What is called "lost wax" is a traditional process of casting precious metals like gold in wax first, for which the artisans of the former Akan Kingdom were renowned across West Africa for their mastery and excellence.
Our collection is made from recycled brass by an artisan on the outskirts of Kumasi, Ghana, following the time-intensive, traditional process. Kumasi is the former capital of the Akan Kingdom that stretched over Côte d'ivoire into Togo and lies in south-central Ghana, about 200 km inland from Accra. I spent a week there following the entire process from the first wax prototypes to the finished pendants.
In a first step, the artisan we worked with, Bannor, modeled each piece in beeswax, delicately creating dozens of miniature shapes by hand. A smooth paste of charcoal and clay is then applied and settles into every line of the wax, and a coarser coat of clay and palm fibre follows. Over the next few days, Bannor would group several wax-clay pieces and form them into kalabash-shaped clay to eventually fire it.
A crucible of brass is fused to the mould and set in glowing charcoal, and the flame’s colour tells the caster when the metal is ready. At about 900°C, the brass runs in. Once cooled, the clay is broken away, and the pieces are filed, buffed and cleaned with lemon juice.
All pendants of the Lost Wax Collection are crafted this way, each one a unique brass piece. In the necklaces, that brass meets glass from near Accra, where artisans melt down bottles into softly faceted beads.
Explore the Lost Wax Collection through the Grand Rosé Heritage, Blue Heritage, Grand Lagoon and Blue Coral necklaces. Blue Coral comes as a limited edition of seven.