Although some designers, sculpturally oriented, might carve a design into being, almost all jewelry begins with a sketch of piece of jewelry. Although some computer programs now exist to standardize this process, many designers still prefer pencils. Whatever method they use, designs are often drawn from different perspectives since almost all jewelry is three-dimensional in concept.

The sketch also needs to be in proportion, so that the size of the stone can be calculated. Most cast jewelry is set with standard size gems, so the designer needs to plan which of these sizes will be used. Sometimes the design is created with variations for different stone sizes and shapes.

The sketched design is then carved into being, usually in special jeweler’s wax. This model must be perfect and flawless in every detail, since the final piece will only be as good as the model. The tricky thing is that during the process of turning this model into a final piece, the scale will shrink slightly, depending on the materials used. So the model maker needs to make sure that the original wax model is slightly larger than desired: but large just the right amount so that the setting and the ring, for example, will be the right size after shrinking for the stone and the finger it’s being made to fit. To help the model maker achieve perfection, there are lots of tools, including pens that precisely add wax where desired, tools that carve it away, and standard size wax molds for the band and setting basket, which can be used as is or modified.