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FabMe
FabMe Jewelry
FabMe's collection available on Shapeways
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FabMe Necklace
One of FabMe's gold-plated pendant's
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FabMe Bangle and Necklace
A matching part of their collection
3D Printing’s most popular end user application is without doubt jewellery, the ability to create almost any geometrical shape appeals to creators across all fields but with jewellery design it is particularly exciting. Using traditional manufacturing there was only a set amount of geometries available; the advent of 3D printing to develop a finished product has opened up a whole new set of shapes for designers to apply their creativity.
This is never more than applicable to boyfriend/girlfriend team, Wesley and Karen who have designed a stunning range of jewellery available through Shapeways called FabMe Jewelry
Their Shapeways store contains a wide spectrum of designs ranging from tiaras to rings and all that comes in between. FabMe have taken advantage of Shapeways’ new Gold Plated material in order to present you with these marvellous designs in traditional jewellery materials.
Co-founder Wesley told Personalize exclusively how he discovered 3D printing and thought it could make a great way to create jewellery: “I was introduced to 3D printing when I wanted to make a mould to cast a keychain for the company I work for, Boz Group, I was researching ways to manufacture and came across 3D Printing. I realised that whereas a goldsmith is usually limited to what his hands can create but using software and 3D printing you can create almost anything.”
The keychain research set Wesley on a path to finding the right service for his product: “When I was looking a company to mill the keychain I realised that 3D printing would be the most efficient way of making it. I then came across Shapeways and realised it would be the perfect place to sell designs.”
FabMe are yet another 3D printing company to come from the Netherlands, with Ultimaker, Shapeways, Dyvsign and 3D Hubs all coming out of the lowlands we wanted to know what they put in the Dutch water: “In high school we all learned to program robots and machines, we were able to see all the possibilities of the available technology. So when I came in contact with 3D printing I was able to grasp it pretty quickly as I’d already been taught about CNC machining. The Netherlands evolved in about 50 years from farming to a knowledge economy. We have a taught with the mind-set that anything is possible.”
FabMe also share attributes with many 3D printing companies in that they are going down the crowd-funding route we asked Wesley why he chose this option as opposed to traditional methods of financing. “I didn’t really want to be lending money off the banks with the economic crisis that is just behind us. Crowd-funding not only generates funds but it generates a buzz about the brand to people across the world.”
