Ola Shekhtman, 3D designer and proprietor of Wearable Cityscapes
Meet Ola Shekhtman
Ola Shekhtman is a 3D designer, jewellery maker, and avid traveler who makes use of 3D printing to understand her most worldly ambitions. After studying jewellery making in Saint Petersburg and 3D modeling in New York, Shekhtman now makes use of the liberty afforded to her by 3D printing to fabricate and promote her designs from wherever on Earth with a Wi-Fi hookup. Since conceiving of her Cityscape assortment, Shekhtman has known as the U.S., Israel, after which Canada her dwelling, and is presently based mostly in Berlin, for now.
“Touring is my highly effective engine and my top quality gas is suggestions from my prospects,” says Shekhtman. “Day by day I obtain messages with tales what Cityscape Rings imply for folks, and I’m very grateful to every of my buyer who shares touching story with me. It offers my work nice which means.”
Shekhtman’s rings retail on Etsy, Shopify, and Unusual Items, in addition to on the Shapeways Market. Quickly, Shekhtman hopes to have them retail in museums and galleries, and in brick and mortar outlets.
Inspiration and Course of
The Cityscape ring assortment was born from Ola Shekhtman’s love of structure and journey. At dwelling after a visit to France, Shekhtman was trying to find one thing particular to maintain the reminiscences of her travels shut at hand. She imagined wrapping the long-lasting landmarks of Paris round her finger and carrying them as jewellery. Discovering nothing like her imaginative and prescient in the marketplace, Shekhtman determined to attempt her hand at creating the memento herself.
Paris Ring, Made by Wearable Cityscapes
It took Shekhtman about six months to create her first Cityscape design, the Paris ring. She positioned an order with Shapeways, and in two weeks, a prototype arrived at her desk. Delighted by the wonder and wearability of her design, and realizing that the idea she had created had potential to spark pleasure for folks aside from herself, Shekhtman posted pictures of the Paris ring to social media. Inside a few months she acquired her first customized order, from a shopper wanting a hoop for his spouse on their ten-year marriage ceremony anniversary, honoring Edinburgh, town the place that they had wed. Says Shekhtman, “The method of 3D modeling the Edinburgh ring absorbed me for 3 weeks. But it surely was price it. The shopper was delighted by the ring and I gained confidence that I can present folks with one thing to maintain their heat reminiscences about particular occasions that occurred particularly locations.”
Edinburgh Ring, Made by Wearable Cityscapes
Now, it takes Shekhtman solely 12 to fifteen hours to 3D mannequin a brand new ring. For every new metropolis she renders in ring type, Shekhtman first research the structure and chooses one of the best buildings to mannequin, based mostly on their relevance to town’s tradition, and the way properly they may translate onto a hoop. Then, she 3D fashions every constructing in cautious proportion. For rings of various sizes, Shekhtman will add or take away buildings moderately than stretch or squeeze the design in order to keep up most recognizability. As soon as she has her design absolutely rendered in 3D modeling software program, she submits an order to Shapeways, and two weeks later she is ready to attempt on her new design.
Shekhtman x Shapeways
Shekhtman is a educated goldsmith, and although she generally misses handcrafting her jewellery designs, she says of 3D printing, “3D offers me three sorts of freedom: 1. Geographic freedom. I can reside the place I would like and journey all 12 months lengthy, and the one device I have to have with me is my laptop computer. 2. Freedom of creativity. Particulars rule! Clients adore buildings with columns and tiny statues, which I create in 3D software program. It’s difficult to pierce home windows [by hand] and 3D lets me make it simply. And, 3. Freedom of time – To make 1000 rings by hand I might spend practically 100 years. Shapeways can produce this quantity in 2-3 weeks. Utilizing 3D modeling I could make a metropolis as soon as and it’s obtainable to order in any amount, eternally, which frees me up for brand spanking new designs.”
Certainly, for the reason that assortment’s inception in 2015, Shekhtman has bought over 6,000 Cityscape Rings—an inconceivable achievement had been she making every ring by hand. Of her store on the Shapeways Market, Shekhtman says, “It’s my first passive earnings. All I have to do is add fashions, pictures of actual merchandise from totally different views, and detailed descriptions to assist potential prospects make a purchase order.”
