Jewelry III: Cuttlefish Casting

Cuttlefish casting is an ancient technique of creating a cast object that goes back at least 5000 years. Cuttlefish are squid-like sea creatures with unique skeletons that can be used to cast jewelry or small-scale objects. The inside of the cuttlebone is soft enough to carve, and it has a lovely pattern similar to wood grain which imparts a beautiful texture on the finished piece. Participants will learn two methods of preparing molds from the cuttlebone: direct carving and pressure molding. A design can either be carved into the bone, or a hard object can be pushed into the soft bone to make the mold into which molten metal will be poured. This is a quick and inexpensive method of casting, yielding results in a fraction of the time that it takes for lost wax casting.

Ancient bronze metal will be provided for casting as part of the class fee, however sterling silver will be available for purchase from instructor at a cost of approx. $25 per Troy ounce (based on market price of silver). Students may also bring their own sterling silver metal to cast if they have it available. Castings will require at least 1/2 ounce of metal, or possibly more depending on size of mold. Students may also bring a small hard object such as a ring or other small piece of metal jewelry if they would like to use it for the pressure molding.