Forging and Cutting Techniques
ith's new forging collection is tailored using forging and cutting techniques.
This is a luxurious way of making one-of-a-kind pieces, in which a traditional manufacturing process is used to round a single wire of base metal into a ring shape using a hammer, weld it into a ring shape, and then shave and form it using a special machine.
The technique of using a hammer to strike the surface of the ingot to tighten it and give it strength, and the technique of using a lathe machine custom-made for jewelry to cut it to a uniform width and thickness is a method of production that has never been used in the ith collection.
Designs utilizing the advantages of cutting
There are three designs in the Forging Collection that are particularly outstanding in their cutting techniques. The surfaces have a clean, uneven appearance, creating a wedding band that enjoys the beauty of its shape.
Da Capo
This is the most basic and elegant design in the forged collection.
In musical terms, Da Capo means "from the beginning" or "back to the beginning. It expresses the wish that the couple will remember the feelings they had when they first stepped out as a married couple, and that they will be able to spend many more years together.
The cross-sectional shape of the ring, called heikamaru, which is between a kamaboko-shaped ring and a square ring with a slightly rounded surface, looks simple at first glance, but in fact we are particular about creating the curved shape of the ring.
The blade used to shape the cross section and cut the sides of the ring is a tool called a "diamond bit," which is made of a material solidified from diamond powder. The diamond bites are applied to the surface of the ring, which is only about 2 mm in diameter, six times while adjusting the angle of the blade to create the shape of the surface. I had thought that the ring was shaved at once using a blade in the shape of a flat round shell, but I believe that this one step is what makes the ring elegant and comfortable in the hand.
Superiore
This is a design with a triangular cross section, called a sword arm in technical terms.
The name "Superiore" means "top of the mountain" in Italian, because of its edgy appearance.
The sharp line in the center of this shape tends to make the edge angle sharp, so the men's ring is 3.0 mm wide and the women's ring is 2.5 mm wide to make it more comfortable to wear. The slopes of the rings are slightly rounded using a cutting technique to give the rings a hand-crafted warmth, rather than a straight, mechanical appearance.
Calando
The design is a reverse shell with a depression in the center.
The wedding band, which means "softly" in musical terms, has a gently vertical hairline finish applied to its surface. The light hitting the thin, parallel hairline work creates the optical effect of the gemstone's "cat's eye," which looks like a cat's eye.
The cutting process is done by machine, but when craftsmen do it by hand, the process is the same as sanding. The shape takes advantage of the strength of cutting because the depressions are more uniform when a machine is used to cut the same depth all the way around.
Finally, the edge of the inverted rounded edge is cut one more time, resulting in a wedding band that is gentle to the touch and to the eye.
The precision of the machine and the sensitivity of the craftsman who handles it
The three designs that are particular about cutting techniques have one thing in common. I believe that it is not only the precision of the machine, but also the sensitivity based on the experience of the craftsmen who use it, and their insistence on time-consuming and troublesome innovations, that lead to the creation of better products.
The lathe is a machine used to make precision equipment for aircraft and space development, and while it is capable of cutting to finer than 0.1 mm, relying solely on the machine's performance would result in rings that give an inorganic and cold impression, with a little ingenuity in the handwork, rings can be made to look and feel warm and inviting. By applying a little ingenuity in handwork, a wedding ring with warmth is born.
Creator: Ayumi Takahashi
