Artist Melissa Ng Creates 3D Printed Mana Potion Pendant to Raise Money and Send Good Vibes

L-R: polished nickel steel, polished gold steel, polished silver, blue strong & flexible polished nylon

By now, you should be fairly familiar with the name Melissa Ng, especially if you’re into cosplay and other 3D printed creative works of art. If you’re not, I highly suggest you check out what she’s been up to. The self-taught 3D artist and designer is making a big name for herself, especially since designing a full-sized 3D printed suit of fantasy armor for actress Felicia Day. If you visit her blog Lumecluster, you can see (and purchase!) her designs: gorgeous pieces of jewelry and armor, 3D printed masks, and most recently these Health Potion Pendants, which were created and sold to help raise medical funds for her friend’s father, who had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. Now she’s designed the Mana Potion Pendant, to help another friend who’s suffering from a debilitating disease.

Jazz pianist Elaine Hyojin Kim

Ng’s good friend, jazz pianist Elaine Hyojin Kim, was diagnosed with stage three cancer in May. Multiple myeloma is a rare cancer, formed by malignant plasma cells found in the bone marrow. Ng explains that the mana potion in a fantasy game is different than a health potion, which restores an in-game character’s health. The mana potion boosts the character’s energy and power, which is what her friend needs after intensive chemotherapy, stem cell harvesting and transplants have sapped her of strength, and sadly the ability to play the piano. She says that Kim’s power, love, and source of joy is music.

“As some of you may know, Elaine is both a beloved friend and cherished member of the PianoVerse family (another company I co-own) and community. For me and countless others, Elaine was like a bard who was always uplifting everyone around her with her music,” Ng explains on her Lumecluster blog. “It’s wonderful that she’s getting the medical attention she needs here in New York, but medical costs and surviving in NYC is ridiculously difficult and expensive. With this kind of heavy weight on her shoulders, reclaiming her music and her life is only becoming an increasingly strenuous challenge.”

Ng will not be making a profit from the sale of her Mana Potion Pendants – all of the money raised will go to ongoing medical costs for her friend Kim. The Mana Potion Pendant has a star floating in the center, just as the Health Potion Pendant had a heart, and the embossed pattern was designed to look like waves of magical energy. So if you’re looking for a unique Christmas gift that can also spread some of that good energy and help someone in a very real way, you are able to purchase a Mana Potion Pendant, which will be 3D printed and shipped right to your door from 3D printing service company Shapeways. Just a heads up, it does not come with a necklace or cord.

The pendant is available in many materials and colors, with a variety of cost options. Looking for something a little more high end this Christmas? The solid platinum version costs $4,100 and would be perfect to wear on a night out. If that will break the bank too much, you could always get the 14K rose gold plated pendant, which would set you back just $120. The pendant is also available in Shapeways’ high-quality nylon plastic materials, including their Strong & Flexible and Frosted Ultra Detail materials. They’re available in many colors from bright yellow and orange to purple and pink, costing only $18-20. After spending a good ten minutes (okay, twenty…) clicking through all of the options, I really like the matte black steel one – it would go with pretty much everything I own, and only costs $55! So I’ll be adding this to my Christmas wish list for sure.

If you purchase a pendant, it won’t just be a Christmas gift – Kim’s birthday is on December 22nd. And even if you don’t buy one of her Mana Potion Pendants, Ng is asking that you share the link to her original blog post to help spread the word, and some good vibes, for her good friend.

Ng, who’s been featured on sites like Forbes, TED Blog, Geek & Sundry, and Tech Insider, also says that she’s been working hard on perfecting her latest mask and gauntlet designs, so keep an eye on her blog. Discuss in the 3D Printed Pendant forum at 3DPB.com.