It’s no exaggeration to state that lost-wax casting is as old as civilization itself. Artifacts like scepters,sculptures, and furniture made through lost-wax casting have been discovered as far afield as Israel, Vietnam, Nigeria, Nicaragua, and the Indus Valley. The very oldest known lost-wax-cast object, an amulet created by a society in the Indus Valley, is over 6,000 years old.
After centuries of use in the production of sculptural ornaments and in textile relief, lost-wax casting began to be supplanted by piece-molding in 18th century Europe. Parts of the process were adapted for investment casting to meet the needs of growing industry in the 19th century.
In dentistry, lost-wax methods are used widely to create gold crowns, inlays, and onlays. The legacy of lost-wax casting, as such, remains well in evidence today.