Lots of natural objects if they are thin and dry can be invested, burnt out and reproduced by casting. But as they come from the sketchbook of a Higher Power, as it were and you are unlikely to do the casting yourself, there is very little personal input.

Alternatively you might try carving in wax, but it is difficult and too specialised to take up in a casual way, so there is definitely a learning curve. Wax can be turned, carved with hand tools or burrs, filed, or simply heated and dripped. But it’s easy to make an incautious move and return to square one. So with a firm grip and some tungstan carbide burrs I prefer to carve the silver directly.

There is an apocryphal story, that in ancient times when you went shopping for statues, as we often still do, you had to be careful to see that there were no faults filled in with wax. Hence sin- cire.

Below is my dragon brooch, carved in wax and sent to a caster. But the wings were made from sheet and added later. The wire ribs were stitched through holes and soldered in place before trimming back any excess metal. The faceted stones for eyes were put in back to front to look more fierce. It is a juvenile with rather clompy feet.

The frog on a casket was carved directly from silver sheet but the front legs and silver beads for eyes were added later.

The sea horse pendant was also carved from thick sheet, the fins soldered on and the tail curled up.
Yours sincerely, Dennis.