Aug 2, 2017 | By Tess

3D printed jewelry designer Jenny Wu has made a breakthrough in the field of 3D printed accessories with one of the first fully 3D printed interlocking steel necklaces. The necklace, called Catena, was 3D printed from steel in collaboration with ExOne.

The 3D printed necklace, part of the LACE by Jenny Wu luxury jewelry line, is a stunning piece whose design is inspired by architecture and complex geometrical structures. Jenny Wu, a member of L.A. architecture firm Oyler Wu, has become known in the worlds of design, 3D printing, and jewelry for her intricate and stately 3D printed pieces.

“For the past three years, my necklaces have been the most iconic, popular pieces in my collection,” the designer said. “Unlike most 3D printed necklaces out there, our pieces are fully 3D printed without any additional analog assembly nor non-3D printed hardware to hold these incredible statement pieces around the neck.”

“This type of necklace was a technical and financial challenge to 3D print entirely in metal until now,” she added. “While we love the wearability of our nylon necklaces, our goal was always to 3D print our necklaces in metal, from the hinge down to the latch. After many years of testing and prototyping with various different technologies, we were finally able to produce the Catena necklace with ExOne and their 3D printing process.”

The Catena necklace, the product of an intensive and meticulous design process, was 3D printed in steel using ExOne’s Binder Jetting Technology, which deposits a liquid binding agent into a bed of metal powder to build up the 3D object.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) recently acquired Wu’s 3D printed Catena Steel Necklace, and will be featuring it in its permanent collection. The steel necklace is not yet listed on LACE by Jenny Wu’s web shop, though interested customers can purchase the nylon version of the necklace for $392.

Bobbye Tigerman, a curator at LACMA, commented on the museum’s new acquisition, saying: “Jenny translates the complex line-based geometries of Oyler Wu’s architectural projects into jewelry and brings a high level of technical skill to the crowded 3D printing field. The Catena necklace is her most sophisticated design to date, both conceptually and technically. The complex design of interlocking pieces is entirely articulated, a feature made by possible by the 3D printing process, without requiring extensive manual labor and time investments.”

LACE was founded by designer Jenny Wu in 2014 and has continually driven the field of luxury 3D printed jewelry forward with its eye-grabbing designs. LACE has even been embraced by the celebs, having been worn by the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Alba.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Application

 

 

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