Tidewater Metalworks is a small business based out of Brooke, VA in the rolling hills above the tributaries of Virginia’s Tidewater region. Founded in a garage, TWMW began as a project to make the perfect engagement ring. The perfect ring was something unique and personal—the opposite of mass-produced, something with a story and a soul—something made by hand with care and attention—something as special as the commitment it symbolized. The next several years were spent learning and eventually mastering jewelry making techniques through books, metalworking courses, streaming videos, online forums, and a lot of trial and error with low-cost metals like bronze, gradually acquiring mostly used and even antique equipment from retired jewelers and dentists through online classifieds and auction websites. The goal was to make something simple using minimal equipment since time and budget were both very limited.

Sand casting, the technique we use at least in part to make all of our jewelry, is one of the oldest known metalworking techniques and has been in continuous use since at least 3,600 years ago. Brilliantly low-tech and simple, all that’s really required to get started is a mold, some sand, a torch and some metal. With sand casting, a hand-carved wax model is used to create an impression in two halves of a mold formed with packed sand. A charge of metal is then melted and poured into the mold and cooled before the piece is ready for the next step of the manufacturing process.

All but forgotten in the jewelry industry, sand casting has largely been dismissed in favor of investment casting, in which dozens or even hundreds of identical, nearly finished pieces can be produced in a single casting operation, including with gemstones already set in place. With sand casting, mass-production is nearly impossible because of constraints placed on the shapes that can be molded, and metals come out quite rough, requiring a lot more finishing. But with a little bit of work, metal formed by sand casting looks unlike anything else on the market.

The beauty of sand casting, as we see it, is that the process produces jewelry that is always one of a kind. It is (quite literally) impossible to make two pieces that are exactly alike with the technique. That unique and imperfect texture is what we believe makes sand cast jewelry so beautiful. More importantly, and unlike any other jewelry manufacturing process, sand casting captures the essence of the material in which the metal was formed. The composition of the individual grains of sand suffuses each piece with its own character. The beautiful, almost organic texture of the metal bears the physical memory of a time and a place on its surface. A perfect view from the top of a mountain. A beach where you fell in love. A piece of jewelry becomes a memento of a cherished moment in time.

What began as a project to build the perfect engagement ring, over time, evolved into a philosophy about how jewelry ought to be made, and eventually a small business committed to those principles. In practice, this means making everything, from the raw alloys to the polished and finished pieces, entirely by hand. It also means eliminating or reducing to the absolute best of our abilities the environmental and social impacts of our business in an industry that has historically been responsible for more harm than good. This includes using recycled, reclaimed and repurposed precious metals and recycled packaging, using ethically-sourced gems from producers committed to exploitation-free practices, and always looking for partnerships with producers that share our values. It also means making every effort to produce jewelry that is not more expensive than what most people take home in a month, and working out installment plans for customers wishing to commission a piece but who may not be able to cover it all at once. In short, we believe jewelry should be unique and personal, made by hand sustainably and responsibly, and for everyone—never exclusive.

These are our values, and this is our jewelry.