some updates…in the mist of my messy schedule trying to balance school, FYP, job applications, exams and relationships :((((











my next step is finish CAD all designs and make them 3D printable…
some updates…in the mist of my messy schedule trying to balance school, FYP, job applications, exams and relationships :((((
my next step is finish CAD all designs and make them 3D printable…
Phoenix(凤凰feng huang) are a mythological birds in Chinese history that reign over other birds.
Originally, Feng Huang are two different birds of same breed. Feng is the male and Huang is the female. Later, during Yuan Dynasty, the two words are combined to one Fenghuang as the king of birds. As the image of dragon is slowly accepted to describe male emperor,phoenix is then used to portray females empresses.
5 types of phoenix: 五凤
太史令蔡衡曰:凡像凤者有五色,多赤者凤,多青者鸾,多黄者鵷雏,多紫者鸑鷟,多白者鸿鹄-ref 夜航船 卷十七 四灵部 by 张岱 http://guji.artx.cn/article/28345.html?key=%E4%BA%94%E8%89%B2%E8%80%8C%E8%B5%A4%E8%80%85
Loosely translate:
“There are 5 types of bird look like phoenix:
With feather mainly in scarlet, it is a phoenix凤,
mainly in Blue, it is a Luan鸾
mainly in yellow, it is a Yuan Chu鵷雏
mainly in purple, it is a Yue Zhuo鸑鷟
mainly in white, it is a Hong Hu 鸿鹄 ”
In fact they are all categorized under phoenix, but only the scarlet phoenix is of the highest status and purest of them all.
There is other version of explanation regarding the types of phoenix. From <Classic of mountain and Sea>:There are three multicolored birds, one is Huang皇, one is Luan鸾, one is Feng凤 .《山海经》曰:有五采鸟三名,一曰皇鸟,一曰鸾鸟,一曰凤鸟。
Some versions say that Luan鸾 is actually the same breed with 凤 feng and 凰 huang, just it is not an adult bird. As Luan grows up, it will become Feng or Huang. Nevertheless, all these are fairy tales and there isn’t a scientific way to verify as they are made up of people’s imagination.
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Here come back to my jewelries. I need to decide which bird to depict on each jewelry:
Choker as Queen Consort/Empress Consort–one bird 皇后
Ring as Imperial Noble Consort–one bird 皇贵妃
Cuff as Consort–4 birds 妃
Spectacle chain as Dame-6 birds 嫔
Necklace pendant as Noble Lady-feather/wing 贵人
Hairpin as Xiunv-feather 秀女
There is no doubt that phoenix will be depicting Queen Consort皇后.
As for Imperial Noble Consort皇贵妃, since it is also a single bird, there must be a different meaning of the bird, which is why I research on the breed of phoenix. The position of Imperial Noble Consort is very close to Queen Consort, as such choosing a breed of phoenix that is inferior than pure phoenix would be ideal. However, if the phoenix only varies by colors, it is pretty difficult to reflect in the jewelry as the material would most likely be in the same color(unless adding crystals). I realize among the 5 breeds of phoenix, the white-color breed, 鸿鹄 hong hu, has both mythological meaning and daily-life meaning. the rest 3 breeds: 鸾luan, 鵷雏yuan chu , 鸑鷟yue zhuo are seldom heard nowadays and probably most Chinese cannot even read the words. 鸿鹄 Hong Hu can be explained as the type of bird that fly very high and very far, such as eagle, Dayan, swan, crane. It is in modern context used to describe people with great ambitions. There is one idiom as 燕雀安知鸿鹄之志(How can swallows and sparrows understand the ambition of a Hong Hu), means “How can a common fellow read the mind of a great man?” As such, it is very suitable to use the bird hong hu on Imperial Noble Consort because she has the great ambition to defeat substitute the current Queen Consort.
4 birds are used for the cuff as Consort妃. As it comes down to consort, the bird is less prestigious. The first bird came into my mind is peacock. Why? Because usually the 4 consorts are always openly or secretly competing with each other, on who is the prettiest, who wears the most luxuries, or who are more favored by the emperor. It is just like peacocks showing of their feather and attracting the opposite sex. Although the fanned peacocks are males in nature, this metaphor is still applicable to the consorts and their jealousy.
