So one of the first things I learn after diving head first into digital jewelry design is wall thickness. The term refers to the minimal thickness of any area of your design that is required so that the wax used in casting can be successfully 3D printed. Typically, the thicker the design, the stronger it will be, and therefore higher the print and casting success. But this also means it will be heavier and pricier in precious metal once cast. Striking that delicate balance is one of the toughest decision in the digital design process in my opinion.
The Forged Ring Collection is one of my newest designs that really illustrated this point. If you follow me on social media, you know that I like to push the boundaries a lot, which is why this collection came with these variations!
The forged/hammered texture is achieved using a Voronoi diagram in my 3D software Blender. This is just geek/math speak for partitioning a surface into sections at random. I played around with parameters to ensure that the generated textures are not "clump" together and that they look organic.
Realizing that the texture may feel a bit scratchy on sensitive skin, I decided to decrease the intensity of the texture on the sides of the finger and gradually brought it down to zero for a smooth finish. Initially, I intended the band to be 1.3mm but after receiving the prototype, I was very intrigued by the way the texture came out and was determine that it will pair well with mini diamonds. The proportion wasn't exactly right with the size of diamonds I had in my mind so I went thinner with the textured band, 1.1mm to be exact and dare I say it, it is perfect.
I also created a personalized option with a 1.8mm band, one that you can gift yourself or a love one with an engraved little message. What is unique about this is that the engraving is not stamped, it is designed onto the wax and printed especially for you when you make your purchase. Digital engraving creates uniform spacing and a deeper groove that lasts a bit longer than just regular stamping. Just look at how perfect the word 'LOVE' came out on this delicate ring.
Digital jewelry design is a very trial and error process. A creation may look great on screen, but it needs to be produced in real life and that never is exactly what you envisioned at first try. But when you get to the final product, it may just take your breath away like all my creation did for me.
Want to learn more about my design process? Want to learn how to get into digital jewelry design? Send me a note! I love answering all your emails.