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Design & Technology: The New Frontier of Jewelry

Mario Scarpa

If technology makes everyone capable of doing almost anything, what still makes a designer unique? This is the question I start from to explore how our role in the jewellery world is evolving at a time when artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and augmented reality are rapidly transforming workflows, processes and creative possibilities. Enabling technologies make us faster, help us overcome our limitations and amplify what we want to express. But this is not always enough. True innovation is driven by adoption, improvement and a shift in perspective. It becomes meaningful only when it changes the way we design, not simply the speed at which we do it. And yet, in this race, we have lost something: a sense of wonder. The anticipation of seeing something actually made. We have normalised the extraordinary, almost making it commonplace. On screen, everything is possible, infinite and immediate — and, for that very reason, ultimately intangible. In doing so, we have made what remains genuinely human even more valuable: a pencil sketch, a model, an object shaped by our own hands and our own time. This is where additive manufacturing reveals its deeper nature. It is not merely a tool for production, but a way of gaining a better understanding of what we want to create. The transition from simulation to physical form gives us back an object we can touch, turn and weigh — and, with it, a part of the sense of wonder we thought we had lost. Giving concrete form to design ideas quickly means reconnecting with a new kind of craftsmanship, in which people and machines collaborate according to a 5.0 approach: printing does not replace the hand; it gives it a new workbench. Today, everyone designs and everyone can create, regardless of individual talent. The barrier to entry has never been lower, and we still do not know whether this will add value or simply create more background noise in a world that already has plenty of it. It is becoming increasingly difficult to choose among a multitude of options that we have not directly created ourselves and that all seem equally valid. In a world where social media becomes a source of inspiration and algorithms decide where our eyes are directed, we are edging towards indistinguishability. The challenge is not to produce more variations, but to find a way beyond them: to choose through experience, through that accumulation of mistakes and solutions that may seem unnecessary today, but is in fact what gives us direction. Because in a world where AI can imitate not only the work itself, but even its creator, what becomes truly valuable is the process: who made it, how they got there, and why they chose that particular path. We should reclaim our own style and emphasise the subtle differences that the human hand can bring to each individual piece. We should humanise technology: use it, rather than simply allowing ourselves to be emulated by it. The future of design will not be technological alone: it will be human, documented and responsible.

Bio

Mario Scarpa

For more than twenty years, he has been working in the fields of industrial design and product communication, with a particular focus on the fashion industry. He collaborates with leading Italian and international multinational companies, exploring a sector that has a significant impact on the planet, people and workers. His experience spans a wide range of industries, from luxury and fashion to technology and automotive. Throughout his career, he has focused on the intersection of technology, research, materials and design, with a strong awareness of the impact that design choices can have on people’s lives and on their relationship with the planet. In 2022, he founded Humanum Est SB Srl, a benefit corporation dedicated to supporting the transition towards a more responsible industrial culture within the fashion industry. Through the DESIGNCIRCOLARE® responsible design thinking model, he raises awareness among industry professionals and management about the impact of their decisions, promoting the use of creative skills and tools at every level of an organisation. He firmly believes that a multidisciplinary approach is essential to addressing the challenges facing the fashion industry in a sustainable way. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, International and Economic Studies from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, as well as a Master’s degree in Global Development and Entrepreneurship from the same university. His creative vision is complemented by an economic perspective, which supports a broader understanding of the overall framework, and by a philosophical approach aimed at investigating the underlying causes behind decision-making. With extensive experience and a deep commitment to sustainability in the fashion industry, he promotes an innovative and alternative culture of creative responsibility, contributing to shaping the future of production and consumption in the sector and facilitating the development of innovative solutions.