All metal shrinks. It’s a fundamental reality of the casting process, yet it’s often overlooked when designers evaluate fit, stone tolerances, and assembly requirements. When molten metal cools and solidifies, it contracts. This shrinkage happens at predictable rates depending on the alloy being used. Understanding how shrinkage affects the final dimensions of a piece allows…
One of the first decisions a designer makes when submitting a casting order is the metal.Gold, silver, and platinum may seem interchangeable at the design stage, but in reality each metal behaves very differently during casting. Understanding those differences helps designers make smarter decisions about structure, durability, and finish. Here are the key things to…
When a casting fails, the metal usually gets blamed.In reality, most casting problems are born much earlier — inside the CAD file itself. Porosity, distortion, incomplete fills, weak prongs, warped shanks — these are rarely casting-house mysteries. They are predictable outcomes of geometry that wasn’t designed with casting in mind. Understanding what causes failures upstream…
Speed gets the attention.Predictability builds the business. In jewelry casting, most problems don’t come from how fast a job moves — they come from uncertainty. Unclear pricing. Unclear timelines. Unclear expectations about what will actually arrive in the box. That’s why experienced designers don’t optimize for speed alone. They optimize for repeatability. A predictable casting…
In the jewelry industry, the casting process has traditionally been a black box. Designers send a file, wait for a quote, wait for a timeline, and hope the finished piece matches what they envisioned. That uncertainty is exactly what the modern workflow eliminates. Today, casting is no longer a slow, opaque sequence of emails and…
Today’s jewelry workflow supports both traditional wax models and modern castable resins. Each has its advantages depending on the design, the level of detail, and the workflow expectations. Here’s a clear breakdown of how both materials perform in a casting environment. 1. Wax Models: Traditional, Reliable, and Predictable Wax has been used in lost-wax casting…
In jewelry casting, most failures don’t happen in the metal — they happen long before the pour.Weak geometry, improper supports, porosity-prone areas, and incorrect wall thicknesses all originate in CAD. The casting house can’t fix those mistakes once the model is printed. Here are the seven most common reasons castings fail, and what designers can…
In jewelry manufacturing, casting is the step that turns your 3D model into a solid, workable metal part. Designers often understand CAD, measurements, and client revisions — but the foundry side can feel distant. This guide explains the casting process in simple terms so you know exactly what happens once your file is ready. 1….