Han-Yin Hsu is the creator of all of the designs sold on ANNXANNXDESIGN where she releases small lines of jewellery 3D printed in materials like sterling silver, polished brass and gold-plated brass.
While there are numerous uses for 3D printing in areas of manufacturing, prototyping and industrial design, mass-market acceptance of 3D printed consumer goods has still remained relatively elusive. However if there are any clear winners in mainstream adoption of 3D printed products it would be 3D printed jewellery. From massive online 3D marketplaces like Shapeways to uber-retailer Amazon, 3D printed jewellery is not only a big draw, but is also a big seller for both of them.
But it isn’t just the large marketplaces that have found jewellery success. Many small boutique jewellery websites have found success by carving out a niche for themselves and offering unique jewellery that can’t help but attract attention because it’s being made in shapes not possible for most traditional jewellery making methods. In that regard the designs available from ANNXANNXDESIGN are no different. Hsu’s designs borrow heavily from organic shapes found in nature, yet they are not gimmicky or obvious in their inspiration. I’ve seen a lot of 3D printed jewellery in this job, and I think Hsu’s is some of the nicest that I’ve come across.
“I like to think of the body as a landscape for jewellery. My designs are focused on expressing the elegance of this landscape, and exploring the gesture of each element as it rests on the skin,” explained Hsu to me via email. “I imagine 3D printing as a new physical ‘word’ for people to communicate with. It goes beyond language because it is physical, but it is also stored digitally, so it’s widespread. I am really excited when people wear one of my designs with a big smile. It makes me feel that they heard me and are giving me a response!”
Of course Hsu still relies on Shapeways, after all there are no islands in 3D printing, but she basically only uses them – and competitor Jewel District – as a part supplier. She orders her designs in bulk, and then attaches chains, ear clips and even dyes some of the pieces to create new and unique colours. You can still purchase her jewellery from Shapeways or her Etsy store without the chains and clips for less if you’d like, but it seems like a bother unless you’re going to repurpose them.
Hsu designs all of her jewellery by turning a hand drawn sketch into a 3D model using Maya and then converting it into a 3D printable model using Rhino, two programs that are very familiar to her. She holds a masters degree in Architecture and spent several years working for interior designers and design firms before deciding to try her hand at creating jewellery.
“After working at several interior design and architecture offices, I realized I needed to express the things that inspire me more directly and physically. So I decided to work on my own designs beginning with a tool I learned in architecture school — 3D printing. I want to design something that I can see, touch, experience physically, and also something that I can share with others who are in the same channel as me. So I’m using the techniques I learned from my architectural training and the sense of space that I have been exploring for more than 10 years to apply to my 3D printed designs.”
You can find more of Han-Yin Hsu’s beautiful designs on ANNXANNXDESIGN. You can also find her designs on Shapeways and over on her Etsy store.
Hat tip to Nathan.
