We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Ana Piazza about their original and creative Ring design work. Ana Piazza is an award-winning fashion designer, that makes our world a better place with their original ring works.
Ana Piazza ("AP") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Gabo Ring. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
AP : I was inspired by the wish that people experience again the playful side of life. We lose this side when we grow up because of the responsibilities that come with adulthood. The magic cube was chosen to represent this wish because of the memories of my son playing with it. He would be so absorbed in the cube movements that nothing could disturb him. He enjoyed playing and having fun. And I do believe that we, as adults, should find time to do the same. Therefore, the Gabo ring is intended to encourage users to find this moment of inner peace by playing with it or simply observing its movements and shape.
AP : My main focus was to design a ring that had movement and offered to the user the experience to interact and play with it.
AP : The idea is to promote this award winning design in my social media and maybe hire a PR work here in Brazil. It is a special opportunity to promote my brand. This award carries an incredible reputation because of the institution behind it is seen as serious and impartial.
AP : The project started in November, 2018 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I started by drawing some sketches, then after some wax and silver models, and many adjustments, the final model was ready by the middle of August, 2019.
AP : I designed this jewellery piece, a ring, pursuing an inspiration.
AP : I outsource the production of my design here in Brazil. However, my brand is the only selling point of the ring.
AP : I wanted to design a jewellery piece that could offer the possibility to the user to play with it, bringing joy and inner peace. The magic cube, also known as Rubik Cube, was the element chosen because of the memories of my son playing with it.
AP : There were neither designs nor designers that influenced the creative process of the Gabo ring. It was solely based on my inspiration of producing a ring that could offer to the user the possibility of playing with it.
AP : My target customers are women that like to know the story behind the jewellry they wear. These women value design, are modern and selfconfident. They choose jewellery they admire, not because it is in fashion.
AP : My target customers are women that like to know the story behind the jewellry they wear. These women value design, are modern and selfconfident. They choose jewellery they admire, not because it is in fashion.
AP : The name Gabo is the nickname of my son Gabriel. The reason for the name is because of the memories I have of my son play with his magic cube, also known as Rubik Cube. The cube element was chosen to represent my inspiration of wishing people experience again the playful side of life.
AP : I used pencil and colored pencils to draw my sketches. A wax model was printed from the digital 3D model, based on the sketches, that I drew with a CAD software. A mold was then created for casting a silver model. After many prototypes, the ring was casted in gold and polished.
AP : The most unique aspect of my design is the interaction the ring offers to the user through the movement of the modules. This allows the person to play with it and have fun.
AP : I designed the Gabo ring by myself and the idea was also mine.
AP : Without being able to draw the digital 3D model with a CAD software and create prototypes, I would not have been able to fix all the technical flaws before production. This saved me time and financial resources.
AP : My design is not influenced by data or analytical research. Instead, my research was done watching children playing in playgrounds and my son playing with his magic cube. This gave me the insight of creating a jewellery piece that could allow the person to play with it.
AP : The challenges were to design modules that would not bend over the ring band and to set the colored gemstones very close to each other, with minimal metal appearance between them, in order to resemble a magic cube. Also, the modules had to rotate easily so the user would not have to put any strength. Because of these challenges, I had to make various 3D wax and silver models for testing before casting the final ring in gold.
AP : The idea of offering a jewellery piece that allowed the user to play with it was very exciting to me. I thought I needed to share this to the world.
AP : The whole designing process, from beginning to end, was very compelling to me. It made me open my mind to different concepts of design, want to pursue other sources of inspiration and want to challenge myself even more.
AP : Everything was covered. However, I would like to leave a message. Follow your dreams and believe in yourself, they do come true.
