For those of you who are following this blog or Marty Magic Jewelry on Facebook, you know that Alisha recently completed the wax carving for her detailed, ocean themed ear cuff, “Poseidon’s Gift.”
Octopus and Starfish Ear Cuff – Poseidon’s Gift
Ouch! Broken pieces of wax. Poseidon’s Gift Ear Cuff
What many of you may not understand is the long and involved process of production following the many hours of design and sculpting the wax. There are many pitfalls that can happen along the way to a finished product.
Wax carving of a giant squid attacking the Nautilus submarine
On Friday, March 28th, I carefully pack both Alisha’s wax, “Poseidon’s Gift” and Art’s and my collaborative wax design of a giant squid attacking the Nautilus and ship them to the California based foundry that does our casting. I tuck each of our waxes in tiny zip lock bags, pad each wax between clouds of soft cotton batting inside small jewelry boxes and subsequently float the two small boxes in a larger box cushioned with bubble wrap, tissue paper and love. Wanting to be extra careful, I put this box inside yet another larger box, cushioned all around with styrofoam peanuts. Our precious cargo is virtually packed within a cloud that I imagine an angel will love bouncing or floating within. I hand carry the box to our local post office where they stamp it FRAGILE and I ship the box U.S.P.S. express mail so that it will arrive at the casters on Monday.
With my conscience clear, I fly to Baja on Sunday leaving Alisha to tend the Marty Magic business for a week on her own. I get only intermittent e-mail when I am off the grid at the tip of Baja but I make sure to call Alisha daily. I call to check in on Monday and to ask how everything is going and Alisha is distressed. Her wax had broken during transit and the foundry is shipping the two sections back to her for repair. Art’s and my wax of the Giant Squid and Nautilus had also arrived broken and is being returned for repair plus suggested design adaptations to make the casting easier. I will need to thicken up the stabilizing fin of my squid so that the molten metal can flow smoothly into all sections of the intricate design. I assure Alisha that aside from a few hours more of our time, all will be fine.
The anatomy of a squid
On Thursday, when I speak to Alisha again, she is nearly in tears. The foundry has returned both of our waxes but her wax is now in six pieces. I tell her to wait until I am home and on Tuesday when we will put “Humpty Dumpty” back together again.
Today, Alisha and I worked together at our wax stations and both of our designs are repaired and improved. We will mail them to our casters tomorrow. Please say a small blessing for the safe passage of Poseidon’s Gift Ear Cuff and the Squid and Nautilus Pendant.