The Process of Designing Bow to the Bee

In 2020, I was inspired to create a jewelry line dedicated to the bees. I had a jewelry line back in college (over a decade ago!) and was well versed with making jewelry but had never ventured into custom creating my own pendant, earrings, ring and more. 

Step 1. Design the Bee 

I am the founder of Roomhints, and also an interior designer. For interior design I use 3D programs such as, blender, Studio Max, AutoCad 3D and more on a daily basis and well versed in generating 3D designs. This came in handy to design using 3D programs the bee. 

Collecting inspiration from existing bee jewelry and other insect jewelry. I wanted the bee to be a balance between feminine and masculine attributes. I found a lot of the bee designs online to have the wings above the body and to me this looks more feminine. 

Spent around 3 months finalizing in a 3D modeling program called blender the design for the bee. 

 

Step 2. 3D Printing Prototypes 

Well, it's one thing to design a bee online in 3D - but how will the bee and its proportions look when printed or cast in gold? 

I bought a resin 3D printer and converted the files to print on a 3D printer. From printing, I realized the sizing for the wings was way off! Switched it up and finalized the design to one that I love. 

A lot of the prints didn't work out (😂 )

 

Step 3. Casting in Silver & Gold 

This step I do not do in my studio. I found a wonderful jeweler in Colorado who casts all the items in pure recycled gold and silver. If you are curious about casting here is a great video. 

Step 4. Putting the Jewelry Together 

For the bracelets and necklaces, I sourced all the chains from suppliers in the United States. This process took some time to find good quality chains. To put the necklaces together, I want these necklaces to last, so I solder all the jump rings and clasps. 

I was very very new to soldering. After watching some videos on YouTube I gave it a try. A lot of the jewels oxidized or just did not solder right. 

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17899519321630583/

I realized I should take a class here. 1. Using a giant flame is not the safest and 2. metals can be toxic when soldering and want to make sure I am really doing this right. 

Took a class at Silver Peak Studio and learned the best practices. 

Step 5. Sticking with the Final Design

For me this is always the hardest part. I constantly want to create new designs, new styles but you always have to start somewhere and can change/modify from there.