About the Course
Wax Carving Fundamentals
Carve flat and half-round wedding bands and geometric forms — the hand-carving skill behind every cast piece.
This course introduces wax carving from the ground up: the tools and materials used, and the hand control needed to carve a clean, cast-ready piece. You'll carve two wedding band profiles — flat and half-round — then move into geometric shape carving, finishing each piece smooth and ready for casting.
Class Details
Duration: 5 days (Monday–Friday)
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (one-hour lunch)
Class size: 6 students max
Prerequisite: None — Bench Fundamentals is recommended but not required
What's included: Tools provided for in-class use; materials and finished practice pieces are yours to keep
Suggested price: $1,000–$1,250 (provisional — consistent with the premium pricing band from our repricing discussion; not yet finalized)
Skills You'll Gain
Identify and select appropriate wax materials — tube, sheet, and block — for a project
Use core wax carving tools: files, blades, wax pens, and a ring tube reamer
Carve a flat-profile wedding band from wax
Carve a half-round profile wedding band from wax
Carve basic geometric shapes and forms in wax, finished smooth and cast-ready
Day-by-Day
Day 1 — Introduction to wax tools and materials: wax types (tube, sheet, block) and core carving tools.
Day 2 — Flat wedding band: carving a flat-profile band from wax tube stock.
Day 3 — Half-round wedding band: carving a half-round profile band.
Day 4 — Geometric shapes, part one: carving basic geometric forms and facets in wax.
Day 5 — Geometric shapes, part two, and capstone: refining geometric carving and finishing all pieces smooth and cast-ready.
What This Class Doesn't Cover Casting itself — melting and pouring metal into the finished wax (covered in the Goldsmith Technician diploma's Manufacturing weeks) — and gemstone setting.
What You'll Leave With A flat wedding band wax, a half-round wedding band wax, and a geometric-shape wax carving — all finished and ready to be cast.