​Mariette’s Designs will Make Everyone Jeweler

Jewelry-making has always been kind of a secretive business, run by a closed community of jewelers. The skills have been passed from generation to generation within families and it was difficult for outsiders to enter the industry. Nowadays this is changing thanks to 3D printing and people like Mariette, known also with the nickname Mariblueruby. Mariette has been part of Threeding community since February 2015 and I find her jewelry models one of the best available on our platform.  So, I am very pleased to present her and her amazing art.

Tony, Threeding.com: Hi Mariette and thank you for accepting my invitation. Can you tell our audience more about you?
Mariette: Hello Tony, firstly, thank you for this opportunity and taking the time to chat with me. It’s all very exciting! To tell you a bit about my background, I am 33 years old freelance designer, living in Ballito, South Africa. I’ve always been a creative soul and since childhood, I’ve loved to collect shiny and slightly random objects. Be it rocks, pieces wire or bottle caps, they all had a significant importance in developing my creativity in later years as an adult. I then went on to study and specialize in Jewellery Design & Manufacturing after school and it became my career path. 
 
Tony, Threeding.com: When did you start making 3D printable models and what did it get you to this?
Mariette: I was first introduced to the incredible industry in 2004 after winning a grant through a local mining company who sent a small group of students to learn more about 3D printing at a technology institute in the Free State, South Africa. I was mesmerized with what I saw and the capabilities of the machines and I was hooked from there on out. I knew what I was destined to do! 11 years later, it’s all still absolutely mind-blowing and every single model and every single job is a new fascinating journey to be on to learn and explore and grow.

Tony, Threeding.com: What area or Industry do you specialize in?
Mariette: I specialize in 3D Jewellery models for manufacturing Jewellery and people with factories. I do also assist in product development in other areas where it is needed like Industrial Designing and the Automotive & Agricultural Industries.
 
Tony, Threeding.com: How do you create your models?
Mariette: I’ve explored various programs but I prefer to use RhinoCAD and I render in Keyshot

 
Tony, Threeding.com:  What is your favorite design that you’ve done?
Mariette:  One of my key ground rules I work by is that every design project deserves its own respect and integrity so they all get approached with equal importance. What makes things difficult is that, I’d say that 95% or more of my work is confidential and it’s also very rarely that I will see the finished product, so it’s not always possible for me to share something publically that I am proud of. There are a few pieces where I’ve really been very pleased with the results and it is a reminder why I do what I do.

Tony, Threeding.com:  Do you have own 3D printer? If yes, what is it and what is the one you want to get? 
Mariette: I don’t but I do hope to get one in the near future. The technology is advancing so quickly, I am waiting for the right one to cross my path, haha!
 
Tony, Threeding.com: Why do you believe in the feature of 3D printing and how do you think the market will develop? 
Mariette: 3D printing has opened the door for an assortment of different things to become a reality. From the home enthusiast who likes to tinker and create their own bits and bobs around the house to the medical industry busy developing bioprinting where they are printing molecules, internal organ tissue and skin tissue. For instance, it’s made aspects of tool making and product development so much easier and things we thought impossible before, have become possible as well as MUCH easier to obtain. It will very soon become an every-day necessity like the internet and cellphones have become over the last years.

To see more of Mariette’s art, visit her website, Threeding’s Store and follow her on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn