Production aware (lost wax casting) jewelry or ornate gift designer one-time project Anyone

My name is Donovan, and I am the founder of Moriah Cross Works, a new company manufacturing heirloom-quality gifts. I am writing to enquire whether you would be available and interested in joining me as a CAD design partner for what I hope will be a long-term working relationship as the range grows.

Moriah Cross Works will launch with a focused range of three products, with additional designs rolling out over the coming months. The aesthetic positioning is mid-range pricing with genuinely heirloom-quality construction - pieces that are meant to be kept, gifted, and passed down rather than discarded. All products will be investment cast in brass with subsequent silver plating (India/China), and assembled in Israel.

My first product is ready for design and manufacture, with two further products to follow in the near term. I am therefore looking to commission a production-aware jewelry engineer who can take a design from concept brief through to a complete, factory-ready file package without requiring the manufacturer to solve engineering problems on my behalf.

What I need from a designer:
The technical requirements for this engagement are specific, and I ask that you read them carefully before responding, as I will only be moving forward with designers who are confident across all of the following areas.

Software and methodology: I require experience in Rhino 3D combined with ZBrush, or equivalent jewelry-focused parametric or organic modeling tools. The work must be production-aware from the first sketch - not adapted for manufacture after the creative phase.

Casting knowledge: All designs will be produced by investment casting using the lost-wax process in brass. I need a designer with a thorough working understanding of shrinkage rates, wall thickness minimums for hollow structures, draft angles, gate placement, and casting tolerances.

Organic and sculptural forms: The Moriah Cross Works aesthetic involves organic shapes, sculptural elements, and, in some cases, filigree structures. I need a designer who has specific experience with intricate decorative detail and who understands the practical threshold between detail that survives casting and detail that gets lost. This is not a geometric or minimalist brief - I am looking for someone who is comfortable with complexity and can advise me on what is and is not achievable at a given scale throughout the design process.

Plating awareness: All finished pieces will be silver-plated to heirloom standard, beginning at 8 microns and up to 15 microns, depending on the product type. I require a designer who understands how plating interacts with form - specifically edge softening after polishing and plating, how recessed areas behave differently from raised surfaces, and how to design with the finished plated surface in mind rather than the bare cast surface.

Deliverables: For each product, I require a complete file package consisting of a print-ready STL file, an editable source file in 3DM format, and a technical drawing PDF with full dimensions, wall thickness callouts, and tolerances marked.

Prototyping and revision workflow:
My preferred workflow includes a minimum of two revision rounds, with a preference for four and further modification if any casting defects emerge from the first metal prototype. I ask that your quotation clearly states your standard revision turnaround time, and provides a written definition of what constitutes a revision within the agreed scope versus what would be treated as a new design instruction requiring a separate quote. This clarity matters to me - I want to avoid ambiguity mid-project.

Quotation and pricing structure:
I have a strong preference for a single fixed project fee covering the complete scope of work described above - all design phases, the agreed revision rounds, resin print review and adjustments, post-casting modifications, and the full deliverable file package. I am not looking for hourly billing or itemised invoicing, as I find a fixed project price creates a cleaner working relationship with aligned incentives on both sides. Your quotation should therefore be a single all-inclusive figure for the complete project as scoped, with the only exclusions being work that falls outside the agreed brief or exceeds the defined revision rounds as per your stated definition of revision versus new design. If your standard practice is hourly or itemised billing, I am open to a conversation, but a fixed project fee remains my strong preference and will be a significant factor in my decision between candidates.

Intellectual property and confidentiality:
Before any concept brief or product details are shared, I require a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement. The NDA will confirm the following without exception: all CAD files, source files, derivatives, and production rights created under this engagement are my exclusive property from the moment of delivery; the designer may not reuse, resell, modify, sublicense, or produce any design created for Moriah Cross Works for any other client or purpose; and all design information shared by me remains strictly confidential.

I will be happy to chat with you if you are interested in this project, and I'll forward the NDA for signature. Once I have received the signed NDA, I will send the full concept brief and request a formal quotation. read less