As 2021 draws to a close, the year began with preparations to open the Fukuoka Tenjin Atelier in February.
Each new atelier brings more encounters with customers and more rings full of memories. It has been a fulfilling year that has flown by in a flash.
Remembering the Origins of ith Through Ring Making in Fukuoka
A few months after the opening of the Fukuoka Tenjin Atelier in May, I travelled there to take a special order from a customer.
The unique request was to incorporate a couple's treasured stone into their wedding band. The process began with inspecting the actual stone at the atelier, generating various ideas, and ultimately crafting a one-of-a-kind ring for them.
This experience with the couple reminded me of my origins as a concierge.
My fundamental principle in crafting is simply to shape rings that wearers truly cherish. I ponder how earnestly today's ith can fulfil this vision.
In the small Kichijoji atelier, the then-unnamed brand ith, my role was limited to utilising my skills and ideas to complete rings. We often undertook challenging and unprecedented orders that larger brands might refuse. As a craftsman, simply saying 'impossible' felt insincere, so I always sought ways to fulfil these requests. This was the cornerstone of ith.
As our ateliers and team of concierges, artisans and colleagues at ith grew, ensuring safe and consistent quality for each unique customer's ring became increasingly important.
Despite the joy of ith's expansion, I felt a certain restriction creeping in, constricting my spirit. However, creating this ring for the couple reaffirmed my belief that responding to irregular requests is an unchanging value of ith.
"Aligning with feelings" is easy to say but challenging to implement. Yet, if even one person relies on ith, I want to fulfil their hopes as much as possible. This experience has given me clues to ith's new form and my role.
Protecting Precious Things
This year was also a pivotal one for me personally. In my third year of marriage, experiencing pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting was transformative.
Due to give birth to a girl at the end of September, I took leave from ith in August. The days spent thinking about my forthcoming child were calm and mindful. With each movement, my affection grew, and I found myself filled with a sense of fulfillment unlike anything I've experienced before. I was also surprised to discover that there could be something other than ith that could captivate me so completely!
I spent the final month anxiously waiting for my easygoing baby, who showed no signs of arriving even after the due date had passed. The encouraging words of the midwife, "There will always be a break during labor pains until the very end, so you'll be alright!" helped me to successfully give birth. Hearing my baby's first cry, I felt a profound sense of accomplishment; we had done it together.
The view I saw with my daughter, born just after noon, from the delivery room—a high, clear, aqua blue sky of autumn, clouds floating so comfortably, green leaves, and the breeze gently swaying the curtains—was incredibly bright and refreshing. It's a memory I'll never forget for the rest of my life.
Discovering a new sense of purpose in parenting and seeing my healthy daughter grow is a blessed happiness. While I don't know how she will develop, I hope she finds her passion and leads a happy life. I'm also excited to see how I'll grow and adapt as a mother through joy and challenges.
With another challenging year due to COVID-19, where many have lived in uncertainty and restraint, I hope we can all find happiness and joy in 2022.
For me, 2021 has been a year where, as a concierge for ith and as a mother, I've found two precious things to protect.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Ayu Takahashi, ith
