Sinchon wax carving class: fingerprint couple rings at Silver Family

This is a story about something fun to do in Hongdae: a wax carving couple ring one-day class.

Why did we choose Silver Family for a wax carving ring class?

My husband and I recently took a wax carving ring-making one-day class at Silver Family. With wax carving there's no set design template, so you get the fun of making the ring you've always imagined.

We're in our fourth year of marriage, and my husband lost some weight in his fingers, so his wedding ring got loose. We decided to make new rings! We'd also been wearing the same wedding rings all the time and wanted a change in design. So, here's my wax carving ring-making review :)

Where is Silver Family, and how about parking?

Silver Family is at B1, 21 Seogang-ro 20-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, in the basement of the Mirae Villa building next to Seoul Milk. It's open daily 11:00–20:00, and parking in front of the building is available after 3 p.m.

It's about a 5-minute walk from Seogangdae Station Exit 1 and Sinchon Station Exit 6, so it's easy to get to. From Hongik Univ. Station it's about a 17-minute walk. If you're looking for a unique date in Hongdae, walk along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park path. The scenery around it is pretty, so it feels like a stroll!

Go in through the building entrance and down one floor, and you'll see Silver Family right away!

Inside the Silver Family ring workshop

The inside is so vintage and hip that you wonder if it's really a ring workshop. There are stylish props all around, and the overall mood is really lovely.

They also sell products. Lots of the designs are distinctive, so browsing is great fun!

Besides rings, there's a range of other jewelry, and it isn't the usual stuff, so it looked special and worth keeping. There's a full-length mirror on one side, which makes it a good photo spot too!

How does the ring-making one-day class work?

The Silver Family ring class is a private class with only one team per time slot. It's 100% reservation only and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.

The class space is a separate room at the back. There's a table that seats 4, and a long sofa behind it that's handy for leaving your bags. It's also a great space to come with friends and make friendship rings!

Choosing a design and custom order consultation

First, they showed us a variety of silver ring samples. Each design has its price marked, which helps when choosing. I already had a design I'd wanted to try, so I showed them a photo and we went ahead with it!

Silver Family also offers custom jewelry consultations. Besides silver rings, they can make pendants, brooches and other jewelry, so if you have a design in mind, feel free to ask!

Extra costs and events

Gemstones, cubic zirconia, laser engraving, plating and the like cost extra. At the time of writing, they were running an event where you get free engraving if you book through Naver and write a photo review, plus an Instagram follow event.

The wax carving ring-making process

Wax carving starts with checking the size of the finger the ring will go on. The teacher gave us wax and a wax file, and we began by filing the wax down to the line marked on it!

It was my first time making a ring so I was nervous, but the teacher explained things so kindly that I could relax. I heard the Silver Family teachers average 10 years of experience. I liked that they explained slowly and calmly, matching the pace of us beginners!

After filing the wax, we used a wax reamer to shave the inside little by little until we reached the size we wanted. Quite a lot of wax dust falls, but they provide aprons and there's a tray underneath, so it's comfortable to work!

What if the wax snaps?

While working, my husband must have used too much force, because the wax snapped in two..! The teacher had clearly seen this many times and didn't panic, calmly saying it could be joined back together, and fixed it haha.

We also smoothed out the bumpy parts and cut a groove in the middle of the wax to make the design we wanted. Silver Family is a jewelry-making workshop, so they have precise tools with different tips. The teacher swapped tools skillfully as they showed us, and for a first-timer like me, every step was fascinating!

I'm not very good with my hands, so I wasn't confident at first, but whenever I asked for help, the teacher watched beside me and explained again, which was great. Making everything by hand turned out to be much more fun than I expected! My husband in particular was so good that we discovered a new talent haha. He's usually not interested in one-day classes, but he enjoyed it and said he didn't know ring making was this fun.

Smoothing the surface with a heat gun

Once we'd shaped it the way we wanted, we melted the wax with a heat gun to smooth the surface. The heat gun blows hot air, so I asked the teacher to do it..! Once you use the heat gun, the bumpy surface becomes glossy and smooth. Watching it take shape is amazing.

Tips for pressing a fingerprint into the ring

The ring design I wanted included a fingerprint. I tried, and my first attempt failed.. I thought you press down and lift quickly, but you have to hold it gently in place. The teacher smoothed the surface again with the heat gun, and my second try worked! We pressed our own fingerprints into each other's rings.

The wax after the heat gun is a little hot, but not "ouch, hot!" hot, just bearable for a moment. I hope you all get it in one try..!

Once the fingerprints were pressed, the rings were finally shaped. Sitting side by side making our couple rings was so much fun that we lost track of time!

How long until the rings are done, and how do you get them?

The finished wax models go through casting and finishing to become silver rings. It takes about 2 weeks to complete! You can pick them up in person or have them shipped, though shipping costs extra. I chose shipping :)

I also took a photo at the Silver Family photo spot haha. The teacher explained their making know-how and methods in detail, so it feels like we could try it at home too. What an experience, making a ring by hand from start to finish! Next time I'll try it at home the way they showed us.

Silver Family wax carving class: key points

• Something fun to do for ring making in Hongdae and Sinchon
• Your own ring made with wax carving
• A one-day class where you make the design you want
• Kind, thorough explanations from the teacher
• A private class with one team per time slot
• About 2 weeks until completion
• 100% reservation only / about 1 hour 30 minutes

Wax carving ring-making: overall verdict

Doing the Silver Family wax carving couple ring class, it was a more meaningful time because we could make a one-of-a-kind ring in the shape we wanted rather than a set design. When the finished silver rings arrive, I'll add more photos!

If you're looking for something to do in Hongdae or Sinchon, try making silver jewelry at Silver Family. I recommend it as a unique date that takes you out of the ordinary and lets the two of you make memories :)