3D Printing Brings New Dimension to DIY Jewelry

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The partnership between fashion and tech is building momentum: a hackathon at the most recent NYFW, a Thiel fellowship for software to optimize patterned fabric for the garment industry, and now, 3D printing, which showcased to much fanfare at the Maker Faire Bay Area this past weekend. The current 3D printers (which will hit the mass market next month) can print small plastic objects that are a few inches in size. The next generation of printers will be able to print objects that are two feet in size and in a variety of materials.

DIY crafters are already putting 3D printing to good use. Summer Powell learned how to create using 3D software and printers at Silicon Valley-based TechShop. Now she sells her geometric jewelry at her Etsy store Summerized and in a few retail shops in SF. Currently focused on revolutionizing jewelry, 3D printing will eventually expand into clothing. We'd love to see what the likes of Margiela or Yohji Yamamoto might do with such a technology.
--by Esther Hahn
· The New Handmade [TechCrunch]
· 3-D Printing Goes Mainstream[VentureBeat]
· Maker Faire [Official Site]