3D printing helps jewelry start-up ride the mass customization wave
3D Printing Improves Jewelery Process
Jewelry wasn’t the first thing on Charles-Olivier Roy’s mind when he decided to build a mass customization business around 3D printing.
But he realized if he was going to set up what he calls a “mass personalization” business, he needed to provide a premium product, one that taps into a higher realm of emotion.
“I knew nothing about jewelry, but I quickly understood it would be a perfect playground for me,” says Roy, an industrial designer who previously founded Artisans du Passage, a company that merges art with 3D digital technologies.
“Most jewelry is bought to express emotion, which brings with it a higher price. And if there is a place ready for a revolution, it’s the jewelry workshop. Lost-wax casting, one of the oldest technologies in metallurgy, hasn’t changed much since ancient Egypt.”