The Origin of ith
The beginning of ith traces back to the atelier of Ayu Takahashi, a jewellery artisan and the founder.
The essence of ith lies in the direct interactions between customers and artisans to create rings that truly reflect what customers desire.
The value generated through this direct creation process connects and resonates deeply. This philosophy of creating something meaningful and connecting through craftsmanship is what we continue to cherish.
Continuing to Connect Values
From such beginnings, ith has expanded to welcome customers in 8 ateliers, with ring production now handled not in each atelier but dedicatedly by our own artisans and in collaboration with external workshops.
This is based on our desire for more people to experience the intimate process of creating custom wedding rings and our aim as a jewellery maker to craft at an even higher level and more consistently.
Reference: Custom-Made for Everyone
Despite starting from humble origins, expanding to involve more people and companies in realizing these values is not as straightforward as it may sound.
Capturing customers' wishes, expectations, and sentiments for their rings and conveying these to the craftsmen, then craftsmen apply their finest skills to create the rings, continually honing their techniques and imbuing each piece with their dedication. Communicating as much of this effort and thought as possible to the customers may seem straightforward, yet it demands a wealth of ingenuity, effort, and perseverance to achieve.
As we grow, it becomes challenging to maintain practices that were possible on a smaller scale, and we sometimes have to decline orders from the perspective of manufacturing responsibility.
At times, we hear suggestions from both within and outside the company that sticking to a smaller scale could spare us the trouble and help maintain our uniqueness. However, if we believe in the value and potential of enriching people's hearts, derived from our foundational spirit, then the desire and effort to share this with more people and to expand its reach are indeed meaningful. With this conviction, we continue to embrace challenging endeavors.
Creating, Connecting
Recently, as part of our training, I visited one of our collaborative workshops. Witnessing each step in the ring-making process and each artisan’s work reaffirmed my belief that these individual efforts imbue our customer's rings with value, and it's crucial that we communicate this more effectively to our customers.
Even if I am not directly involved in the crafting, I can still deliver value by connecting—communicating these efforts to the customers.
Creating rings has the power to evoke joy and touch people's hearts. At the same time, I believe there is an important role in "connecting" that value and power to create something significant.
ith Yoshida
Reference: Circulation of Joy
