Choosing a Mold Material for Jewelry Casting
At Taba, we make a variety of silicone and rubber molds. Each material has properties suitable for different production needs.
Tell us about your project and we can help you choose the appropriate mold.
Pink Silicone
Our most popular mold material. The silicone mixture is poured around the original and left overnight to cure.
Good for: Most things, especially delicate pieces.
Time it takes: Overnight
Shrinkage: Expect your casting to be up to 3% smaller than the original.
Detail resolution: High
Lifetime injections: 10 to 500 depending on complexity of design
Shelf Life: 2-9 years
Regular Rubber
Our next most popular material, regular rubber was historically the standard mold in the jewelry industry. The original is sandwiched in two pieces of rubber and vulcanized under pressure and heat.
Good for: High volume production due to its great durability
Time it takes: 2.5 hours
Shrinkage: Expect your casting to be up to 3-5% smaller than the original.
Detail resolution: Medium-high
Lifetime injections: 50 to 1000 depending on complexity of design
Shelf Life: Lifetime
Natural Blue Rubber
Similar to regular rubber but with higher detail resolution and better durability.
Good for: High volume, high-end production
Time it takes: 2.5 hours
Shrinkage: Expect your casting to be up to 2-5% smaller than the original.
Detail resolution: High
Lifetime injections: 50 to 1000 depending on complexity of design
Shelf Life: Lifetime
Yellow Silicone
A modern material used in engineering industries for its long shelf life and low reactivity with printed prototypes.
Good for: Molding from 3D printed models
Time it takes: Overnight
Shrinkage: Expect your casting to be up to 3-5% smaller than the original.
Detail resolution: Medium-low
Lifetime injections: 10 to 200 depending on the complexity of the design
Shelf Life: Lifetime
Clear Silicone
The best option when molding unknown materials due to its low reactivity.
Good for: Molding from printed models, or models crafted from various materials.
Time it takes: 3 hours
Shrinkage: Expect your casting to be up to 3% smaller than the original.
Detail resolution: Low
Lifetime injections: 5 to 50 depending on the complexity of the design
Shelf Life: 10-15 years
Vulcanized Pink Silicone
The original is sandwiched between two pieces of pink silicone and vulcanized.
Good for: High volume production. Due to the hardness of the material, this mold yields waxes of consistent weight.
Time it takes: 3 hours
Shrinkage: Expect your casting to be up to 3% smaller than the original.
Detail resolution: High
Lifetime injections: 50 to 1000 depending on complexity of design
Shelf Life: Lifetime
Red Rubber
Red rubber is harder than the pink vulcanized silicone and gives similar or better results for lightweight pieces.
Good for: When your original is too large, and/or when you need to achieve very lightweight pieces.
Time it takes: 3 hours
Shrinkage: Expect your casting to be up to 5-12% smaller than the original.
Detail resolution: High
Lifetime injections: 10 to 200 depending on the complexity of the design
Shelf Life: Lifetime
