Pleko

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Pleko, from ancient Greek tangle, intertwine, weave, was born as a celebration of complexity. Throughout the collaboration of the brilliant jewelry maker Coquelicot Jewelry and the Professor supervision of Di Nicolantonio Massimo a completed ring jewelry line was conceived. The first instance of the design process has been based on the analysis of traditional genres of ring making. The band ring was the type of choice due to the everlasting existence in the history of jewelry making and thanks to its simplicity a model that has been highly refined and interpreted during the centuries. Digital processing highly influenced the design direction; a blend of the most contemporary formal dialect and traditional ones lead to a result that combines those two in a successful contrast. A microstructure of the surfaces allows for a ennobling of the material and the shape, producing an elegant declination of a well-accepted piece of ornament, therefore, standing as an ambassador of the state of the art digital crafting methods for the mass production. The intricate structure of the surface is, that way, easily readable at first glance and further enjoyed with deeper and more detailed fruition. The shapes are conceived as a continuous surface, one inspired by the Mobius strip, the other on a more geometrical square like band, both of them carefully designed for the best possible fit on the fingers. The digital production throughout 3d printing is at the center of the design. Under the surface, there is a production chain design based on these technologies. Not only such a product could not be manufactured without 3d printing due to the structural complexity, but, once accomplished, it cannot be either handcrafted modified. For that reason, an algorithmic approach allows having highly customizable options for the customer so that it can have alterations made in the automated design phase and directly manufactured to its needs. The manufacturing phase uses investment metal casting technology. The molds are 3d printed in wax-like materials, taking advantage of either PolyJet or SLA solutions. The molds are invested and microfusion cast. The material of choice for the shown products is silver but, based on customers requests, other metals can be used. To facilitate such process all Pleko rings are designed with an internal cavity that allows an optimal flow of the molten metal and, at the same time, provide structural integrity during the printing process. Finally, every microstructure of the ring has been optimized for the balance between lightweight, reduced material waste and structural rigidity. Also, every Pleko piece is designed for being self-supported on most printers increasing the design accessibility to the user. A final option is the use of direct printing of digital stones resin or multicolor polymers on customers request.