Sur3D Launches ‘Decoded Heart’ 3D Printed Jewelry Design Beta

3D technologies, from 3D scanning to modeling and 3D printing, is changing the way a lot of objects are manufactured, from consumer products and medical devices to airplane components and food… and of course, the ever-popular jewelry. Two years ago, Uruguay-based 3D printing startup Sur3D announced a free, easy-to-use web application called Selva3D, which lets users upload a 2D image, like a logo or photograph, to be quickly turned into a 3D model. The beta was launched a few months later, and since then, Sur3D, and its innovative Selva3D software, has been partnering up with companies like Katje’s Magic Candy Factory and Pancakebot. Now the company, which recently took the Top Tech of CES 2017 ‘Latin Innovation’ Award, has launched the beta version of an exciting new jewelry design project called Decoded Heart.

The Decoded Heart jewelry reminds me of the ‘Windswept’ collection by Love and Robots, but instead of capturing the movement of the wind on a certain day, you can instead use a specific place, a custom monogram, and even the sound of your own voice to make a really amazing necklace.

Alejandro Lozdziejski

Alejandro Lozdziejski, founder and CEO of Sur3D, told 3DPrint.com, “We are using for the first time new ways to integrate design and technology, like voice encoding and geo location, making fashion tech available to everybody so they can unleash their imagination and materialize their unique in the world pieces.”

This is another one of the many innovative products I write about that I really want to own; however, as my current budget does not allow any wiggle room for 3D printed jewelry, I just investigated the Decoded site instead. There are three options listed at the top: Find Your Place, Spread Your Word, and Monogram Yourself. The first allows you to choose any place in the world, and turn it into a unique, minimalist map necklace. You can also record a special message for someone and turn the sound of your voice into a beautiful, personal gift (Mother’s Day is coming up, after all…), or use Sur3D’s tools to create a personalized monogram necklace.

Once you’ve completed your new piece of jewelry, if you’re not quite ready to send it to the 3D printer and buy it, you can just click the Share button at the bottom of the page to show off and explain about your unique creation on social media…and if you’re lucky, maybe someone will order it for you as a gift!

“The best part of it is that every piece has a story behind it, so you can also share your creative process online with your friends and through interactive experiences tell the story behind your new jewelry,” Lozdziejski told 3DPrint.com.

There are two sizes available: Petite, with an approximately 30mm diameter, and Large, about 40mm. The four material options are Silver, Gold-Plated, Rose Gold-Plated, and Bronze; this last was a little cheaper than the first three. Also, while the website shows the necklaces with a chain, it’s important to remember that chain or choker accessories are not included.

As my computer doesn’t have a microphone or speakers, I wasn’t able to check out the Spread Your Word option, but I spent a good amount of time in the other two. The map tool for Find Your Place lets you enter any location on Earth, and then you can zoom in or out, and move the necklace around over the general area, to make it look just the way you want it. Both the Petite and Large options in the bronze material are $120. The other three materials will cost $140 for a Petite size, and go up to $150 for a Large. I first tried it with my favorite vacation spot – Suttons Bay, Michigan – and then tried with my local bookstore, which was my favorite.

Then, I made a monogram out of my husband’s first initial, my first initial, and our last initial. There are two available fonts, Roboto and Fontastic, but the price stays the same for both. A Petite monogram necklace in Bronze costs only $105, but jumps up to $130 for a Large. A Petite in the other materials is $125, and just like with Find Your Place, the Large in the other three materials is $150.

Sur3D’s mission is to make 3D printing available to everyone, by getting rid of the complexity. Its modeling tools can be used with almost any 3D printer on the market, and allow retail environments to offer custom, in-store product creation experiences. The technologies that the team developed over three years are in use in nearly 200 countries, and are processing more than 1,000+ graphic computations every day.

According to Sur3D’s website, “The first time we saw a 3D printer in action, we knew that we’d dedicate the rest of our lives to this technology. It was love at first first. This is how Sur3D started.”

Discuss in the Decoded Heart forum at 3DPB.com.