Dolce & Gabbana, between craftsmanship and technology, makes part of its High Jewelry collections with the support of 3D printing.
DOLCE & GABBANA AND FINE JEWELRY
Maria Gabriella Guarda, production manager of the jewelry division in Dolce & Gabbana tells us:
“I arrived at Dolce & Gabbana in 2012 coinciding with the first edition of the Haute Joaillerie event. Since then, 10 editions have been held, during which high-impact and equally valuable jewels have been presented, in a crescendo of style and originality.
Since that same year, I have also been in charge of the Haute Joaillerie collections, which we present in our stores and, since this year, also to wholesalers”.
Like everything the Brand creates, the jewelry is born from the contributions of Mr. Domenico Dolce and Mr. Stefano Gabbana. The Style Office translates the ideas expressed by the Designers onto paper and transmits them to the Jewelry workshop team. After an initial feasibility study and the methods to be used for the development of the pieces, the realization phase begins.
“Much of jewelry making is done by hand, but technology allows to interact with the craftsmanship: it supports in the mechanical part and verifies the traditional part, which is encouraged and promoted with the great respect due to it. This technology allows to adopt very innovative solutions to improve the functionality and portability of the jewelry.
Using traditional craftsmanship, master goldsmiths set the gems, the heart of our jewelry, mold the wax, cut the sheets that they fill and engrave. The jewel takes shape, and when all the artistic and aesthetic part fully satisfies the entire Style Team, we then intervene with 3D designers who, in collaboration with the master goldsmiths, study and realize the mechanical parts, the clasps, the joints, the releases, which allow us to remove some parts of the jewel and modify them, to give them a second life (the pendant of a necklace, can become a brooch)”.
THE SUPPORT OF 3D PRINTING AND 3DZ
Maria Gabriella Guarda continues: “From the drawings of the 3D designers, we came to our special support, the MJP 2500 Wax 3D printer from 3D Systems. We have been using this “Collaborator” for several years.
At the beginning we depended on a printing service. Soon, the need to be independent and to be operational at all hours of the day and every day of the year, led us to acquire a second printer. We turned to 3DZ, a distributor of 3D Systems printers, whose consultants are experts in the jewelry sector and have followed us at every stage; from the presentation of the printers to the installation of the machines, through the training of the operators and the choice of the most suitable materials for our various needs.”
3D printers are of great importance for the production of Fine Jewelry items, i.e. for those items that are mass-produced and distributed in stores. The prototypes of the jewelry in the Fine Jewellery (FJ) collections, based on input from the Stylists, are developed by the Style Office and made, as in the case of Fine Jewellery items, by hand by the master goldsmiths. Once approved, they undergo feasibility and industrialization studies. This delicate phase is carried out in collaboration with the 3D Designers, until the complete and definitive version is distributed.
3D printers specifically for the jewelry sector allow to print, autonomously and with operational simplicity, wax models that are perfectly adapted to the traditional artisanal process of lost wax casting, and at the same time, to continue with the assembly and finishing entirely by hand by our master craftsmen. In addition to the great advantage of speed, 3D printed models, compared to those obtained with classic rubber molds, also allow great creative freedom and the creation of jewelry with light, clean and precise shapes, with very thin walls that would be impossible to obtain with a traditional process.
The ProJet MJP 2500 Wax is a guarantee in 3D printing for jewelry: efficient and precise, it allows to obtain pieces with maximum freedom and simplicity, precise micro-details, easily moldable, and with a printing speed up to 10 times higher and a printing volume 3.7 times higher than other printers of similar category. It allows digitizing a stage of the jewelry manufacturing process, while ensuring the handcrafted look of the final result. The 3D printed casting patterns are used in the subsequent stage of traditional lost wax casting.
FUTURE PROJECTS: 3D printing with different materials for every need
Dolce & Gabbana will use the latest MJP 2500 Wax purchased for daily production, with VisiJet M2 CAST (MJP) purple wax, a very fast printing material used to make high-precision casting patterns. On the other printer, the new red wax will be used instead VisiJet Wax Jewel Red (MJP) which makes it possible to print very thin thicknesses, has characteristics of greater elasticity and thus allows for the creation of fretwork, filigree and elements with very delicate geometries. This printing material, made of 100 percent wax, makes it possible to make jewelry with larger gaps, achieving shapes that cannot be achieved with traditional production.
The collection Fine Jewellery by Dolce & Gabbana is finding considerable appreciation, and the demand for this jewelry is increasing significantly. “Should the production need grow further, it is not excluded that we will also increase the number of 3D printers in the company!” concludes Maria Gabriella Guarda.
3DZ CONSULTING
3DZ is a 3D printer reseller with more than a decade of experience with the best brands on the market. To better meet the special needs of goldsmiths, 3DZ boasts a team of 3D consultants dedicated exclusively to 3D printing for jewelry and fashion accessories. Want to learn more? Contact us.
