Patination of silver should have been implemented years ago. Shapeways has been losing money on this in a few ways I can think of.
- There are artists who do sterling silver designs yet do not get heavily involved with Shapeways because a lot of their creations would look like crap without patination.
- A customer sees a design they like, but realize that the design is not offered in a patinated state and move on. Take SG Design's Cheshire Cat for example. This is an amazing piece, but Shapeways doesn't make it like it should be made. Instead the buyer needs to find a way to get the piece patinated. I assure you this has turned a lot of people away over the years, not just for SG's Cheshire Cat, but hundreds of other designs here on Shapeways that require patination.
- Patination can make 3D printed sterling silver look better because print lines are concealed in the darkness of the patina. When a jewelry product looks good it will sell more often than one that looks like it was 3D printed.
A whiter white gold is needed. Some people don't like the slight gold tint on their white gold jewelry.
When it comes to jewelry the name Shapeways is not a good sounding brand name. It's perfect for the other products Shapeways sells, but not jewelry. Shapeways should create a subsidiary just for jewelry that has an awesome sounding brand name. Where would rather buy jewelry? A place called Shapeways. By the way, that's pronounced it with a screeching nasally nerd voice!
Or, a place with a name like Longines or Jules Jurgensen.
Stone setting service. I know this is hard, but think of the profits.
Findings. Jump rings, ear hooks and ear posts, pin clutches, etcetera.
Laser engraving. Huge profit potential. Fairly easy to implement.
PHOTOGRAPHY!
Hard to do, but I know Shapeways could make a killing off of this if the service was ever implemented.
Next day service.
Cuz people don't like to wait!
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