Custom Sterling Silver Manufacturing: Your Design, Cast in Taxco

If you have a jewelry design — a CAD file, a sketch, or an idea — the silversmiths of Arte Taxco can turn it into a genuine .925 sterling silver piece, cast using the lost-wax technique that has given Taxco de Alarcón, Guerrero its worldwide reputation. We manufacture for independent designers, 3D jewelry design students, jewelry brands, and entrepreneurs across Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

What Is Custom Silver Manufacturing?

Custom silver manufacturing — also known as contract manufacturing or private-label jewelry production — lets you produce .925 sterling silver pieces with your own design without owning a workshop. Arte Taxco acts as your production partner: we coordinate the 3D design, resin prototype printing, rubber mold creation, and silver casting with Taxco's finest silversmiths.

The result: genuine sterling silver pieces with the .925 TAXCO hallmark, mirror or satin finish, and the Arte Taxco certificate of authenticity — ready to sell under your brand or for personal use.

The Process — Step by Step

Step 1 — 3D Design and CAD Modeling

If you already have a finished STL or 3DM file, we can work directly from it. If you're starting from a sketch or concept, our 3D design team in Taxco converts it into a digital model optimized for jewelry production. For a CAD file to be compatible with the lost-wax casting process, it must meet these minimum technical requirements:

• Minimum layer separation: 0.4 mm
• Minimum wall thickness: 1 mm
• Textures and raised relief: minimum height of 0.8 mm

If your file doesn't meet one of these parameters, we adjust it before printing — at no additional cost for minor revisions.

Step 2 — Resin Prototype Printing

The 3D model is printed in high-resolution jewelry resin. This print is the "positive" used to create the mold. Cost depends on the weight and complexity of the piece — from small pieces like rings to larger items like brooches or cuffs.

If you want to validate the design before casting in silver, we also offer a brass test casting — far less expensive than silver — to verify proportions, ergonomics, and finish before final production.

Step 3 — Rubber Mold

Once the prototype is approved, a vulcanized rubber mold is produced. This mold allows you to make multiple identical copies of the piece — it's the investment that makes serial production cost-effective. The mold is a one-time cost and can be used for hundreds of castings.

For sterling silver rings like those in our catalog, a standard mold can produce from 1 to hundreds of units with the same level of detail.

Step 4 — .925 Silver Casting (Lost-Wax)

The mold is injected with wax, invested in plaster, the wax is burned out, and molten .925 or .950 silver is poured at high temperature. The result is a solid silver piece that replicates every detail of the original design.

This is the same technique used to produce all the spinner rings, pre-Hispanic rings, and high-complexity pieces in our catalog.

Step 5 — Finishing and Polishing

Each piece goes through hand filing, polishing, and final finishing. We offer the following standard finishes:

• High polish / mirror finish
• Satin / brushed finish
• Oxidized (to highlight relief and engravings)
• Hammered
• Combined (polished + oxidized)

Step 6 — Quality Control and Certificate

Each piece produced under Arte Taxco's custom manufacturing service receives .925 hallmark verification and, if required, the Arte Taxco digital certificate of authenticity with a QR code verifiable online.

Every Piece Comes With a Digital Product Passport

Here is what separates us from a plain contract caster: every piece we make carries a digital product passport — a verifiable record of its material, its measured weight, its .925 assay and every production step, published on the open GS1 EPCIS 2.0 standard.

And when you send us your own CAD file, the passport starts at your design: we register the file's cryptographic fingerprint, so every finished piece can prove it came from your exact CAD file — not a copy, not "a version of." It is traceability you can verify, not just trust.

How Custom Silver Pricing Works

We price transparently and in the way North American buyers expect — disaggregated, so you see exactly what you are paying for:

• Silver at spot, passed through at cost. The metal is roughly half of any casting invoice and it has a public market price. We do not mark it up: you pay the live spot price for the .925 content — the same number you can look up yourself.
• A fixed fabrication fee per gram. This is the actual manufacturing — casting, hand-finishing, hallmarking and quality control. It steps down as your order volume grows, because larger runs are more efficient.
• Tooling as a one-time cost. The resin master and rubber mold are paid once and then produce hundreds of castings, so their share of each piece shrinks with every unit.

Why disaggregated instead of one all-in number? An all-in "per gram" figure quietly ties your price to the silver market and hides how much is metal versus manufacturing. Separating them keeps you in control and lets you compare us honestly against any other shop. And weight — not piece count — drives your tier: a few heavy pieces can reach a better rate than many light ones.

Because silver moves daily, we quote each project individually against the day's spot and send it itemized. Send us your file or a description and we will reply with a detailed quote.

Do You Ship to the United States and Canada?

Yes. We ship anywhere in Mexico, the United States, and Canada via FedEx and DHL from Taxco, Guerrero. Estimated delivery times:

• Mexico: 2–4 business days
• United States: 3–5 business days
• Canada: 5–7 business days

Shipping cost is quoted by weight and destination and added to the production order.

FAQ — Custom Silver Manufacturing

Can I send you my STL or 3DM file directly?

Yes. We work from STL, 3DM, and OBJ files as long as they meet the minimum jewelry requirements (0.4 mm layer separation, 1 mm minimum wall thickness, reliefs of at least 0.8 mm). If your file needs minor adjustments to be printable, we notify you before proceeding.

What is the minimum order?

There is no minimum piece count — the minimum is calculated in grams of silver. We can manufacture from a single prototype. That said, we always recommend a validation piece before moving to serial production, to confirm the design performs exactly as expected in metal.

How long does production take?

Total time depends on which stages your project includes. As a general reference: 3D design from sketch (5–7 business days), prototype printing (3–5 business days), mold production (3–5 business days), casting and finishing (5–10 business days depending on volume). For projects with a ready CAD file, total time from approval to shipment is typically 2 to 3 weeks.

Can I do a brass test cast before committing to silver?

Yes. We offer brass sample casting at a significantly lower cost than silver. It's the smartest way to validate ergonomics, proportions, and finish before committing to the cost of the silver metal.

What information do you need to quote?

To give you an accurate quote we need: your CAD file or a detailed description of the design, desired finish, approximate volume (number of pieces or estimated weight), required sizes (for rings), and destination country for shipping. With that information we respond within 48 hours.

Does the service include a certificate of authenticity?

The Arte Taxco certificate is available as an optional add-on. For pieces you'll sell under your own brand, we can produce without the Arte Taxco certificate — or include it as a silver authenticity guarantee for your end customers.

Why Manufacture in Taxco?

Taxco de Alarcón has over 300 years of silversmithing tradition and concentrates the largest number of silver casting workshops in Mexico. Unlike industrial factories in Asia or Europe, in Taxco every piece passes through the hands of craftspeople with decades of experience. The resulting finish quality is something CNC machines cannot replicate.

Arte Taxco connects your design to that tradition — with the traceability, certification, and international logistics that a traditional artisan workshop alone cannot offer.

Ready to have your design cast in .925 sterling silver from Taxco? Write to us at hola@artetaxco.mx with your file or description and we'll send you a quote within 48 hours. You can also browse our catalog of handmade sterling silver rings from Taxco to see examples of the detail and finish we produce.