People say reading helps them escape, helps them dream. I never imagined I would compare Additive Manufacturing to reading. Then I met Maeve Gillies. Like a story, AM opens the door to new worlds. It lets Gillies dream, build and decorate metal objects without borders.
Everything about Gillies carries the thrill of discovery: her Celtic heritage, her craft, her artistic influences. Indeed, each thread of her journey leads, almost inevitably, to 3D printing.
Artist by training, by essence, and by heart
As with any good artist, her journey with AM all starts with curiosity.
“I follow material science, technology innovation, and additive manufacturing out of curiosity, to understand what will become possible, imagine what could be made, and be inspired by the new creative potential across multiple disciplines. Direct printing in metal and other new materials is an exciting frontier to watch unfold in scientific and industrial applications, particularly as it begins to bring wider societal, sustainable, and environmental benefits. I am drawn to AM forms, finishes, and functions that would be difficult or impossible to make any other way!”
She also explains how technology fits into her craft:
“I have always leaned into technology to learn how to enhance design and manufacturing options, as a flexible shape-shifting tool in the toolbox. I hope to integrate processes that offer fresh design solutions and new ways of seeing. Yet it is always the heart and humanity of hand-crafted knowledge and skill that is needed to turn machined componentry into treasure – skill, tool, touch, and time – bringing pieces to life,” she told 3D ADEPT Media.
Why platinum is central to the TÙSAIRE collection
This focus on direct metal 3D printing therefore led to the TÙSAIRE collection, a line of 3D printed platinum jewellery. It demonstrates the use of platinum with direct metal 3D printing.
If you follow Additive Manufacturing (AM), you may know that few users work with platinum. Its main use is in jewelry. More broadly, platinum in AM serves the luxury market.
Moreover, platinum is about 30 times rarer than gold, which contributed to its high value and status. It’s extremely durable and resistant to tarnish, making it ideal for heirloom-quality pieces. For example, high-end bridal jewellery, limited edition collections, and luxury watches commonly use platinum. Its associations with exclusivity and sophistication all indicate a strong positioning in the luxury market.
So, how does the AM process look?
Many jewellers focus on design and finishing, leaving technical manufacturing to expert partners. Equipment costs are high, skills are scarce and production volumes are low. There is also a growing ecosystem of AM service providers offering precious metal printing services.
Gillies also follows this approach. She explains:
“I start with freehand drawings, which I refine by hand into technical blueprints, then CAD and 3D-printed resins in-house for visualisation. My AM is outsourced: for the TÙSAIRE collection, I collaborated with printing experts Progold and Platinum Guild International to collectively push the boundaries of what is possible in printed platinum, using new platinum powder technology within the LPBF (laser powder bed fusion) process.
Everything is first printed in titanium to ensure the lightweight hollow structures, cold join connections, pre-articulation, and transformable components work in metal before progressing to platinum, which then requires final adjustments to orientation and support design.”
In fact, the process shares features with the 3D printing of some titanium medical parts. For example, it enables lightweight jewelry components that would be difficult to achieve with traditional methods. First, the team used titanium prototypes to test supports, assemblies, moving elements and surface finishes. It later transitioned to platinum.
Making the printing process part of the design
This focus on design and finishing also shapes how the artist works with precious metals. It brings distinct challenges and opportunities.
“Industry deployment of 3D printed precious metal is often for manufacturing efficiencies and cost reduction, so printed surfaces and supports are removed, and the technology is mostly invisible. I approached the challenge and opportunity differently – to imagine a new world for Platinum: bold and hollow, large scale, in a colourful partnership with anodised 3D printed hollow Titanium, with decorated multi-surface hollow and pre-articulated forms.
Each component features a combination of contrasting split-level, highly polished/raw printed surfaces. This allows the printing resolution, supports, and process to be preserved and highlighted, like a printed artefact of this moment in a fast-moving technological landscape,” Gillies points out.
Maintaining the sense of luxury and craftsmanship in jewel pieces that are digitally fabricated
At the same time, luxury jewelry craftsmanship is a mix of art and skill. Each piece shares a story of creativity and beauty. Looking at the pieces of the TÙSAIRE collection, I can’t help but see the beauty of AM.
Many luxury brands follow an unspoken “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. As a result, this helps retain the mystique of their work. In this market, I am convinced that the TÙSAIRE collection will help spread the word about AM. After all, today’s consumers have high expectations for what they buy.
That’s probably the tiny impact of digital fabrication, Maeve Gillies tried to convey here:
“Digital fabrication is just one step in this creative journey. I think a sense of luxury comes from the customer/wearer, who decides the meaning, life and purpose of an object. I also think luxury is the essence of an object created with mindful material and skill. As a designer, part of my craftsmanship is in knowing what to hold back and what to set free, stemming from decades of observing, learning, and creating valued objects for others.”
From experimentation to a commercial collection
Today, customers can buy pieces from the TÙSAIRE collection. For Gillies, this milestone serves as a reminder that “technological innovation in commercial product development is a long, slow, difficult, and often unpredictable journey.”
It also encourages others to stay curious and brave when testing technology. Technology is a tool that helps people shape their future through new ideas. Ultimately, Gillies hopes this courage will lead to a jewelry collection 3D printed entirely in diamond.
This content has been sponsored by Formnext.
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