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Compete with the big boys. Make an exclusive collection. Show a custom engagement ring to a customer BEFORE they decide to buy. With the 3D printing market set to reach $11 billion by 2020, it’s time to add the machine to your bench.

Staying competitive in today’s retail landscape keeps us all up at night. And if you’re up against a big box retailer, your nights may be longer than others. The art of hand carving is tedious and takes time – only yielding one product at a time. This presents a challenge. It’s difficult for a smaller jewelry store to compete with larger chains on the types of jewelry pieces popular in their market.

Enter 3D printers. These time-saving, moneymaking machines will deliver your dreams on a perfectly printed platter. Think about it. Your 3D printer, say the Asiga® for example, can create a more complex design pretty quickly (2 to 24 hours depending on your design). AND it can print more than one design at the same time so you can put out projects more quickly.

After a customer designs a piece at your store. You can set your 3D printer overnight to print it. And when they come back the next day, you’re ready to show them the resin model, allow them to try it on, and even make modifications (a less expensive method compared to casting).

3D printing also aids in another jeweler challenge – inventory management. When custom is a large part of your business, you don't need as much in your case. The ability to design a piece, create it, and have it to a customer within days eliminates the need to invest in new inventory.

In order to develop a quality investment casting, which leads to a high quality final product, jewelers need to use the right technology, materials, and take the time to understand their features and properties.

Most designs have a larger number of smaller diamonds, or complicated shank detail, which sometimes proves difficult to carve. Resin works well in these situations. Its precision is pretty spot on, with lower levels of shrinkage or expansion. And no need to scale materials up or down.

Marcus Holloway from Griner Jewelry in Moultrie, Georgia says their 3D printer is best used for making physical mockups for their customers. Using this tactic with their 3D printer, the store sees a 100% turnover ratio!.

The turnaround time from conception to finished product can be as little as two days. In some cases, customers enter their store with only an idea. After working with the customer to create a design using Matrix®, the piece can be printed in nearly an hour. The customer then returns to the store later that day to try on their new piece of jewelry. Once approved, the design goes on to production and can become a reality the following day

3D printers also help the store to be more productive. For over 10 years, Marcus created delicate wax carvings by hand, a practice that could take two days’ time. Now, this process is shortened dramatically. Plus, wax carvings had to be handled gently and could easily be ruined with one wrong move. The printed resin pieces are much more durable and lasting, perfect for customer handling.