A DARENTH jeweller has hit the jackpot by using the internet to raise £56,000 for a new 3D printer.

Chris Parry crowd funded the money by getting investors to commit £90 or more to help him buy the printer in exchange for a silver ring.

He was hoping to raise £45,000 but easily exceeded his target - though it took him three months to make all the rings using the new printer at his workshop and showroom in an old paper mill in South Darenth.

The former restaurant manager has more than 12,000 followers on Facebook interested in his bespoke pieces and posts popular jewellery making video tutorials on his website.

He said: "For some time I have been designing jewellery using a computer based design programme and then sending it off to a company to produce the item on their 3D printer.

"The price of the printers was falling however and I was convinced that to have one for the business would be a real boon, but the cost was prohibitive so I came up with this idea of using crowd funding to make it happen."

Visit chris-parry.co.uk