curious by the heightened intensity that comes with the imminent potential of loss.

From the small and simple, to the profound and painful, there is a savored urgency with anything that just might be slipping out of your fingers...

You might have never noticed it, but you will now...

It's the ever-so-slight nostalgia that comes with a glorious sunset, a pensive, happy, but aching feeling somewhere at your core, as your subconscious bids farewell to yet another day of precious life.

Share an entree with someone and watch how every bite becomes that much more delicious, the flavors heightened, the textures melting, as you elongate your side of the plate, knowing you will still be left wanting slightly more...

And then there comes the bittersweetness that is a goodbye. I need not delve too deep, but saying goodbye, losing someone, no matter what the situation, will always saturate and emphasize every color of emotion you're capable of feeling. Every grain of that person's being crystalizes before you and forms a lump that sits heavy at the base of your throat, for no matter the reason, never will that soul have ever been so precious or so significant as they are at "Goodbye". They are a one-off. You are a one-off. What you shared was a one of a kind...

It's not morbid, it's extraordinary, it's our higher being, it's us understanding just how valuable every minute we get truly is...

So what on earth does that have to do with you or my work? 

I am a lost wax carver - which is an ancient Egyptian art form of carving sculpture into wax, that is then set into heatproof plaster and fired in a kiln where the wax completely melts away, leaving a hollow cavity in the plaster for molten metal to be then poured in to.

It is called "lost wax casting" because that one original carving is then forever lost. The remaining metal cast that you are left with - your piece - is the single only one to exist.

The process is nothing short of a gamble and there is a humbling element of chance involved in every single cast - and this is all part of what makes the process so incredibly unique and utterly thrilling. 

Your jewelry piece is made this exact way. Carving a tiny jewelry sculpture in wax, one at a time, channeling the essence of your unique spirit - yes I'm a believer in that - to create something that will be entirely unique to that one single piece.

The technique of adding stones to the wax carving is known as "Cast in Place", and using heat I sink hand-selected stones into the wax sculpture. I carve out little stone beds and build up wax around the stones, I work these gems into my carving, allowing the heat to lead and the stones to fall where they will. The goal is this sweet spot where there is enough space around the stone to allow light to pour in and illuminate it, and enough wax around the stone to hold it secure once cast - but sparingly enough to create a visually precarious setting, without a traditional bezel or prong setting in sight!

It is a signature of my style and means no piece is exactly replicable. 

Every single piece is unique to the next, the stones have their own spectrum of diversity, and the natural ebb and flow of the wax makes for an organic sense of movement and equilibrium in the metal that pours into its vacated space. Not all stones will survive this process, it's only possible with Diamonds, Sapphires, Ruby's, Garnets, Rhodolites, and a few brave souls I dare to throw into the mix. Anything can happen in the cast...

If you want something bespoke made for you or have any specific desires or curiosities please reach out and email me. So much of my work is taking these starting points as your canvas, or inspiration, and custom creating something entirely for you.

Made with passion, made with fire. 

-JM