Universal design is the design of buildings, products, or environments to make them accessible to all people, regardless of age, disability, or other factors. It emerged as a rights-based, anti-discrimination measure, which seeks to create design for all abilities. 

Source: Wikipedia: Universal Design

This is what I aim to achieve with this product. I designed it with mobility issues (such as arthritis, carpal tunnel, hypermobility, hand tremors and generalised weakness) in mind, because accounting for these challenges makes the jewellery box more accessible to all. Especially when you consider that you can become disabled at any time, even through injury.

But moreover, I know so many able-bodied people who struggle to clasp jewellery. Bracelets especially, are so fiddly and often require an additional pair of hands. The clip on this box is designed to be the help, to improve any user's independence.

Currently on the market, there are a few tools available that help people put jewellery on. These include magnetic clasps and a handheld hook tool.

However, with the Clip-to-Clasp Case, I wanted to create something that isn't just a medical assistive tool and could earn its space in the home by combining the other products a person would use with their jewellery into one. Clip-to-Clasp Case is a unique 3-in-1: jewellery box, mirror & clasping tool

Focusing on the product's function above all else ultimately influenced my choice of material and form, which in turn guided its aesthetics. 

My main concern was producing something that could hold the end of a bracelet while the other end could wrap and clasp around the wrist. Through various iterations of prototypes, I discovered that I could 3D print a flat clip as a single piece in Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU), a highly flexible material, eliminating the need for springs or other components. 

I am so grateful to my college for offering advanced technical processes such as CAD and 3D printing. However, due to TPU being a flexible (and very frustrating) material to 3D print in, I only had a roll of blue colour to work with. This informed my further design choices aesthetically. I chose white PLA for the main components of the box and then designed pattern inserts for the sides in the same blue and white colour scheme.

Throughout the process, I had explored other options for a rounded or more organic box form, but the rectangular case won out each time for several reasons:

• The straight lines and 90-degree angles allowed for easier hinges and slots for the lids to fold back from

• A traditional cuboid box sits better on a desk or dressing table and would save space in transport, as units can be stacked

This product is currently not available on any market.

However, as my education and career develops, this may be a product concept I return to and may be able to manufacture at a larger scale, as currently 3D printing indicidual components is not a sustainable production method.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, as someone in the industry or as a potential user, please get in touch!

I would really appreciate if you could follow me on social media to stay up to date on product developments.

Please take a few seconds to fill out the Enquiries form below, if you would support this product's future development. You only have to tick a box!