3D Printing

3D Printed Portuguese Filigree Solders Together Past and Future

A project carried out by the design and engineering agency WeProductise, together with the PiP Store eco-3D print shop, wants to reinvent the ancient artisan tradition of Portuguese filigree by 3D printing a collection of individual artefacts using biocompatible PLA.

Filigree is an ancient kind of jewellery work and the art is believed to originate from pre-Roman times, as early as 3000 BC. It has spread across many different cultures throughout the world and in a way it can be considered tan ancestor of additive manufacturing, in the sense that it creates jewellery by soldering new parts together rather than chiseling aways at the raw materials.

feelpip 3d printing

Portugal – where some believe the technique first originated – has a long standing tradition with filigree, which culminated in the extraordinarily complex Portuguese filigree works of the 17th and 18th century.

feelpip 3d printingThrough the new digital manufacturing technologies, WeProductise is envisioning filigree designs for future generations, starting from the beautiful 3D printed artefacts that will be available in 15 different colours, each numbered to outline its individual features.

Prices range from €4,90 to €9,90 (with free shipping for Europe) for the more expensive floral models, and the filigree designs can be used both as earrings or pendants. The collection will be presented both online and through a series of events that will take place throughout Portugal until the end of June, writing a new chapter to the history of this beautiful multi-millenary form of artistic expression.