Create jewelry with lost wax casting

The Foundry - Community Jewelry Workshop

The Foundry is a learning studio and community space located in the heart of downtown Ventura.

Students are guided through the ancient craft of sculpting wax for lost wax metal casting, shaping and polishing stones, and stone setting, giving you the tools to bring your jewelry visions to reality.

Each class combines structured skill-building through guided projects with time to explore and experiment with your own texture and form. Not only will you leave with pieces that you actually want to wear, you’ll leave with a sense of empowerment, community, and a love for wax and stones and the alchemy of transforming them to metal and gems.

Welcome to The Foundry.

Metal casting is the process of pouring molten metal into a mold to create a desired form. As the liquid metal cools and solidifies within the mold, it takes on the exact shape of the cavity. The new metal is then removed, cleaned and polished.

Our studio specializes in the lost wax casting method, a specific technique where your wax sculpture is encased in a plaster mold. The wax is then melted away, leaving behind a detailed space that perfectly mirrors your original design. Molten metal is poured into this void, creating an exact metal replica of your original hand-carved wax piece.