Need a custom engagement ring? You can 3D-print it

SINGAPORE – When it came time for Wu Linhan, 29, to think about settling down with his girlfriend of six years, he did not want to settle for an off-the-shelf engagement ring.

Instead, the marketing professional decided to 3D-print it.

It is the most ambitious 3D-printing project undertaken by Wu, who purchased his first 3D printer, a Bambu Lab A1 ($450 including accessories), in 2024 out of personal interest.

Entry-level 3D printers have fuelled the consumer 3D-printing market in the past year, making it cheaper and more accessible than ever for anyone with even a passing interest to pick it up in the same way that one might dabble in guitar-playing or knitting.

According to a 2026 report by London-based market research firm Context, a surge in shipments of entry-level printers in 2025 pulled the entire 3D-printing industry out of a two-year slump, with Chinese company Bambu Lab leading the way.

As with many current trends, social media has also played a part.

TikTok and Instagram are rife with examples of simple 3D prints that solve common design problems – for instance, organisers customised to your kitchen drawers. Blueprints for many of these prints can easily be downloaded from community platforms like MakerWorld.

Wu’s engagement ring project, however, required him to tap resources beyond his home printer.

“The whole project took me a year,” he says. “I had to sign up for a jewellery-making course at local jewellery studio The Imperial Smithster at the end of 2024 to learn a technique called lost wax casting.”

Millennia ago, the Greeks and Romans used lost wax casting to cast ornaments and jewellery. 

“Traditionally, the jeweller carves a wax model by hand, makes a mould from it and casts the final piece in metal. The course I took replaces the hand carving with 3D-printing in castable wax, so the design work happens digitally instead,” says Wu. 

But before he could 3D-print the mould, he had to come up with the design for the engagement ring.

“I spent months looking up design inspiration and learning the software well enough to actually design fine jewellery. And even more months looking at gemstones with my girlfriend and talking to her about what she wanted.”

After honing the design, 3D-printing the wax model and completing about 90 per cent of the project, the final steps were done in April.

“The studio owner helped with the molten metal pour – that is, the casting – and a stone setter set the gemstone. But everything else that led up to those final touches, I did myself,” says Wu. 

After the molten metal had been poured in, the metal-filled mould was quenched in water and then broken apart.

What remained was an engagement ring designed and crafted to Wu’s specifications and, more importantly, to his girlfriend’s taste. 

“It’s white gold, with a light blue sapphire at the centre and smaller diamonds running along the shoulders of the band. My girlfriend has seen the ring; she has tried it on, and it fits. I am very happy,” says Wu. 

He has not proposed yet, but it is in the works.

He says the overall cost came up to a low four-figure sum, excluding the course and his labour. He spent about $2,300 on materials and outsourced steps, including the use of a resin 3D printer from Chinese company Elegoo to print the mould.

The engagement ring is easily Wu’s most ambitious 3D print. But it was a natural follow-up to his other ongoing adventures with 3D-printing from his Tanjong Pagar apartment. He upgraded to a Bambu Lab P2S printer for just under $1,400 in early 2026.

For the most part, he prints out items for his home and small accessories to help out with his friends’ businesses – for instance, NFC-powered business cards. 

“I started out by printing simple household objects such as rubbish bag holders and soap holders,” he says. “What I like about 3D-printing is that it democratises the process of creation. You look around your life, you find a problem and you solve it by printing something.”

His mother, who is in her early 60s, has also become interested in 3D-printing. When Wu left his first printer at her home in China, she decided to use it to print a tissue box holder for herself. 

“She did the whole thing herself, from finding a model off an app on her phone, setting it up and then getting the final item off the plate after printing. I think 3D-printing has been a good skill for her to learn as a retiree, because it keeps the mind active and it keeps her hands busy,” he says. 

Creative problem-solving

If a 3D-printed engagement ring does not hold any appeal, how about a set of wearable wings?

