- Christian Genco got an engagement ring for his fiance 3D printed
- The silver ring with a cubic zirconia stone could cost as little as $100
- Mr Genco's ring cost $508.77 in total
- This price included a ring designer, trial printings and back up stones
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The old wive's tale goes that if you're proposing to a woman, a month to three month's salary should be spent on the ring. But how would you feel if the engagement ring you got
A man in the US has used 3D printing technology, as well as a cubic zirconia stone bought off of eBay, to bring the cost of his fiance's engagement ring down to as little as $100.
Christain Genco, from Texas, USA, decided to 3D print his fiance's engagement ring in 2014 after looking at the costs of buying one off the shelf or having it custom made in the traditional way.
All that glitters: The silver and cubic zirconia ring was designed and 3D printed for only $508
Happy couple: Christian Ge nco decided to 3D print his fiance's wedding ring after the couple saw the costs of buying one or having a jeweller custom make a ring
He and his now-wife Elisa are committed to not overspending on unnecessary items, and felt that they wanted a design for her engagement ring that was more personal.
Instead of heading into a jewelers, the couple bought a one carat cubic zirconia from eBay and went about getting a 3D printed ring setting.
As Mr Genco was not experienced in 3D modelling, the couple decided to hire a ring designer. Mrs Genco had already been looking at designs she liked on rings, so they sent sketches to the designer.
Fraction of the price: The couple paid a designer to do the 3D modelling for the design, but the actual ring only cost $100
'I was elated': Mr Genco said he was very happy with the process of getting the ring made
Once they were happy with the design, Mr Genco got a plastic ring printed so his soon-to-be fiance l could try it on.
Then it was just a matter of sending the design to a 3D printer so it could be printed in silver.
'The day [the ring] arrived I was elated,' Mr Genco wrote on his blog.
'The level of detail was much better than in the plastic prints, likely from the polishing process. It looked like a real ring!'
Once it was printed, the couple used a cubic zirconia stone purchased from eBay and had it set in the ring by a jeweller.
All up, it cost $508, including the back and forth with the designer.
Diam ond's aren't a girl's best friend: The setting was 3D printed whilst the stone was purchased from eBay and set into the ring afterwards
Cutting edge: Australian designers including Cinnamon Lee have embraced 3D printing technology to make jewellery (above)
But Mr Genco said that if you already had a design the ring could be made for as little as $100.
There are many jewellers now in Australia using 3D printing to create their designs. Cinnamon Lee, a Wollongong-based designer, was one of the first in Australia to use 3D printing for jewellery.
She started making titanium printed rings in 2014.
