The Beauty of Gold
and the art of lost wax casting
in the details
Signature Alloy
We cast all of our pieces in solid 18k yellow gold and refer to it as 'the Goldilocks of metals' because of its ideal warmth, heft, and softness. It is heavier and softer than 14k, maintains its shape better than 22k or 24k, and is an ideal warm color — deep and peachy. We custom-alloy all of our gold casting grains, which is why our gold is especially rich.
With daily wear of 18k gold, the color deepens and a glowing, rich patina develops.
in the details
What Makes Us Different
When encountering our rings for the first time, new collectors note how distinctly soft and weighty they feel. There are three main reasons for this: design, finishing, and gold volume.
Design. At the design stage, beauty and wearability are our priorities, so each sketch is full of soft curves and gentle edges so that the pieces will always feel incredible.
Finishing. During the finishing stage, maintaining the soft, buttery edges takes time, skill, and special finishing tools. When a piece comes out of a casting kiln rough, bench jewelers will typically reach for flat files and tapered polishing tips to knock off the bumps and high spots. These create flat, sharp planes. In order to avoid this result and ensure softness — and also maintain consistency in the process — our goldsmiths use proprietary finishing tools and practiced polishing techniques. This takes tremendous skill and attention.
Gold Volume. While careful finish work is critical, no amount of polishing will create a soft piece if the metal is too thin. The incredible softness of our pieces is made possible because we use a lot of gold. Where we have domes or fullness in our pieces, they are solid (not hollow or scooped out) so that your physical experience with the jewelry matches what your eyes expect. They weigh what they should weigh.
in the details
The Art of Lost Wax Casting
Each piece of George Rings jewelry is handmade using the lost wax casting method — a metal-forming technique over 6,000 years old.
Lost wax casting is accomplished through melting gold casting grains at high temperatures and allowing the molten gold to flow into negative space created from the "lost wax."
Each time we cast a piece, a corresponding vulcanized rubber mold is filled with wax in the shape that will eventually be the finished gold piece. The wax is placed inside of an empty flask that is then filled with creamy liquid plaster ("investment"), shaken on a centrifugal surface to remove air bubbles, and then allowed to rest and dry for several hours.
Once the investment is dry, the flask is placed inside a kiln overnight to allow the wax to slowly burn out. Gold casting grains are then poured into the intensely hot furnace to melt and flow into the negative space in the flask. The flask is then removed from the heat, quenched in water, and cleanup and finish work begins.
Final polishing work involves at least 12 stages — a skillful back and forth between wheels of varying shape and grit to ensure a timeworn softness.
The result is pure pleasure. Jewelry that feels as good as it looks.