Molds decide what jewelry can look like. Posthuman Lab took the molds away.
Thousands of failed prototypes, one new way to make jewelry.
Lena Dang started making accessories in 2018 and spent the next three years running into the limits of the old way. Molds decided which shapes were possible. Minimum orders forced compromises. Whatever didn't sell became waste.
So Lena and a small team tried a different tool: 3D printing, a technology then used mostly in medicine and car manufacturing. It took three years and thousands of failed prototypes to find the right mix of materials, printers and finishing.
What came out the other side was Posthuman Lab: sculptural jewelry printed in the lab, finished by hand and released in limited drops, so nothing gets made that nobody wants.
Traditional jewelry is made in bulk, and much of it never sells.
Molds limit which shapes are possible, minimum order quantities push brands to make more than they need, and unsold stock ends up as waste.
01
Print what molds can't
Each design gets the right method: resin printing for fine, intertwined forms, metal printing for shapes a mold can't release, and wax printing for casting in precious metals.
02
Finish by hand
Every piece is hand polished by artisans, plated and checked before it ships worldwide from Hong Kong.
03
Drop, don't overproduce
Collections release in limited drops, and new pieces are made to order in four to five weeks, so no surplus stock is produced.
4–5 wks
To make each new-collection pre-order, so no surplus stock is produced
3
Printing methods: resin, metal, and wax for lost-wax casting
$500
Starting price in US dollars for a bespoke atelier piece, made in 6 to 10 weeks
From posthmnlab.com.
Advice only an operator could give.
In July 2024, we advised founder Lena Dang on keeping the business on the right path, drawing on Yianni's experience running multiple companies.
“Yianni is more than a consultant. He gave such non-trivial advice that only a person with extensive experience running multiple businesses could know! You can tell the person puts all the effort and resources to help. I drew lots of value from our conversation and would like to connect with him more often to stay on the right path with the business!”
— Lena Dang, Post Human Labs
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(More work)
