Once a design is approved on screen, there is more than one way to make it real. The choice affects the detail you can hold, the surface you start from, and the price.
Printed wax or castable resin
A 3D printer builds the piece layer by layer in a material that burns out cleanly. The piece is then cast in metal by the lost-wax method. It handles complex shapes, undercuts and fine internal detail, and works for a single piece as easily as for a few dozen. Most custom jewelry is made this way.
CNC-milled wax
A machine carves the model from a solid block of wax. The surfaces can be very clean and the walls consistent, which suits simpler forms such as plain bands and bold geometric shapes. The limits are reach and geometry: a cutter cannot get into every undercut or internal space that a printer can build.
Direct metal printing
The piece is printed straight in metal powder, with no wax and no casting. It can produce structures that casting struggles with, such as lattices and interlocking parts. The surface usually needs more finishing, the cost is higher, and not every alloy a jeweler wants is available. It is a specialist tool, not a default.
A quick way to choose
- One-off or small run with fine detail: printed wax or resin, then cast.
- Clean, simple forms, repeated: CNC wax, or printed wax from a mold.
- Unusual structure that cannot be cast: direct metal printing.
What to ask your manufacturer
Which method are you quoting, and why? What surface will I receive, and how much finishing does it need? If the answer is always the same method, ask whether it is chosen for your design or for their workshop.