As promised in an earlier post , here is some video of the actual casting part of making a cast piece of jewelry. Before this step, a model must be created. The model can be carved from wax or be some sort of organic material, both of which burn away at the temperatures reached inside the kiln shown in the video. Before the models go into the kiln, they are invested. Investing is the process of surrounding the model inside a steel flask in which you pour liquid investment. Investment is a silica based type of very fine plaster. After the investment air dries for 2 hours, the flask or flasks go into the kiln for a typical 10-12 hour burn out cycle that reaches temperatures close to 1400 degrees. Once that cycle comes to an end the temperature is lowered to around 850 degrees to prepare for casting. The flask is removed from the kiln and in this case molten silver is forced into the negative space left behind by the model, either with centrifugal force or by vacuum. We use a vacuum system at Custom. After allowing some time for the molten silver to cool, it is quenched in a bucket of water. The thermal shock of the still hot investment when submerged in water explodes it outwards and leaves you with your new piece of cast jewelry.