Can I Make Money with 3D Printed Jewelry?

Technology has undoubtedly impacted many businesses throughout the world and is going much deeper as economies become more integrated and demanding. 3D printing has enabled entrepreneurs and industries in their quest to uncover the true potential of one of the fastest-growing technology. Even the jewelry-making sector benefits from this technology.

Establishing a 3D jewelry printing business would have seemed impossible a few years ago, but today, people are taking advantage of the technology to make money. Yes, you read that correctly. 3D printed jewelry is generating revenue for a lot of people. You can also benefit from this. Keep reading to learn more about how to accomplish this.

Making Money From 3D Printed Jewelry

3D printing jewelry is a very lucrative business. However, as with any other business, success requires the correct skill set and motivation. You can profit from anything if you know how to market it.

There are two ways to go about making money from 3D-printed jewelry. You can decide to make your designs, and employ the services of print-on-demand 3D printing specialists to bring your design to life. Alternatively, you may wish to do the whole thing, from the design to the printing.

If you aim to do the former, then you must have sufficient knowledge in jewelry design. For the latter, in addition to CAD jewelry designing, you need to know how to operate the 3D printer.

In addition to having the right skill set, there are techniques you need to employ to make your brand stand out. Even if you find numerous competitors, utilizing the appropriate techniques will help you to reach out and build your fan base.

Here’s all you’ll need to do to make it big with 3D-printed jewelry.

1. Look for Inspiration

There are a lot of competitors out there and in as much as 3D printed jewelry is a rewarding venture, you can get it all wrong and not make as much as you can. Since the competitors are a lot, you have to find inspiration, that is you need a unique idea that will distinguish you from others.   It’s okay if you want to join the crowd and struggle to be seen. But the better choice would be to think of a new pattern to make your brand stand out.

2. Learn

If you are a newbie to 3D jewelry printing, you will have to equip yourself with the right skillset. Skills you’ll need to learn include the operation of a 3D printer and CAD jewelry design. If you already are a jewelry designer, you’ll only need to learn how to use the printer unless you want to employ print-on-demand services.

3. Select a suitable 3D printer

Skip this if you don't plan on doing the printing yourself. You’ll need to research to get the right type of printer for jewelry printing. Many jewelers prefer resin-based SLA or DLP printers. This is because these printers offer excellent printing resolution and allow the use of wax resins that would burn off cleanly during casting. There are several factors to consider when choosing a 3D printer for your jewelry printing business. Ensure you do proper research before choosing one.

4.  Choose the design software

When you come up with a design idea, the first step is usually to sketch it on paper or a digital tool. Then you can use CAD software to model the design. 3D modeling plays a crucial role in making desirable prints. So ensure you choose the appropriate software. Try out different ones before settling for one. The paid ones usually have a free version that you can try out before purchasing (if it suits your need).

Alternatively, you can employ the services of a designer. This is much easier if you're new to 3D modeling but there's a risk involved. The designer might sell your design to other people. If you decide employing the services of a designer is better, ensure you use a reputable company to protect your intellectual property.

5.  Prototyping

Getting a physical prototype can be very important for final evaluation purposes. You may have a great 3D model, but there's nothing quite like a physical object which you can access in case of adjustments. You can make a prototype using cheap printing material and make any necessary changes if need be.

6.  Print-on-demand services

This is for those who are going to do everything but print the model. When you have your design ready, you may reach out to local 3D printing businesses to bring the design to life. Always use a reputable company.

If you are not going to be carrying out the whole process of printing the jewelry, you must maintain ownership of your digital property. Be mindful of who you share your design files.

Although there are rules in place to protect your digital designs, it can be difficult to enforce them, especially in international cases.

How to Markety Your 3D Printed Jewelry

Now, after making a successful print, you will need to get your product out to potential customers. Here's how you can do that.  

• Get a brand name and logo

Every business needs a name and logo to differentiate it from others. Picking a name that resonates with your target audience might be a great idea.

Your logo is also a very important part of your brand identity. Get a professional logo design that conceptualizes your brand and is easy to read.

• Sell your 3D printed jewelry

You can choose to sell your 3D printed jewelry on a third-party e-commerce website like Shopify, or simply create your website. Creating your website has the advantage of isolating you from other competitors, at least not in the same space, and with a website, you can provide informative content to help in your brand's publicity.

Although you will need to employ some tactics to get your ranking better on search engines. Having your website also increases the trust of potential customers. But who says you can't do both? You can choose to utilize both opportunities; use a third-party e-commerce website and build yours. The more the merrier.

• Use high-quality images

Getting a high-quality image of your print is very important because digital products have to appeal to customers before they let their coin go. If you can make the jewelry design look more realistic, then you can use it as the product image. Otherwise, employing the services of a product photographer is necessary.

Also, you will need photos of people or someone wearing the jewelry to give customers an idea of how the piece will look on them.

• Take advantage of social media

Social media is used by millions of people all over the world. Imagine the number of people you can reach on social media. It's massive. To achieve this, you need to share the designs, ideas, and values that you intend to bring to your customer's life. You also need to share engaging and interesting content targeted at a specific audience that aligns with your brand values. Consistency is also very important to gather crowds on social media.

• Advertise

This is an important step to take if you wish to reach more people. Investing in advertising, both on social media and search engines helps to bring your product to the doorstep of potential customers (digitally). The importance of advertising cannot be overemphasized. Having a great product is important, but if people don't get to see it, you'd be missing all the dollars the jewelry could have amassed.

What Types of Jewelry Can I 3D Print?

The better question to ask is, "What types of jewelry can't you print?" because when you add the creativity of the numerous jewelers out there, the possibilities of jewelry designs made are endless.

3D printing jewelry allows you to create intricate but delicate meshes, experiment with new materials, and make bold new statements that are impossible to achieve with traditional methods.

A lot of jewelers offer 3D-printed jewelry like pendants, rings, cityscapes, bangles, earrings, beads, cuffs, and a lot more. All of these are made in different creative designs by different jewelers.

You can decide to make any of those or do a Google search to explore more options. All you need to do is to add your creative style.

What Metals Can I Print Jewelry with on my 3D Printer?

The most common claim regarding 3D printed jewelry is that it is made of metallic plastic. While there are some 3D printed jewelry designed with skin-friendly plastic, many are fashioned as a real, solid piece of jewelry in the jeweler's preferred precious metal.

Some of the metals that can be used for 3D printed jewelry include:

• Gold- not coated with gold but the actual gold. You can print 14 or 18-karat solid gold.
• Silver- sterling silver is commonly used by most jewelers. It comes in different finishes which include, high gloss, gloss, satin, sandblasted models, and antique silver.  
• Bronze
• Brass

Other materials include aluminide, titanium, aluminum, copper, regular steel, or high detail stainless steel.

Conclusion 3D printed jewelry is a rewarding venture. But to get these rewards, you have to put in the work; apply the right tactics, use the right techniques and gain the required knowledge to excel. Fortunately, you have been provided with all you need to know in this article.