14 DAY TRIAL // As odd as it may sound, jewelry is one of the fields that have benefited from 3D printing technology the most. Or at least that's what it seems like from how often such things crop up on the net.
The latest to make a name for itself on the 3D printed jewelry front is a company called Jewel District, founded by a man by the name of Sungdo Lee.
If you were to drop by the Jewelry District website, you might come upon the exact process that can lead to things like 3D printed rings, earrings, pendants, and other personal ornaments.
First off, a designer has to upload a 3D model. The model is then printed from wax in 30 micron layers for high detail (consumer 3D printers barely ever go below 100 microns). This takes 5 to 10 days, depending on the size of the item and its complexity.
Whether or not oxidation is used also plays a part in how long it takes for the wax cast to be complete.
The next step is actually using the rough casting to make the jewelry piece out of brass or sterling silver. Soon, gold will be among the options, but for now no luck. That done, the piece is electroplated and polished, set with stones by professional jewelers as well if it comes down to it.
You can see in the gallery that using 3D printing for the wax casting has allowed for some truly uncanny and streamlined designs to be created.
Jewelers, no matter how skilled with their fingers, would have had trouble creating these rings, bracelets, and pendants with conventional tools. It also allows for better planning, since it's one thing to sketch a design and another to build a 3D model of it.
The Jewelry District website intends to make jewelry production a bit more accessible, and 3D printing has helped with this. Meaning that Sungo Lee's plans to make a long-lasting business have been a success.
For a person who started out selling apps based on a music hit, he has managed to come quite a long way in the jewelry business, even if he did rely on 3D printing a great deal. However, the website/business needs some funds.
It was actually launched with money made by Lee from in-app purchases on Harlem Shake Booth and his other entertainment apps, but needs more in order to expand. Unlike others, however, who would be launching a crowd-funding campaign or other, he is looking for outside funding himself.
If things pan out, Jewelry District will soon offer designers the option to order larger shipments of jewelry at once (at reasonable prices). Whether this is enough to turn it into the world's greatest 3D printing service for fine jewelry remains to be seen.
