Solo wax carving class in Yeonsinnae, Seoul: size 12 ring at Munak

I always love browsing accessories, but this time I wanted to make a ring my own way instead of just buying a finished one, so I went to Munak, a ring workshop near Yeonsinnae Station 💍

It wasn't a class where you just follow a set design — it was a wax carving one-day class where you carve and shape the wax yourself into whatever form you want. At first I worried whether I could actually pull it off, but even though I'm all thumbs, the teacher kept checking in and pointing out what to fix along the way, so it ended up way more fun than I expected haha

What I loved most was that Munak takes the wax ring I carved and refines and finishes it into an actual silver925 piece of jewelry. So here's my write-up of the wax carving ring-making experience at Munak, a Yeonsinnae ring workshop ☺️

Where Munak is and when it opens

Munak is on the 2nd floor of 23 Tongil-ro 83-gil, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, about a 5–7 minute walk from Yeonsinnae Station. It's open daily from 10:00 to 21:00, and reservations run through Naver Reservations.

• Group reservations available
• Pet-friendly
• No parking — nearby Yeonsinnae public parking lot recommended (453-5 Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul)

Walking to Munak from Yeonsinnae Station

I found Munak while looking for something unusual or new to do in Yeonsinnae! It's close enough to the station that getting there by public transit was easy. A café date or a movie date is nice, but this time I wanted something a bit special, so I chose a hands-on indoor date in Seoul with myself ☺️

Ring workshops are pretty popular these days for making couple rings or friendship rings! I decided to take the chance to make my own ring too 💍

Inside Munak: jewelry displays and metalwork tools

Walking inside, one side of the shop had handmade jewelry on display. Looking at the finished rings and accessories, I got kind of excited thinking about what design I'd make haha (honestly I already had a design in mind)

On the other side was the work area where you actually make the ring, along with a bunch of craft tools all set up.

It's a calm, clean metal workshop with a modern vibe, so it was easy to focus, and even as a first-timer I could ease into it without any pressure~

How the wax carving ring class at Munak works

What I tried this time was the wax carving method of making a ring!

Before starting, there was a detailed consultation covering the design I wanted, which finger the ring was for, what engraving to add inside, whether I wanted delivery or in-person pickup, and checking my ring size.

I tied on the apron laid out on the table, hyped myself up, and started making the ring!! Wax carving doesn't mean working silver directly from the start — instead you gradually carve away a material called wax to shape the ring you want. First we settled on the ring size and design, then adjusted the wax to fit my finger and got into the real work.

Aiming for size 11 and ending up at size 12

The first step was shaping the wax ring to fit my finger. As I filed the wax down little by little to adjust the size, it carved away faster than I expected. So instead of grinding a lot at once, it mattered to work in small amounts and keep trying it on my finger in between.

The teacher clearly told me it carves away faster than expected so check as you go, but somehow my wax ring ended up at size 12 (the goal was 11). Luckily, the teacher said she'd adjust the size during the finishing work. Having a pro right there really is reassuring 👍🏻

Smoothing the thickness and shape of the wax ring

Once the size was set, I shaped the overall thickness and width of the ring to match the feel I wanted. Using a file to shave it down bit by bit actually took a surprising amount of focus haha. Even a little too much filing could change the shape, so I worked slowly, checking as I went.

The teacher kept checking my work in between and telling me what to adjust, which made things go a lot more smoothly. I was so worried since I'm the clumsiest of the clumsy, but with her constant checks and guidance, it was amazing to watch the ring shape actually come together ☺️

Drawing your own ring design by hand

Once the overall ring shape was set, I finally got to draw the design I wanted directly onto the wax ✏️💍 Using a marker to draw the shape and then carving along that line — that was the method! I'm not great at drawing either, so I got nervous again here haha, but since mistakes could be fixed as I went, it wasn't as stressful as I thought.

The teacher kept guiding me so my intended design would come through as much as possible. Not just copying a fixed design exactly, but thinking through and gradually building the shape I wanted myself — that's the whole point of wax carving!!

Carving the design line by line: an hour gone

Now I started carving out the design I'd drawn, piece by piece, using carving tools and other craft instruments. At first I was gripping too hard and had no sense of where or how much to carve haha

Still, I kept carving a little, checking, carving a little more... carve, carve, carve 🤣 This process ended up pulling me in more than I expected, and I lost track of time completely. (An hour had somehow gone by...)

Above all, the teacher kept coming over to check in and helped me fix anything I'd carved wrong, which let even someone as clumsy as me finish it safely haha

The finished wax ring and Munak's finishing work

After all that shaping and adjusting, my wax ring was finally done! At first it just looked like a lump of wax, but once I'd designed it and carved it piece by piece, the ring shape suddenly appeared. I was so proud I could barely believe I'd made it myself 🥹

Of course, my wax ring wasn't going to become the final silver ring exactly as-is — Munak does follow-up work afterward. In the wax carving experience, I got to shape the form myself, and the jewelry-making, adjustments, and detailed finishing after that were all handled by the professional teacher.

Being clumsy, I was worried the result might come out crooked, but since they precisely fix and finish everything based on the wax shape I made, it actually worked out well!!☺️

Five days later: the silver925 ring in hand

Five days later ✨ my wax ring became silver jewelry! A few days after that, I finally met the finished ring 💍 It was genuinely strange to see the wax ring I'd carved myself now completed as real silver jewelry haha

Looking at the finished ring, it came out so clean I could hardly believe I'd made it — very satisfying. Munak also makes these in silver925, which probably explains why it had such a shiny, upscale finish.

Any rough spots or details left over from the wax carving stage get carefully corrected and finished by Munak, which raises the overall quality a lot! You still get the meaning of a ring you made yourself, while the final piece is polished into clean silver jewelry by a professional's hands — I really loved that 🥹💕 So even first-timers at a ring workshop shouldn't worry too much!

Munak also makes pet nose-print necklaces

While looking around the workshop, I found another experience I'd totally recommend to pet owners! It's a necklace made from your pet's nose print 🐶💕 I happened to spot a dog nose shape pressed into clay and it was unbelievably cute!!!!🥹

Being able to turn your pet's nose shape into jewelry felt like it would be really meaningful for anyone with a dog or cat. If you want to leave behind a special memory with your pet, this experience comes highly recommended! I sent the link to my friend with a dog the moment I saw it haha 🐾

Munak verdict: who this ring class suits

• Anyone who wants to make their own ring with a design they created
• Anyone looking for something unusual to do on a date in Yeonsinnae
• Anyone looking for an indoor date spot in Seoul
• Anyone looking for a ring workshop / jewelry experience in Seoul
• Anyone who enjoys hands-on making experiences
• Anyone looking for a unique one-day class
• Anyone who wants to make special jewelry with their pet

Even someone as clumsy as me got through it thanks to the teacher watching over everything, so don't be too intimidated — give it a try haha. Watching a wax ring you carved yourself become a one-of-a-kind silver ring is really something. If you're looking for something unusual to do on a date in Yeonsinnae, an indoor date spot in Seoul, or a ring workshop in Seoul, I highly recommend making a ring at Munak ~💍✨