For me, the Hivecore (liner in Titanium pictured above) isn’t just a ring—it’s proof of how far jewelry has come. By pairing cutting-edge printing with the timeless lost-wax method, I can create designs that live at the intersection of art and technology.
When most people think of 3D printing, they picture plastic prototypes or mechanical parts. But in jewelry, the technology has become something much more powerful—a way to take complex ideas and turn them into precious metal with unmatched precision.
In jewelry making, 3D printing isn’t a gimmick—it’s a tool that lets imagination step straight into reality. What once took hours of hand-carving in wax can now be done with precision in minutes, giving jewelers the freedom to push designs further than ever before—changing the jewelry market forever.
The Hivecore Process
Take my Hivecore liner as an example. It starts as a digital design, refined for exact dimensions. That design is sent to a resin-based 3D printer, which builds the model in a castable wax-like resin. The printer doesn’t carve or subtract—it builds the piece layer by layer, microns at a time, until the full ring liner exists in solid form.
From there, it moves into the same process jewelers have relied on for centuries: lost-wax casting.
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The printed liner is encased in a plaster-like investment.
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Inside a kiln, the resin is burned out completely, leaving a hollow cavity.
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Molten metal is poured into that cavity, taking the place of the printed design.
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Once cooled, the investment is broken away to reveal the raw casting, which is then cleaned, polished, and finished by hand.
This hybrid of modern printing and ancient casting is what makes the Hivecore possible. The structure is too complex to carve by hand in wax, but the precision of resin printing ensures every angle, groove, and edge survives the transition into metal.
Why this matters:
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Freedom to create geometries impossible by hand.
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Cast in real metals for strength, weight, and permanence.
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A balance of innovation and craftsmanship in one piece.
Direct Metal 3D Printing (the super-cool tech)
While printing wax for lost-wax casting is the most common method in jewelry today, direct metal 3D printing pushes the technology even further. Instead of printing a temporary model to be cast later, the printer builds the jewelry directly in precious metal.
This process relies on Selective Laser Melting (SLM) or Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS):
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A thin layer of powdered metal—gold, platinum, titanium, or even stainless steel—is spread across a build platform.
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A high-powered laser (or sometimes an electron beam) fuses the powder together, tracing the design layer by layer.
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Another thin layer of powder is spread, and the process repeats thousands of times until the piece is complete.
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After printing, the piece is removed from the powder bed, cleaned, and heat-treated to relieve stresses from the laser process.
Why it matters:
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Unmatched complexity: Hollow structures, latticework, and organic forms impossible with casting.
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No molds required: Skips the casting stage entirely.
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Material efficiency: Uses only what’s needed—unused powder can be recycled.
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Rapid iteration: Designers can go from concept to finished metal in days.
Challenges today:
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Cost: Machines and metal powders are prohibitively expensive.
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Finish: Surfaces require heavy polishing and machining to reach jewelry standards.
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Scale: Best for one-offs and small batches, not high-volume runs.
Even with these challenges, direct metal 3D printing is already reshaping what’s possible. It’s perfect for experimental pieces, one-of-a-kind statement jewelry, and pushing design far beyond traditional limits.
The Future of Jewelry
3D printing hasn’t replaced craftsmanship—it’s expanded it. The Hivecore is proof: technology may handle the impossible structures, but it’s still finished by hand, polished, and given the human touch that makes jewelry personal.
As direct metal printing continues to evolve, the possibilities will only grow—lighter structures, bolder forms, and designs that push beyond what we can imagine today. But no matter how advanced the tech becomes, the heart of jewelry will always come from the maker behind it.
This is the future of my work. I plane to implement more of this in upcoming designs—innovation and tradition, fused together in every ring.