The workshop
At Assaya Jewelry, jewelry is made in small quantities, by hand, by artisans with real know-how. The manufacturing is done in several stages, thanks to the lost wax process.
The design
Inspired by her travels and her environment, the designer puts her ideas on paper. She makes sketches, then adds precise measurements before sending them to her studio.
The prototype
Once the final design is validated, the workshop creates a prototype from it. Corrections are made if necessary. Once perfect, a rubber mold is created to preserve the imprint of this prototype. This mold is then used to create the different jewelry.
Wax replica
Liquid wax is injected into this rubber mold and allowed to cool and harden for a few minutes. This wax can then be removed from the mold to make a perfect replica of the jewelry. The artisans must create as many wax pieces as the model pieces ordered.
The cylinder
Once the wax replicas are ready, they are glued onto a wax rod that has been hardened with hot wax. They sit like the branches of a tree, without touching each other. The barrel is then placed in a metal cylinder that is filled with heat-resistant plaster and solidifies within an hour.
Wax melting
This cylinder is then placed in a high temperature oven to melt the wax and leave only the negative impression of the jewel in the plaster.
Recycled 925 sterling silver
The heated liquid silver is injected into the plaster cylinder. The liquid metal will therefore fill in the negative traces of the jewel.
Demolding
After cooling, the plaster mold is then destroyed and the tree with the silver jewelry is revealed. At this stage, the silver is not shiny and has several defects that the following steps will correct. The various jewels are cut from the tree, cleaned and polished.
Polishing
At Assaya Jewelry, we use both machine and hand polishing. The polisher ensures that the metal is polished to perfection so that it is as shiny as possible. Only a skilled and experienced craftsman can do this.
The plating
Next comes the gilding process, which is an electrochemical process whereby layers of gold are deposited on silver. A current draws positively charged gold ions through a gold bath solution to adhere to a negatively charged piece of jewelry. At Assaya Jewelry, we opt for a minimum of 3 layers of 18k gold. More gold, more processing time but better quality!
The finish
Finishing involves giving the jewel its final shine, hallmarking it and checking that it is perfect when worn.
Ethical Sourcing
We are committed to sustainably sourcing our precious metals and stones.