6 birds are used for spectacle chain for Dame嫔. Cuckoos could be the choice. Cuckoo bird is famous for their zygodactyl feet and laying eggs in other birds’ nest or other members’s nest from the same breed. The cuckoo egg hatches earlier than the host’s, and the cuckoo chick grows faster; in most cases the chick evicts the eggs or young of the host species. The chick has no time to learn this behavior, so it must be an instinct passed on genetically. This instinct for competition and eliminating enemy reminds me of the rivals of concubines and their kids.
Fun fact:Cuckoos have various strategies for getting their egg into a host nest. Different species use different strategies based on host defensive strategies. Female cuckoos have secretive and fast laying behaviors, but in some cases, males have been shown to lure host adults away from their nests so that the female can lay her egg in the nest.[23] Some host species may directly try to prevent cuckoos laying eggs in their nest in the first place – birds whose nests are at high risk of cuckoo-contamination are known to ‘mob’ cuckoos to drive them out of the area.[24] Parasitic cuckoos are grouped into gentes, with each gens specializing in a particular host. There is some evidence that the gentes are genetically different from one another.
Noble Lady-unlimited vacancies, Thus I would only use wings in the necklace pendant. Wings means they are at a position to get ready to depart to a higher status. They are polishing themselves to get ready in the game.
Last but no least, Xiunv as a hair pin. Xiunv are merely the candidates for the beauty pageant. Their status is low and they might not end up the Emperor’s concubine. So their fate is unpredictable. I would like to use feather to depict them as feather is the most common thing in birds and it can be found in any bird. Whether it is a feather of phoenix or a feather of sparrow, depends on fate and their effort. Also, the shape of feather is coherent to the shape of hair pin, which makes it easier for the design process.
To depict each breed of bird, I am not going to design in a very realistic way. The birds are just references to give each piece of jewelry better meaning.
Summary:
Queen Consort-1 phoenix, on choker
Imperial Noble Consort-1 Honghu, on ring
Consort-4 peacocks, on hand cuff
Dame-6 cuckoos, on spectacle chain
Noble Lady-wing shape necklace pendant
Xiunv-Feather shaped hair pin
Luan鸾鸟 http://baike.baidu.com/subview/760255/18999579.htm
Hong Hu鸿鹄 http://baike.baidu.com/view/339866.htm
Phoenix: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenghuang
http://baike.baidu.com/subview/13935/5236022.htm#1
Cuckoo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuckoo
http://www.baike.com/wiki/%E9%B9%93%E9%B6%B5
Some references are from Chinese classics, poems and tales.
Previously, I had my choker mockup done from wire:
After which I proceed to drawing them out in computer, 2D. The form was further simplified.
I drew them in group-from top down, 3 in a group. The first of the three is the first layer, second is the second layer, third is the layering of 1st and 2nd layers, to explore the possibility of layering.
I also drew the variations of design, some has cut out, some have holes for tassels or dangling details. Some have wings more angled than the rest.
Following the 2D design, I drew the choker in 3D rhino.
As you can see from the image on the left, this choker is ergonomically not feasible. Our neck is not a standard cylinder but rather a cone shape. As this choker is pretty wide, it should be designed with a slight angle. If not, it can only be wore at a very high position on neck(right image) and would be really uncomfortable to wear. In addition, the pointed edges and spikes can be dangerous for people to wear on neck.
side profile of the product . In addition, the bulky design needs a lot of printing materials, at the same time, reducing the flexibility of the choker.
After slight adjustment of the angle of the wings, the choker sits better on the neck. Nevertheless, it still doesn’t solve the problem of safety. AND after all it doesn’t look so appealing aesthetically.
I started to review my design and think of other possibilities. As we have learnt in Studies in Forms module in year 3, depicting an animal does not necessarily depicting the entire feature. It can be just representation of certain traits. Take phoenix for example, to me, the most symbolic part pf phoenix is the flamboyant tails and the proud even arrogant gestures. Starting from there, I simplify my design into something more representative.
