The lost-wax casting process (cire perdue) was primarily used to produce Celtic bronze necklaces with animal motifs. In this process, a detailed model is first formed from wax, encased in a refractory molding material such as clay or loam, and then melted out to create a mold for the molten bronze. Because the wax model can be directly manipulated by the artist, this technique allows for exceptionally high levels of detail and the depiction of delicate structures in the bird motifs. After casting, the pieces were finely finished by chasing and polishing to further emphasize contours and details.