Musician Jasmine Sokko 3D-printed a set of elaborate, wearable wings for a National Day performance at Our Tampines Hub in 2025. 

“The design was inspired by the Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore’s national flower. I wanted the wings to reinterpret the orchid in a more sculptural and wearable form, while paying homage to a symbol that many Singaporeans are familiar with,” says the 30-year-old.

It took three full days of intense work, mainly due to multiple setbacks, she adds. 

“Because of the scale, I had to split the wings into four parts and design internal connection points using nuts and bolts. I also sanded and soldered broken sections to reinforce them, making sure they could withstand movement on stage,” she says.

Still, it was a satisfying challenge to overcome, she adds. “I’m a kinaesthetic learner, and this project pushed me both creatively and technically.”

Moreover, with 3D-printing, she was able to achieve a level of precision that would have been more tedious with other craft forms. “I could customise the geometry for strength, keep the weight manageable and, if a section broke, I could just reprint that specific part rather than starting over.”

She started exploring 3D-printing in 2025, out of curiosity and thanks in part to peer influence.

“I’m incredibly lucky to be surrounded by friends across different creative and technical fields: friends doing PhDs in robotics who 3D-print prototypes for their research, friends printing shoes and others creating miniatures for cosplay and (tabletop game) Warhammer,” she says.

Being around these people normalised the idea of owning a 3D printer. Thus, she purchased her own 3D printer – a Bambu Lab P1S – for $1,200 in 2025. 

“Even though 3D-printing is technical and rooted in logic, it’s ultimately a form of creative problem-solving – similar to music production, which is my main occupation and first love,” she says. 

In addition to producing costume accessories for her live performances, Sokko also 3D-prints props for her music videos, such as a Sailor Moon-inspired microphone stand for the 2025 official performance video of her song Black Lotus / Spirited Away.

Sokko notes that the flexibility and convenience offered by 3D-printing have opened her eyes to the way she solves design problems.

For instance, to shoot visual content, she needed a stand to hold her hair dryer at a certain angle for a dramatic wind-blowing effect, but could not find anything off the shelf. So, she printed the fix herself.

“Ever since I started 3D-printing, I’ve begun to see everyday objects differently. I also catch myself thinking about how I can solve small, specific problems at home – like printing something flexible that’s custom-fit to my door – or going the extra mile to gamify something as mundane as an egg holder. It’s completely unnecessary, but it brings me joy every time I see it,” she says. 

Five quirky things you can 3D-print to make your life better

The Straits Times rounds up a few other eye-catching 3D prints that solve everyday design problems. Blueprints for these prints – or similar variations – can be downloaded free from MakerWorld, a community platform for sharing 3D-printing models.

Monstera coaster plant

This is not your typical fake plant: The leaves can be plucked off to be used as coasters. The outer layer of the pot can also be removed and draped over the armrest of a sofa to make a more stable surface, such as for a drink. 

Beach towel holder

One part of this handy little gadget clips to the corner of a beach towel. Another part can be embedded in the sand, like a spike. The result: a handy way to keep a beach towel from making an escape during a beach day out. If picnics at the park are more your jam, it can also easily be used with a picnic blanket on grass. 

Rotatable make-up organiser

This make-up organiser has three compartments, each of which can be rotated to the side for easy, one-handed access. An in-built cylindrical compartment that cuts through all three layers also allows for handy storage of brushes or tubes. With 3D-printing, one can also print additional layers or tweak the size and shape of individual compartments as needed.  

Self-spinning fruit washer

Place the fruit in the bowl, run the tap and the water will automatically spin the fruit in the bowl, agitating dirt off them before draining out by itself. 

Wall-organisation system

This system uses a magnetic rail and takes advantage of the fact that 3D-printing allows users to customise their prints to their needs. Once the magnetic rail is installed – on the inside door of a cabinet or a kitchen counter backsplash – just print out the number of compartments needed in the size of the specific items that you use.