VDF products fair: Folding Strength is a pair of bronze origami earrings designed by UK architect Mi Ding.

Ding designed the pieces of jewellery to test the possibilities of recreating forms usually made with lightweight materials like paper, with a stronger material.

To make the earrings, Ding 3D-printed a silicone mould, which she used to produce a wax mould that the bronze was cast into. The cast-bronze earrings were then hand-polished to give them a textured finish.

"The inspiration of the design comes from origami folding which can be easily formed by lightweight material such as paper, and the attempt to form it with metal gives the design more strength with its materiality," explained Ding. "The design is a prototype to test origami character with a modern fabrication process."

"The production process started with resin 3D printing from the computational design," Ding explained. "A silicone mould has been made with the 3D print object to produce a wax mould for bronze casting. The final finish has been polished by hand to give it a textured finish."

Product: Folding Strength
Designer: Mi Ding
Contact address: [email protected]

About VDF products fair: the VDF products fair offers an affordable launchpad for new products during Virtual Design Festival. For more details email [email protected].