There is a growing number of 3D printed jewellery lines out there and, although the instinctive reaction to products that are built by machines is to assume that they will all tend to be similar, the truth is that 3D printing has given artists the means to express their original creative ideas more freely and the result is that the designs are getting more diverse.
That has certainly been the case for Dana Bloom, who received a Master of Arts from the Creative Academy in Milan before going on to work as a jewellery designer for industry giant Cartier. 3D printing has become a way for her to freely experiment with different designs and materials, drawing inspiration from nature, biomorphic shapes and soft lines and creating different jewellery lines both in 3D printed ABS and lost wax casted metal of 3D printed models.
Dana is also Assaf Ater’s partner on the 3D Printing Center online retail project, which gave her the opportunity to familiarize herself with FFF technology, as the online shop deals with both Rostock and SeeMeCNC Deltas as well as Flashforge’s and Creatbot’s cartesian systems. The results do however reflect her ability as as designer and, even more so, in the product finishing phase. Each jewel is painted and hand finished, thus conferring a unique and smooth sensation to the item’s surface, while also guaranteeing lightweight and comfort.
The Dana Bloom Colors collections include rings, earrings and scarfers. They are all 3D printed although in many cases the only way to tell is by the complex shapes, impossible to replicate with other methods. She sees this line as “an opportunity to bring her jewellery to women who are interested in unique, new and colorful jewels without compromising on quality and comfort.”
The 18 karat and 14 karat gold and sterling silver items in the original Dana Bloom collections is where her creative talent shines through even more, however. Some of the pieces are also set with diamonds and colored stones but all of them stand our for the complex geometry of their biomorphic shapes.
The Golden Neem collection is inspired by Bloom’s observation of nature’s micro and macroscopic processes, with wilted leaves and the capillary structure of the plants being used as the model for each jewel’s internal shape. The Brooches collection includes an item inspired by the contrast between long and short ranges and a piece created specifically for the Israeli Opera “A Voyage to the End of the Millennium”. Another collection, “Ethereal”, is also about redefining boundaries, by attempting to imprison a space within a piece of jewellery (inspired by a microscopic photograph of plant’s cells).
These are just a few examples. Since she began creating her own pieces in 2012, Bloom has been extremely prolific. And her creative vein is far from exhausted: a new collection is arriving next month. Just like nature’s circadian cycle, it never stops.
