How a Small Canadian Jeweller Makes a Ring From Start to Finish
Most people who walk into a jewellery store see finished products in glass cases. They don't see the bench where the work happens. At Vanhess, the bench is in the back of the shop, and the person behind it is our goldsmith who designs and makes most of what we sell. Here's what the process looks like when a ring goes from raw metal to your finger.
Starting Material: The Gold
Pure gold (24K) is too soft for jewellery. It would bend, scratch, and deform with daily wear. So we alloy it. For 14K gold, the mix is 58.3% pure gold and 41.7% other metals. For 18K, it's 75% pure gold and 25% alloy. The alloy metals determine the colour: copper and silver for yellow gold, palladium or nickel for white gold, copper with less silver for rose gold.
We start with refined gold alloy in the karat and colour we need. Sometimes that's a cast grain that comes pre-mixed from a refiner. Sometimes the goldsmith melts and mixes the alloy on the bench, which gives more control over the exact colour and workability.
Design: Sketch and CAD
Every ring starts as an idea. For stock pieces, the goldsmith works from designs they've developed over years. For custom work, the process starts with a conversation and rough sketches, then moves to CAD (computer-aided design) for complex pieces. CAD generates a 3D model that can be rotated, measured, and adjusted before any material is committed.
Not everything needs CAD. A simple band or a classic solitaire can go straight from concept to wax. CAD is most useful for pieces with multiple stones, complex geometry, or designs where millimetre-level precision matters.
Wax Carving
The design becomes physical as a wax model. The goldsmith carves the ring from a block of jeweller's wax using small files, heated tools, and sometimes a wax injection from a CAD-milled mould. This wax model is the exact shape the final ring will be. Every detail matters: the width of the shank, the height of the head, the shape of the prongs, the thickness of the walls.
Wax is forgiving. If the proportions are wrong, the goldsmith can add or remove wax easily. This is why we ask customers to come in and try the wax model on their finger during custom jobs. Changes in wax cost nothing. Changes in gold cost a lot.
Lost-Wax Casting
The wax model gets attached to a wax "tree" (a central sprue that channels molten metal) and then encased in a plaster-like material called investment. This assembly goes into a kiln where it's heated slowly to around 700°C. The wax melts and burns out, leaving a perfect negative cavity inside the investment block.
Molten gold is then forced into that cavity through centrifugal casting (spinning the investment while pouring) or vacuum casting (pulling the metal into the cavity with a pressure differential). The metal fills every detail of the mould, including fine prong tips and textured surfaces.
When the investment is broken away with water, a rough gold ring emerges. It looks nothing like a finished piece at this stage. It's dull, has casting sprues attached, and the surface is rough.
Cleanup and Metalwork
The casting sprues are cut off with a jeweller's saw. The rough surfaces are filed smooth. The inside of the band is rounded for comfort (called a comfort fit). If the ring needs to be a precise size, it goes on the mandrel and is checked against a ring gauge.
For rings with settings, the goldsmith shapes the prongs or bezel at this stage. Prongs start as thick posts that are refined down to the right thickness and shape. Too thin and they won't hold the stone. Too thick and they'll obscure the stone and look clunky.
Stone Setting
This is the most nerve-wracking part. The goldsmith positions the stone in the setting and carefully pushes each prong over the edge of the stone using specialized pliers and a beading tool. The pressure has to be exact. Too little and the stone is loose. Too much and the stone cracks, especially with softer stones or ones with inclusions.
A well-set stone should be completely secure with no movement, but the prongs should be neat and evenly spaced. After setting, the goldsmith checks under a loupe to make sure every prong is making proper contact and the stone is level.
Polishing
The ring goes through progressive grits of polishing compound on a spinning buff wheel. Coarse compound removes file marks and casting texture. Medium compound smooths. Fine compound (rouge) gives the mirror finish. For textured finishes (brushed, hammered, matte), the polishing stops earlier or specific textures are applied after the initial cleanup.
White gold rings get rhodium-plated at this stage for that bright white finish. The ring is dipped in a rhodium solution with an electric current for a few seconds, depositing a thin, hard, white coating.
Quality Check and Hallmarking
The finished ring gets inspected under magnification for any defects: porosity in the casting, uneven prongs, scratches, incomplete polish. If anything fails inspection, it goes back to the bench. The Precious Metals Marking Act requires that gold jewellery sold in Canada bear a karat stamp. The ring gets stamped with its karat (14K, 18K) and the maker's mark.
Then it's ready. From start to finish, a custom ring like this takes 4 to 6 weeks. A stock piece that the goldsmith has made before can be completed faster because the design phase is already done.
Key Takeaways
- A gold ring starts as alloyed metal, gets carved in wax, cast through lost-wax casting, cleaned up, set with stones, polished, and quality-checked.
- Lost-wax casting has been used for over 5,000 years. The technology has evolved, but the fundamental process is the same.
- Stone setting is the highest-skill step. It requires precision and experience to secure a stone without damaging it.
- At Vanhess, all of this happens on site. The goldsmith who made the ring is the person who can repair it later.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to make a ring from scratch?
At Vanhess Jewellery in Coquitlam, a custom ring takes 4 to 6 weeks from initial design to finished piece. That includes the design phase (1-2 weeks), wax model, casting, stone setting, polishing, and quality check. Simple stock designs that the goldsmith has made before can be completed in 1 to 2 weeks.
Is handmade jewellery better than machine-made?
Both methods can produce excellent jewellery. Handmade pieces (even those using CAD and casting) benefit from a goldsmith's eye and judgement at every step. Machine-made pieces are more consistent and often cheaper. The advantage of handmade is customization, the ability to adjust on the fly, and the relationship with the maker. At Vanhess, every piece gets hand-finished by our goldsmith regardless of how it was initially formed.
What happens to the gold dust and scraps?
Nothing is wasted. Gold filings, polishing dust, and casting sprues are all collected and sent to a refiner who recovers the gold. Even the polishing cloths get burned to recover trapped gold particles. Gold is too valuable to throw away, and recycling it is standard practice across the industry.
Sources
Process described reflects Vanhess workshop practices, April 2026. If you spot something out of date, let us know.
Visit Vanhess
Want to see the process in person? Ask us about the bench when you visit. We're at 2929 Barnet Highway, Unit 2424, Coquitlam BC. Our goldsmith works on site. Browse our ring collection or call (604) 653-6449 to ask about custom work.