I personally like this idea a lot although I wouldn’t say it is perfect. It is physically and visually much lighter, more versatile and modern.
Based on similar design I drew out a wrist cuff.
previously I have done my ring mock ups like these
After last presentation, I did CAD models and 3D printed them out.
The printing quality isn’t good. The ring sizes are reasonable and fits me well. As rings are very particular in sizes the products will come in S M L sizes which is US 6 7 8, the most common female ring size.
Then I CAD out the matching ring design with previous choker and cuff.
And alternative design with a lotus. A such the series will not seem boring with wings wings and wings.
Lotus is an element I consider to add into other pieces such as glass chain, earrings, necklace pendant.
Image sources are individually stated.
Here comes the Chinese New Year, and luxury brands never fail to seize the opportunity to have some limited editions. It is a trend because Chinese culture has increasing status as China economy and global influence getting stronger.
It is fascinating to see how foreigners understand Chinese culture, although I do not know if there are Chinese designers in the design team, the limited editions certainly bring new aspects to the Chinese zodiacs. Some of them did a great job from a Chinese perspective; others might need to understand more about the concept. Let us now look at the products for the year of CHICKEN. The comments I make are not mean to be offensive.
Dior has Chinese Zodiac bracelet every year. I am not sure what horrible thing the chicken is staring at because she looks stunned to me. But this is not so bd compared to the monkey, dragon and snake.
When you look into the eyes of the dragon…Maybe it is a dragon baby?
It seems alright until you see the cover
The cover remains the same for the limited edition each year, only the pattern on the foundation changes. So after u finish using the foundation, you can’t tell which box if for what zodiac anymore. In addition, the “福” character on the cover is in a not so enticing font. It looks like taken from Microsoft word…
This is how the price of a foundation pack triples…
It is a low-profile to celebrate the year of Chicken.
The two roosters in the front reminds me of the ancient pass-time cockfighting. I can’t decide whether is the rooster makes the brand more special or the brand makes the roosters more special…I don’t find the jacket ugly but I personally don’t find it that persuasive to me neither…Maybe seeing the real product will have bonus points from the craftsmanship or the intricacy.
Burberry checked scarf is a very classic product. The Chinese calligraphy style “福” instantly makes it elderly-friendly. But at the same time, not so youth-friendly…Probably because of the style of the character.
At first I though it is a bladder or a heart(as an organ). Then I realize it’s designers’ effort to make it a heart shape yet cute at same time.
The color is pretty hard to pull of though. If not match well can become a rural auntie from Northeast China village.
The embroidery used to be a bee, now becomes a chicken for the CNY.
The face of the chicken(or owl?) certainly brights up my day.
發huat and 福fortune are auspicious wished individually. However, when combine together发福 it means getting fat/gaining weight..So…
Here are the more pleasant example of the designs.
First Vans shoe design took inspiration from eggs and roosters respectively, and incorporate the colors into shoes.
Second design is a Gucci key chain.
Third design is a scarf by Salvatore Ferragamo
Fourth is a Piaget wrist watch.
The eight blossoms symbolize auspicious number 8 in Chinese culture, which sounds like Fa(huat).
I bought some DIY jewelry parts and practice to assemble them into wearable pieces. The problems I found out during the process are
1, The details of the jewelry, i.e. links, thickness of the chain, size of the lobster claps, affect the overall look as well as the comfort of the user much more than I expected
2, The design is limited and boring as all the parts are readymades.
3, When I am considering the customizing parts of my design, be it replaceable/changeable beads, pendants, how they can be linked onto the jewelry piece without disrupting the overall look.
4, If I want to combine 3D printed parts with readymades, such as wire, how can they be combined together(glue?claps?) and the what colors should it be.
I came across this piece of jewelry on instagram and it reminds me of the lightness of feather, the movement of phoenix tails. So I did some wiring to try out the possible looks. However, there is a big issue regarding 3D printing the design, which I will elaborate in my next part 2 post.
More sketchings of my designs of earrings and chokers will be in next part 2 post as well.
