I don’t use computer-aided design, or CAD, in my jewelry practice. I work through direct metal fabrication and wax carving because designing, for me, is a physical process. I want to hold a form, turn it, and respond to it as it develops.

I’m looking for an organic sense of weight, subtle hand-hewn textures, and thoughtful construction. The hand of the maker isn’t something I’m trying to erase. It’s part of the piece.

What is direct metal fabrication?

Direct metal fabrication means building a piece by working with the metal itself, rather than beginning with a model of the whole piece to be cast.

For my settings, I usually work directly in metal. Occasionally, I carve them in wax instead. The design guides that decision, rather than either method having a fixed role.

What is wax carving?

Wax carving is a way of developing a jewelry design in a physical wax model that can later be cast in metal. But in my practice, wax is more than a model-making material. It’s a kind of three-dimensional sketch.

When a design calls for a lot of detail, wax gives me a way to explore the idea as I carve. I don’t have to resolve every decision on paper before beginning. I can hold the form, look at it from different angles, and refine it as the design becomes clearer.

The sketch and the making become part of the same conversation.

Why not design on a screen?

CAD is a different way of developing a design. My preference is to work directly with materials because that’s how I think through a piece.

A drawing can establish a direction, but a physical form asks different questions. How do the proportions relate? Where does the piece need substance? What should be refined, and what should remain expressive?

Working by hand keeps those decisions close to me. I’m not simply making an object from a finished plan. The process helps me discover the design.

Experimentation and the Volume setting

Working directly with materials gives me room to experiment and take chances. Sometimes the most interesting part of a design is something I didn’t plan at the outset.

The heavy outer gold edge of my Volume settings emerged that way. It became a feature I wanted to carry forward: a substantial frame around the stone, with subtle hand-hewn texture and a contour that retains the touch of the maker.

That’s part of why I work this way. I’m not only translating an idea into an object. I’m leaving room for something unexpected to happen, and paying attention when it does.

Organic weight and hand-hewn texture

When I talk about organic weight, I mean the sense of substance I want a piece to have. It’s part of the relationship between its form and the person wearing it.

Texture matters too. I’m drawn to subtle hand-hewn surfaces that let the making remain visible. That doesn’t mean every piece needs a rough finish. It means the maker’s touch belongs in the design rather than being treated as something to remove.

These are qualities I pursue through both wax carving and direct metal work.

What about durability?

Durability is an intention, not a guarantee that comes with choosing a particular tool.

For me, structure belongs in the design conversation alongside appearance. A piece should be considered as something to wear, not only something to look at. Its substance, setting, and construction matter as much as its surface.

Working by hand is how I approach those decisions. It isn’t a claim that another method cannot produce a durable piece.

Choosing the method that suits the jewelry

Wax and metal aren’t opposing approaches in my studio.

Wax lets me sketch in three dimensions and develop intricate details. Direct metal fabrication is how I usually build settings. Sometimes a setting begins in wax too.

I choose according to what the piece needs. The continuity is the physical relationship with the work: shaping, looking, reconsidering, and refining.

What this means for a custom commission

A custom piece begins with a conversation, but the design continues to develop through the making.

After our consultation, I send a sketch, price quote, and proposed time frame. As the piece takes shape, I often suggest a fitting. If you’re pressed for time, process photos sent by text or email provide another way to review the work together.

You can read more in From Rough Concept to Final Polish: How a Custom Jewelry Commission Works.

Jewelry with the maker’s hand still present

My choice not to use CAD is a choice about how I want to work.

I want to think through my hands. To use wax as a sketch. To build in metal. To leave room for the material process to inform the finished form.

The result I’m pursuing is jewelry with substance, intention, and the maker’s hand still present. Something personal, both in why it’s worn and in how it’s made.