Making jewellery using Mitsuro Hikime wax
As a jeweller, I'm always experimenting with new techniques to help me bring my ideas and designs to life. Recently, I was captivated by the ancient Japanese art of Mitsuro Hikime wax. It's not your average wax carving, it's a mesmerising process that transforms a lump of wax into stunning, organic forms.
Narratorium Enso jewellery collection made from Mitsuro Hikime wax
The Magic of Mitsuro Hikime
Unlike traditional wax carving, Mitsuro Hikime starts with a special wax recipe. This unique blend, often containing beeswax and resins, becomes pliable when warmed. The real magic happens when you start working the wax. It's like taffy – you pull, stretch, and fold it repeatedly. With each manipulation, the wax develops these incredible striations and textures that are completely organic. It's like capturing the flow of water in solidified wax.
The creative process of forming beautiful shapes
The beauty of Mitsuro Hikime lies in its adaptability. You can create flowing, sculptural curves or more geometric shapes, depending on how you manipulate the wax. For me, it was absolutely perfect for bringing one of my ideas to life, a collection inspired also by a Japanese Zen symbol known as Enso - a freeform circle drawn/painted in one go which is symbolic of when the mind is free to let the body create. And therefore a symbol of creativity and enlightenment.
Narratorium's Enso one-of-a-kind rings
The consistency and texture of the wax was perfect for creating brush like circles in wax, which I could translate into pendants, charms, rings and earrings to express this symbol and concept. The Mitsuro Hikime wax was absolutely perfect for adding a unique depth and dimension in every piece.
Mitsuro Hikime wax shaped into rings
The challenges & the end result
Working with Mitsuro Hikime can be a bit of a challenge. It requires a good amount of experimentation and practice to get it right. No two pieces of wax turn out exactly the same, which is also part of the charm. You have to be comfortable letting go of complete control and embracing the organic nature of the material.
I learnt that its best to just keep making more and more pieces rather than strive for perfection, as you are never really fully in control. That way I am able to select the most interesting textures for casting afterwards, and then melt down the pieces I don’t want and start again, which is also another plus point for working in wax.
Once the wax is cast in silver, the magic really comes to life and the result is a series of completely unique, one-of-a-kind pieces with stunning brush like textures which makes the most wonderful collection of jewellery, see here to view the full collection.
Emma x