Hi! I’m Laura, completely in love with mitsuro hikime and other styles of organic and botanical jewelry. 

I create most of my jewelry with mitsuro hikime wax, which was used in ancient Japan for sculpting. The Japanese roots of the word are “mitsu” (honey); “ro” (wax); “hiki” (draw); and “me” (texture). 

First, I mix pine resin, bees wax, and paraffin to create the wax. I pull the wax quickly to create organic shapes and textures. The process is very fluid and meditational, as the wax cools quickly. The beauty of natural elements such as flowers, leaves, and waves are evident in the pulled wax. Then, I sprue and cast the wax models via the lost wax casting process in my Portland, Oregon studio. 

I have been experimenting with mitsuro hikime wax for several years now. I have tweaked the recipe to learn how different formulas will create different textures. The process is finicky, as the wax is temperamental. The manner in which the wax pulls is dependent upon outside temperature and body heat, as well as the recipe of the wax itself. I am obsessed with everything about this wax, from the smell of the pine resin and beeswax; to the calm feeling that I get when I pull it; to the joy and wonder that I feel after casting, when I see how the wax is rendered in metal.

I am fortunate in having an incredible mentor, my partner, Dan Palmer, the fine jeweler behind Ravens’ Refuge.

Thank you for visiting my website. I hope that you enjoy viewing my work.