 My interview with My Mini Factory We are delighted to introduce Genevieve Schwartz as this months Featured Designer. Gen has designed a collection specifically for My Mini Factory Jewellery themed around geometrical shapes and mathematical forms. The collection contains beautiful interlocking rings and two-part pendants that connect together irresistibly, adding a playful and tactile dynamic when worn stacked or independently. We went to meet her in her beautiful North London studio for a chat about her inspirations, love of 3D printing, and life as a My Mini Factory Studio’s Designer. Watch our video interview at the bottom of this post for some more highlights from the day. So Gen, could you tell us a little bit more about yourself? I’m 25, I grew up in London surrounded by creative minds! My mother is a painter and my sister is a photographer. Art has been in my life since the beginning and I learned how to make it my own with Jewellery. Where did you learn 3D design? At Holts Academy in the heart of London’s jewellery district, Hatton Gardens. Which software do you use? Rhino and Matrix but I really want to start using ZBrush.  Interlocking ring 1 and 2, Genevieve Schwartz Interlocking rings, MyMiniFactory.com When did you start designing for 3D printing? In 2013 Where does your passion for designing and 3D printing come from? From my interest in the process of manufacture and with it, all of modern technology’s exciting developments. These have enabled designers like myself to experiment with so many different ideas! What’s been your biggest project? My biggest project has been designing My Mini Factory’s first ever jewellery collection. It consists of about fifteen different pieces and was based on interrelating geometrical shapes. Is there any project you never managed to design/print? I think every CAD designer has these! Projects they have conceived in a moment of creative inspiration but not yet had all the components ready to print. Or have not yet worked out the details of how it will work. In my case, as a jewellery designer, I am most often stopped by having to find a gemstone which exactly fits my design. But I store all these for a rainy day when I might need some new pieces to add to a collection.  Temptation rings, Genevieve Black What are you working on at the moment? A collection based on the traditional Irish Claddagh design but with a modern twist. Sounds interesting, what’s your process for creating a design? Usually an idea will come to me when I least expect it. Normally this happens when I am out and about and see something I like and think “hey, that would be interesting as a necklace or bracelet?”. Because I am a jewellery designer by trade, most of my ideas come to me through a consideration of whether an object is ‘wearable’ or not. Then I let my imagination inspire my research and work out the best way to make my idea into a reality.   Ball and Sphere pendant, Genevieve Schwartz, MyMiniFactory.com Ball and Sphere ring in B9 Yellow resin. When was the first time you saw a 3D printer ? Do you remember what went through your head? The first time I saw a 3D printer was in a YouTube video. Our tutor was teaching us about additive and reductive 3D printing processes and used videos to highlight the differences. The first thing that probably went through my head was about how obsolete humans seems to be becoming! But then I remembered how these machines need to be programmed and that humans design the objects that are printed. Watching a 3D printer work is genuinely hypnotising, and the detail possible in the final prints is remarkable. Do you own a 3D printer ? No, unfortunately not.  Lace ring, Genevieve Schwartz, MyMiniFactory.com Where do you get your inspiration from? My inspiration comes mostly from images I see in my day-to-day life. Sometimes I won’t even realise certain objects have inspired me and then when I sit down to sketch, I find myself drawing inspiration from these objects. My degree in Art History has also always had a heavy influence on my designs as I am very inspired by ideas from previous artistic movements. In particular Art Deco designs from the 1920s. I hope to one day design a collection based around this eras stylistic principles and ideas. Do you use social media to promote your work? What’s your relationship with your followers? Yes, I use it frequently! I find Instagram particularly useful as modern consumers like new images and so I find this to be a very good way to constantly be engaging with new potential customers, especially when writing interesting daily copy isn’t my strong point!  D ring, Genevieve Schwartz, MyMiniFactory.com
Genevieve, it’s been an absolute pleasure speaking with you and thank you for showing us round your wonderful studio. We can’t wait to see the new designs your working on. Genevieve’s collection was printed in B9 Yellow resin using a B9 Creator. The prints were then cast directly into Sterling Silver and hand polished. A selection of her interlocking ring designs, lace rings, and pendants are now available to buy from the MyMiniFactory Jewellery Shop. We will be adding more finished pieces to the collection soon so keep a look out for those..and to keep an eye on what Gen’s up to, check out her website GenevieveBlack.com, Instagram, and her facebook. Also check out her My Mini Factory profile page and give her a tip if you like what’s she’s doing. |
