Jewellery
Latest
Argos now lets customers order 3D-printed jewellery online
Argos is under relentless pressure from Amazon in the UK, so it's looking to personalised services as a way to stand apart from its online-only competition. Today, the company is launching a new site for 3D-printed jewellery, which includes rings, bracelets and cufflinks. Customers can tweak the designs with their own names, words and phrases, and Argos promises to deliver the final product in 21 days. 3D printing is often associated with low-quality trinkets, but here Argos is clearly targeting a more luxurious market. All of the products are available in silver and 18 carat gold plating, with prices ranging between £50 and £220. It's a small trial for now, and Argos is enlisting 3D printing specialists Digital Forming and Innovate UK to help out with some of the technical aspects. If customers embrace the service though, the company says it'll consider expanding it to other areas of its business, such as lighting and homeware. 3D printing isn't a silver bullet for dethroning Amazon, but it represents the level of risk Argos needs to take to stay competitive.
Vaux Dock: the Vauxhall-branded iPod cover / accessory holder
We've witnessed the iPod dock for the budget-conscience consumer, we've shown you how to craft your own, and we've seen renditions that are undoubtedly useful, but Britain's Vauxhall has thrown its presumably coveted logo on an iPod dock cover and deemed it royal. The Vaux Dock is actually nothing more than a cover for your factory iPod dock, and its "worth" is apparently derived from the renowned graffiti artist / jewelery designer Daisuke Sakaguchi. The unit is constructed of sterling silver, sports a variety of finely etched logos, and even features an area to hold your car keys and loose change, which you'll likely have little of if you throw down for this thing. Regardless, this fanciful addition to the VX Collective series is only available to the first six diehards who don't mind separating themselves from their hard-earned £399 ($788), but "buyer's remorse" doesn't look to be an acceptable excuse for getting a refund.[Via Autoblog]
