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Blessed Child Rings by Britta Schwalm |
Home > Winners > Design #37633 >Interview |
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FS: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
BS: I was inspired by my newborn son. He was so heartwarming to look at , I decided to make that feeling last by capturing it in a precious material.
FS: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
BS: The baby should represent an archetype, so that everyone can see his or her baby in it. Or even a connection to one’s inner child or a stillborn child.
FS: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
BS: I'm planning to realize bangles with the baby inside. But I have to do research first, the bangels should be in paper.
FS: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
BS: I’ve worked on this for more than a year. It was very complex to find a way of modelling a baby on the inside of a ring. I encountered a few setbacks before I found the solution. It was a newly developed 3D computer program.
FS: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
BS: It was my inspiration. Having a look at my son would explain everything.
FS: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
BS: I am selling and marketing the rings myself. I reserved the rights and am expanding my network of customers and resellers.
FS: What made you design this particular type of work?
BS: I liked the hide and seek game, the two rings play. And I like to design a baby in a clear and formal way.
FS: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
BS: I collaborated with Martin Schellhas. His work with the 3D program brought to life the design I was looking for.
FS: Who is the target customer for his design?
BS: Moms, Moms to be, Dads, Dads to be and Parents of stillborn children. Anyone seeking connection with their inner child.
FS: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
BS: A baby ON a ring is a quite new idea. A baby IN a ring is unique.
FS: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
BS: In German "Glückskind" is a person that has good fortune in life. The closest in English was "blessed child", which is not the same, but some words aren't possible to translate exatcly. "Blessed child" hits the meaning very well. And if you have the gift of life, you are blessed.
FS: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
BS: 3D Shaper by 3design. Pencil, rasp and a lot of time.
FS: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
BS: The wearer of the ring with the baby outside (Sam) has the chance to show how proud a mom/dad can be. The wearer of the ring with the baby inside (Jamie) has a secret. He or she can decide whether or not to reveal the baby.
FS: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
BS: I collaborated with Martin Schellhas, who programmed the ring design in 3D Shaper. Also with "HMS rapid prototyping" in Germany, who are specialists for 3D printing in jewelry.
FS: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
BS: It is most important. I tried to carve the rings in wax to create them, which workedsuccessfully for the baby on top of the ring. But inside the ring – I wasn't able to shape a baby in the way I wanted. The 3D Shaper came out at that time and I found a way to have the baby in that shape I had envisaged.
FS: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
BS: I started only with my initial inspiration – to capture the emotions regarding my baby son in jewellery. Then I had the idea to have him inside the ring and had some obstacles in making that. At that point I decided to have a look if more goldsmiths had the idea to honour their children in the way I was trying. Consequently I saved the design rights and the name, as there was no previous design in that way at all.
FS: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
BS: At the beginning I tried to shape the baby inside the ring in wax. It is so tiny, I had to change tact and try something new to archive the quality I wanted.
FS: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
BS: I was sure that the design idea is good and wanted to have a proof by an international award. Furthermore I know that giving a present to a Mom for giving birth is most common in Europe, but not very common in Germany. So the international character of the A'Design Award was important to me.
FS: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
BS: I learned that a mother having a healthy child is a blessing not to be taken for granted... A mother of a stillborn child is living in hell. And, to my complete surprise I have learned that parents who lost a child can experience emotional relief through the rings, as they help to represent their loss physically.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
BS: Yes - Sustainability: The Your 'Glueckskind' rings are made of 100% recycled precious metals and are made in Germany. Where does the gold and silver for the your 'Glueckskind' rings come from? We can't provide proof in form of a certificate just yet, but the issue of sustainability and upcycling is very important to us. Jewellery on the subject of babies should in our opinion always be sustainable. Herefore we make a promise: All 'Glueckskind' rings are made of 100% recycled precious metals. The metal refineries with whom we work have set themselves high ecological standards, so that the manufacturing process of the precious metal itself does not impact the environment. All companies we work with are based in Germany and are subject to German law. We are happy to provide further information on this subject if requested. If you would like a ring made from your own gold or silver, please contact us. Please have a look at http://www.dein-glueckskind.de
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A' Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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