With this collection, it was as if he was making a statement that he has the design skills to head the house of Balenciaga.

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Robin Kyte believes mastering the use of 3D printing and computer aided design, is just the latest addition to the skills jewellers should learn, and it won't, in his view, replace traditional craftsmanship.

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Think, for example, of the iPod: the research behind it was done by firms the world over, but Apple has reaped huge rewards from its skills in design, marketing and systems integration.

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