ith celebrated its 7th anniversary this June, and when I started my small atelier in a back alley in Kichijoji in 2014, I knew that I wanted to stay involved in the lives of the customers for whom I created rings.
It may sound heavy, but engagement and wedding rings are items that a couple spends many years together, and they are not something that is made more than once in a lifetime.
I felt that it would be irresponsible for me as a craftsman to just make and deliver these precious items and be done with them, and I had the ideal of building a relationship with a craftsman that I could easily consult when I had a problem.
It is with this in mind that I have continued with ith, and the other day I had a happy reunion.
We received an order for a baby ring from a customer who had a ring made for her about four years ago.
We first met the couple in 2017. They came to our atelier to have their engagement and wedding rings made before the meeting of their families. They told us that they wanted to create rings with their own specialties in mind, rather than choosing from a ready-made brand.
They said they each had their own preferences, but they wanted their wedding rings to be the same shape, so they tried on many designs. I still remember how flexible they were when comparing rings, and how they both tried to incorporate their partner's preferences.
After much deliberation, we decided on a fully custom-made engagement ring with a floral motif for the stone that holds the diamond, since the word "flower" is used in the woman's name, and a wedding band with a twisted Lento form, arranged in a thicker width. The wedding band is a thicker version of the twisted form Lento.
After the wedding ring was delivered, the couple visited our atelier regularly for maintenance, and this time they asked us to tailor a baby ring together.
We introduced a baby ring called "Bambino" as part of ith's anniversary jewelry, but the couple decided that if they were going to make a ring at ith, they wanted to give their newborn child a ring with the same design as theirs, so we decided to make a size 1 "Lento" ring to match their wedding band. The couple decided to make matching size 1 "Lento" rings to match their wedding rings.
We also put a lot of thought into the design of the baby ring this time, and arranged the three birthstones of the father and mother, pink tourmaline and diamonds, so that the birthstone of the child was sandwiched between them. At the time of consultation, the child had not yet been born, and we did not know which birthstone would be chosen for May or June, so we officially finalized the design and proceeded with the creation after the birth.
The baby was born on the 31st of May, and the birthstone, an emerald, was clasped in the center of the baby ring, creating a colorful and lovely color scheme. The mother will wear it as a pendant for a while and give it to her child when he grows up. May the child grow up healthy and well!
It is very encouraging for my life to see the relationship with the couple continue from the beginning of their wedding preparations, to their marriage, to the addition of their family members, and so on. The relationship with the couple began with a single encounter that cannot be obtained through a mere relationship of selling and buying things. I am happy to be able to feel as if I am watching over the history of a family.
Just as our customers' days are changing, ith and I are also changing.
Now in its seventh year, ith now welcomes customers in 11 ateliers and online. Last year in particular was a year of trial and error to make sure that our customers feel comfortable in our atelier even with the Corona disaster.
I also got married within the past seven years and am expecting a baby this fall. Having actually experienced the feeling of making rings as a couple, as opposed to being involved in making things as a craftsman, I realized that it is much different than buying things alone, and I learned the joy of making rings from a different perspective. I am now thinking about designing a baby ring for my child when she is born.
When things change, there is often a conflict between wanting to stay the same and being excited about new values and learning, but I would like to continue to change and grow while both ith and I have fun.
ith Ayu Takahashi