Also, I took some photos of the CNY and Chritmas editions in shops.
They look festive but cliche to me. They are very straightforward in representing “Chinese””Auspicious””China””Happiness”, and they look cute, but also boring to me because there is nothing new about them.
Here is a random practices I did to get a felling of how jewelry designers sketches dine jewelries.
In part 2 there will be some 3D printing experimentation failures, sketches of chokers and new ideas. Basically I feel that, like what we learnt from Product Design year 2, to represents a animal doesn’t need to draw the entire feature out. I refined my designs into a simpler direction. For example, my previous idea of the phoenix choker can be further simplified to the gesture of the phoenix wings or tails, It is not a MUST to add a bird head onto the piece to tell people this is a phoenix or this is a bird.
The choker can also be designed in a way that can be worn two-way, i.e. there isn’t strict front and back, each side has its own beauty.
to be continued hmm…
I made some rough models for the jewelry pieces to see how it would fit on body. First I did in paper
open ring with slightly differed design. This can grab the finger more firmly.
I also made a phoenix design choker with paper, however I forgot to take photo of it so I will upload the photo when I take one…
incorporating LED to jewelry can add the elements of surprise and the uniqueness of the design. However, there might be the risk of making the jewelry into Halloween costume decoration. The design and the choice o color is very important.
take note above us a self-construct simple LED jewelry kit, which means it is possible to hide everything at the back of such a small piece of jewelry.
AND
of course the amazing Zac Posen dress that stunned everyone(with and without light) at MET gala 2016:
https://youtu.be/GBmS-4ZeTUw from youtube channel ViewPoint Visuals post on 2nd May 2016
Alternative of LED would be luminous(glow in the dark) materials which does not need electricity. We have seen it during concert, Halloweens, Christmas, etc.
The magic behind this?:
quote from Boredpanda.com:
“The secret to her magical touch? Richard applies luminous phosphorescent paint to each piece, which creates a turquoise glow when ‘charged’. The phosphorescent paint is charged by being held under a lamp for a few minutes or in the sun for a few hours.”
If this paint can be used, it solves the problem of hiding battery and wire, reducing the bulkiness of the product, and the lighting parts can be more specifically chosen and drawn.
There are many different types of materials for 3D printing, each has its owe characteristics, pros and cons. Here are some of the more common options:
reference: blog.tinkercad.com
Nylon:(Polyamide)
-Also called White, strong & flexible/ Durable plastic/ White plastic
-Strong and flexible plastic
-1mm minimum wall thickness
-Naturally white, but you can get it colored
-About 10 layers per 1mm
-Made from powder
-Alumide=Polyamide + Aluminum
-Interlocking, moving parts possible
ABS:(Home printers)
-Strong plastic like legos are
-Made from spaghetti like filament
-Many color options
-about 3 layers per 1mm
-1mm minimum wall thickness
Resin:(Multiple options)
-Also called White resin, Black resin, Transparent detail/ White deail resin/ High detail resin, Transparent resin, Paintable Resin
-Rigid and a bit delicate
-Liquid Photopolymer cured with UV light
-White, black & transparent most typical colors
-About 10 layers per 1mm
-1mm minimum wall thickness
Stainless Steel:
-Very strong material
-Made with multiple steps or from powder directly
-Coloring options like gold and bronze plating
-About 6 layers per 1mm
-3mm minimum wall thickness
Gold & Silver
-Strong materials
-Made from wax and then casted/processed in powder form
-About 10 layers per 1mm
–0.5mm minimum wall thickness
Titanium:
-Strongest material
-Direct metal laser sintering
-About 30 layers per 1mm
-o.2mm minimum wall thickness
*note: sintering is the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heating or pressure without melting it to the point of liquefaction(lose strength and behave like a liquid). Sintering happens naturally in mineral deposits or as a manufacturing process used with metals, ceramics, plastics, and other materials.
