Custom-made for All
There are various interpretations and approaches to custom-made in the world, but if I were to summarize what custom-made means to ith, it would be "custom-made for everyone."
This stems from our desire for as many people as possible to have wedding rings that are truly unique to them. However, those with some knowledge about craftsmanship might sense a contradiction in terms. What this means is that the words "everyone's" and "custom-made" contain concepts that are polar opposites.
Custom-made for the Selected Few
The history of jewellery development cannot be separated from the wealth and power of royalty, nobility, and magnates of their times. Many merchants and artisans in the jewellery trade flourished by dedicating their talent and skills to crafting special jewellery for these powerful individuals.
Many of the world's leading jewellers today have grown against such a historical backdrop, creating their own unique worldviews. Superior design, precious gemstones of high rarity, and exceptional craftsmanship—all these elements, when projected into the creations, make them all the more special. However, the more special these creations are, the more labor, time, and thus cost are involved in making them, which is then reflected in their price.
For the powerful figures of the times, the more special and expensive a piece, the more it served to display their power.
Occasionally, news breaks of famous jewellers crafting jewellery worth hundreds of millions, but custom-made, unique pieces often range from several million to tens of millions, and sometimes even hundreds of millions, for this reason.
In modern times, we might use the term "celebrity," but for such individuals, custom-made serves as a means to assert their uniqueness.
To put it bluntly, the term "custom-made" carries an implication and nuance of creating something special, piece by piece, for a select few with wealth and social status.
The contradiction I mentioned earlier lies in the logical discrepancy that if custom-made is meant "for the selected few," then how can it also be "for everyone"?
ith's Challenge
Those involved in craftsmanship understand that regardless of social concepts, creating individual items requires significant time and cost.
As opposed to custom-made, there's mass production, which allows costs to be distributed by replicating the same item tens or hundreds of times, thus reducing the price per item. However, this approach cannot realize the concept of creating something special for each person.
Focusing solely on making each item special, as the history of custom-made suggests, would only cater to a select few.
We want to deliver something special to each individual but also keep it affordable for many.
Resolving this contradiction to achieve "custom-made for everyone" is the challenge ith is fully committed to tackling.
For instance, we could use mass production techniques for parts of the ring-making process that are common across all rings to reduce costs. Using IT systems can minimize the costs associated with specification transmission.
Every step, from welcoming customers and understanding their requests to finalizing orders, transmitting information, and actual production, needs to be interconnected for realization.
Through these efforts, I hope to bring the joy of custom-made for everyone to as many people as possible.
Yoshida
