3D printed jewelry: Why you should start thinking about it?

Posted By Kat Plewa on Jun 19, 2019 | 0 comments

Can Additive Manufacturing be an asset to your jewelry production? Or, maybe you don’t own a jewelry business yet and you would like to start one. Either way, it can be interesting for you to know that 3D printed jewelry can be a real deal on the market. Why does it stand out? What makes 3D printed jewelry special? How can you start and where to look for inspiration? Let’s find out!

Top 5 advantages of 3D printing your jewelry

There are many reasons to start producing 3D printed jewelry. What benefits can Additive Manufacturing bring to your business? What can this technology do that others can’t? Let’s find out!

#1 Unimagined freedom of design

We need to start with the fact that 3D printing works only thanks to 3D modeling. Without a 3D model, you can’t produce anything. And here comes the new design freedom you can reach thanks to 3D modeling. Basically, anything you can imagine can be designed on a computer and then brought to life, layer by layer.

Traditional technologies would struggle or even fail to produce complex geometries and great details on such a small scale, such as earrings. 3D printing gives you the freedom to design abstract shapes or interlocking structures. It can even give you the option to close one object inside another and produce them in parallel.

#2 Don’t worry about the weight

Some jewelry is problematic, as it is heavy, which makes it uncomfortable to wear and not practical. You can forget about that issue if you decide to use Additive Manufacturing technologies. There are many ways to reduce the weight of your 3D printed jewelry.

First of all, some materials are pretty lightweight as it is. Technologies such as SLS or Jet Fusion works with plastic powder, which already makes them much lighter than if you were using traditional manufacturing technologies.

Your 3D printed jewelry can also be filled with lattices. Bigger designs such as decorative ornaments, brooches, or necklaces don’t have to be solid inside. An interesting solution to lightweight 3D printed jewelry is lattice structures.

Last but not least, your parts can be hollowed. There are some 3D printing materials that may not allow it, but they’re also plenty of options to choose from where hollowing is allowed and even advised. Learn everything about hollowing with our guide.

#3 Reach a new level of quality

You might be one of those people who see 3D printing as a low-quality FDM 3D printer, where the layers are very visible. That’s old news. Professional 3D printing brings to the stage HD quality for your 3D printed jewelry.

Depending on the technology, Additive Manufacturing is capable of reaching layer thickness as little as 25 µm, which is 0.025 mm. For comparison, average hair thickness is 100 µm. New production techniques allow you to reach the ultimate quality, also at a low cost.

#4 Innovative 3D materials

Metal 3D printing can also be beneficial for you, you can produce your designs in precious metals such as Brass, Bronze, or Silver with different plating options. You can learn more about Metal 3D printing and Wax Casting with our free ultimate guide.

However, as we mentioned above, you can use even plastic for your 3D printed jewelry. Don’t limit yourself only to metals, there can be also other, innovative materials. One of our clients 3D printed bag ornaments for her collection with plastic technology SLS 3D printing, which then were finished in different colors.

Also worth mentioning are resins. Both plastic and resin for 3D printing are strong materials, robust and resistant to scratching. For instance, VeroWhite resin can give you 3D printed jewelry with a very smooth surface thanks to UV curing and is available in 12 colors. Other resins, such as EPU, are flexible and can be recommended for bracelets or watch straps.

#5 Manufacture 3D printed jewelry molds

If you decide Additive Manufacturing is not the right technology to produce your jewelry, it can still be a great asset to your design process. An interesting application of 3D printing is molds. Your production process can be improved thanks to 3D printing as it can provide you with a perfect master model to later be used for mold making.

Creating molds with the help of 3D printing is quite popular, read more about the advantages coming from 3D printed molds.

How to start producing 3D printed jewelry?

The first step is 3D modeling. It can be easier than you think as there are special software dedicated just for jewelry design. Choose the best one for your project with our top 11 of the best jewelry design software. However, if you would like to start by taking baby steps in the virtual world, check out the easiest 3D modeling software of 2019.

It might so happen that you’re very serious about starting your own jewelry business. There are numerous benefits of that and to make it easier for you, we prepared 5 easy steps to start a jewelry business.

Get inspired with 3D printed jewelry projects

You can already find pretty impressive 3D printed jewelry projects, such as Nylon 3D printed bracelets, luxury rings, or award-winning flexible clutch with our blog post. But we keep an eye on the latest projects, as there are new ones popping up all the time, and they are truly inspiring.

Nervous System

https://n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com/shop/product.php?code=213

Collections of rings, bracelets and matching necklaces, Nervous System designs beautiful, nature-inspired structures, which would be impossible to achieve without 3D technologies. They use computer simulations of plants, such as leaf venation, to create those breathtaking designs. Maybe your inspiration for 3D printed jewelry is right next to you? Take a curious look!

RADIAN

https://radian-jewelry.com/shop/nefertiti-ring-brass-gold-plated/

On the other hand, those creators mastered the precision of geometry. RADIAN says that ‘’working with 3D printing as production method opens up a new world of shapes and aesthetics. It allows RADIAN to use innovative materials and create unique and artistic statement pieces’’.

Their 3D printed jewelry is minimalistic and one could say simple, but how magnetizing is this simplicity of straight lines. Inspired by graphics and architecture, RADIAN sends a clear message about their mission.

HI Jewellery

https://www.hijewellery.nz/

HI Jewellery is short for Human Interface Jewelry. Ameria Diggle is the founder of the company, and, as you can guess, User Interface designer. She developed her collection of 3D printed jewelry because as she says ‘’Jewelry is something quite personal. It can reflect your style and personality, or it can be sentimental and hold a lot of meaning. People always have stories about the things they wear”.

And therefore, she wanted to celebrate women working in the tech industry, to give them something special and personalized. She commented on her development that ‘It’s about giving women a symbol, like a badge of honor that says they belong in the tech industry, and there’s something made for them because they work in tech”.

Get fully on board with 3D printing

As you can see, 3D printed jewelry is happening now and there is nothing to stop you from making the most of 3D technologies. Get inspired by 3D printed bracelets and other decorative elements to get the idea of what you can achieve with Additive Manufacturing. Start 3D modeling jewelry with one of the dedicated software and discover absolutely new design freedom and level of details impossible to produce with traditional manufacturing methods.

Once you have your models, don’t worry about investing in expensive 3D printers. You can use an online 3D printing service for production. It is as easy as uploading your file to our website and you will get an instant quote! We can also provide you with any design advice you might need, just contact us.

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