Mariam Naficy, the founder of cosmetics retailer Eve and design marketplace Minted, has a long history of supporting independent artists and helping them sell their products. Her latest venture, Arcade AI, is a new type of marketplace that puts creative control directly into the hands of users.
The generative AI platform, which launched its beta in September, allows customers– referred to as “Dreamers”– to input their ideas into a generator that then produces a variety of jewelry design options. They can also upload images.
Once a “Dream” is selected, it’s assigned to one of Arcade’s artisans, who brings the digital concepts to life as tangible pieces of jewelry, including bracelets, charms, earrings, necklaces, rings, and more. There are a number of materials to choose from, including gold, brass, silver, and a variety of gemstones, including diamonds, garnet, ruby, and more.
I tested the new generator myself, which leverages a mix of third-party models, such as Stable Diffusion and Midjourney. After entering my personal preferences, particularly my love for opals, the AI tool generated a delicate, gold floral necklace for me (featured in the image above).
I then placed the order with Studio Maisette, one of the design studios on the platform, and a few days later, I received a video of the finished product for approval. The entire process, from order placement to product delivery, took around two weeks.
While the necklace might seem basic at first glance, I think it perfectly captures my aesthetic. Bonus points for the trio of opals, which are of good quality, according to my gemologist friend.
Not all the results generated were up to standard, however, and I ran into some hurdles along the way. For example, the AI generator had a hard time adding multiple charms to one necklace. It also failed to create complex objects like a twenty-sided die.