About this project
ABOUT BD
BD is a new concept of leather jewelry handmade in Italy. I design and produce the jewels in my laboratory in Florence. The idea of BD is a combination of my two passions: on one side hand jewelry, on the other side leather goods.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
My name is Beatrice, I am a 27 year-old fashion designer with a diploma at the International Institute Polimoda of Florence. Before starting BD, I worked for many years for a major Italian luxury brand in the leather goods department. I founded BD in 2016 after attending a 3D design course at the Alta Scuola di Pelletteria Italiana in Florence.
THE HISTORY
As always, ideas come from the ordinary things that are around us. I started applying some small pieces of skin on my rings because I wanted to have an immediate effect which would allow me to understand if the jewel I had in mind was interesting enough for me to build a collection.
The experiment seemed to work, so I gave those rings to the people closest to me, friends and family, who have shown me a lot of interest, thus giving me the energy to move forward with the project. I also realised something new: it was a wonderful feeling to see people wearing something made with my own hands.
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
It took many months before I was able to finalise the bracelets design. After early prototypes I created some hand made drawings and sketches, then I redesigned them in 3D with Cinema4D.
I made many prototypes to have a product that reflected my idea and that was functional. The metal had to be durable, but at the same time flexible. I wanted the bracelets to be light and comfortable to wear during everyday life (all bracelets weighs around 42gr).
I wanted the skin to be perfectly cut and of the right thickness to be embedded on top of the metal. I wanted the jewels to be different for their formal-functional quality, given by the materials and related processes.
I choose to use the Stingray leather, that is my favorite amongst the exotic skins. I love it for its pearly grain texture that looks like a mosaic. It's a very durable leather, that does not vary over time, even in contact with water or fire. The finish is glazed, and stiff and full-bodied at touch.
To create the jewels I use leather scraps that big brands usually refuse because of their small dimensions, making them unusable and many times even wasted. The scraps can't be used for other purposes but to create small items, and so they are perfect for me, since I only need enough leather to fit into the jewels.
For this reason, the leather colours can vary depending on availability. I usually can guarantee the following five range of colours: red, green, blue, grey and black. If you pledge your contribution and select a reward, at the end of this campaign you'll receive a palette with the different grading colours available for your jewel, so you can pick yours.
Important Note: I exclusively use stingray leather from a family of rays that do not need CITES certification, because they are not part of the Washington accord, so are legally imported and verified. For more information please visit https://cites.org.
WHY DOES BD NEED A KICK?
This Kickstarter campaign is created to cover the costs sustained to complete and manufacture the first collection of BD Leather Jewelry. The funds are also necessary to expand the collection and make more jewels I have in mind that have already been tested.
Part of the funds will be necessary to create the BD online store available worldwide.
REWARDS
This campaign invites you to support BD by simply giving to the cause and also offer the unique opportunity to pre-order three different bracelets before the first collection launch. The promotional prices offered on Kickstarter are subject to change on BD official online store.
Please check out the awesome rewards BD is offering for this campaign below and on the right-hand side of this page.
If you wish to contact Beatrice for any question you might have about the collection, please send an email to info@beatricedaniele.com.
THANKS
I would like to say a big thank you to Paola, Marianna, Valeria, Alice, Beatrice, Chiara, Alice and grandma Anna. The BD project is for you.
The creation of BD Leather Jewelry Kickstarter campaign has involved the collaboration of Magnet Films and his founder Giovanni Basso, who took the official product pictures and shot the BD presentation video.
Risks and challenges
This will be BD's first time producing work at a larger scale. Beatrice has previously designed and manufactured individual pieces for clients, friends and family, so this Kickstarter campaign will put BD's production model and manufacturing process to the test. Please bear with us if any product should arrive a few days in delay, thank you!
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Funding period
- (60 days)