Ceramic:
-Rigid & delicate
-First ceramic is printed then surface is glazed
-Ceramic White, glaze typically white
-About 6 layers per 1mm
-3mm minimum wall thickness
-After printing , firing and glazing is still required
Gypsum:
-Also called Sandstone/ Rainbow ceramics/ Multicolor
-Rigid & delicate made from powder
-Naturally white, but you can get it with colors
-About 10 layers per 1mm
-2mm minimum wall thickness
Other materials includes Laywood, PLA, Aluminium and Cobalt derivstives(industrial grade 3D printing), and even paper.
For my jewelry product, it is obvious that metals are the best material for the appearance. They are strong and can be made into intricate designs as the minimum thickness is comparably small, and the layers per 1mm is comparably large.
However, in ADM, metal 3D printing is currently unavailable. As such, I would carry out my modelling in alternative material available that is best suitable to present my design.
Another aspect is the cost of the printing. Using silver and gold can be costly, and resulting in the high retail price of the product. Stainless steel is lower in cost, but the product would be more rigid.
CNC is also possible. As far as I know, ADM have metal cnc.
I collected some images to inspire my own design, these designs are all 3D printed.
The use of repeated or similar pattern can save the time during CAD as well as create visual rhythm.
The above two designs have some gestures and patterns that I can relate to my project. Moreover, the shape of the deer necklace can be a direction how I am gonna construct my Qitou necklace.
Adding dangling elements in the design.
The arm cuff below, by Arm De L’amour, suggest that bracelet/bangle can be used as arm cuff as well. I have bought this piece from outnet.com 2 years ago, BUT I couldn’t find it at the moment.. The design reminds me of Chinese windows and wooden structures.
Pandora also gives me the idea that the flexibility of a pendant. I mentioned in my previous post that I wantto make pendant for the non-important characters in the story. In fact the pendant can be used as earrings as well. Pandora allows people to mix and match the pendants with necklace chain or earring hooks. I can use this method as well to make the jewelry more versatile and flexible. Personally I would want something that can be worn as both necklace and earrings.
This idea is also used in Cartier high jewelry:
The huge pear shape diamond can be taken down and alternate between the necklace and the ring.
more details refer to: http://pursuitist.com/cartiers-30ct-diamond-alternates-between-a-necklace-and-a-ring/
I believe the client would appreciate it when they can flaunt the diamond twice.
Accessories for Lee(Main character):
1, a Zan, long hair pin to secure hair bun. This accompanies her throughout her life, as a item of memory from her mother.
2, a Bi, comb-like accessory, marks when she becomes Noble Consort, which is the highest position she reaches when she is with the old Emperor.
3, a ring, marks her return to the Palace as Imperial Noble Consort of the new Emperor.
4, a Qitou-like accessory, which will be made into a necklace(or maybe remains a hair accessory?), symbolizes her status of Empress Consort.
AND/OR
A choker. I recently found out that (structured)choker can instantly gives the formal, elegant, high class impression. It is like the structured collar of costume.
the Old Emperor
He is an outstanding emperor who rules his country very well. I am thinking of a pair of cuff links for him as they are specifically for shirt(formal attire), like emperor who is always managing states affairs. cuff link also allows great variety of designs to be added to it. Not all men use cuff links and for those who use it, it instantly gives the impression that this man pays attention to what he wears and the details of the attire.
Young Emperor/Prince Lihong
Young Emperor is actually’controlled’ by Lee, which means he does not have the real power and ability to make all decisions. I am thinking of making a ring for him, as Lee also has a ring for her when she is married to him. The Emperor’s ring may comes in hollow design, or something like the crown shape with no gem embed, to represent his situation. It can be worn by males as modern accessory
Xiunv Ou(Lee’s best friend)
I am thinking of an eyeglass chain/glasses chain/spectacle chain to secure spectacle. It is something most people see as extra, but can be very useful at times. Originally I used bracelet for her in the story, but on second thought I decided to change to this. It can be written as necklace/chain in the story, and in reality used as eyeglasses chain.
Empress Consort of Lihong(who was killed by Lee)
Xiunv Zhao(Arrogant concubine of the old Emperor who was abandoned)
Lee’s servant
A necklace pendant for each of them, because they are replaced by other people and only plays a trivial part in the story.