More freedom with wedding rings
2020 September, the newly transformed cobaco BRIDAL.
Before the renewal, there were not many options available other than being able to choose the material of the ring. However, when we actually talk with customers in the atelier, their preferences and particularities gradually come to light.
Can this ring be made with a matte finish?
Can you add diamonds to this design?
Is it okay for men to choose the slimmer ladies' version?
We may have been imposing a fixed form of "here you go" on our customers without even realizing it. It felt like our customers were thinking more freely, and we were unable to keep up with them.
I wonder how it is that you can only choose pairs with the same design. Let's stop labeling them as men's or women's. In order to allow for more freedom in choosing the shape for both, we need to be more flexible in our thinking as well. This is the starting point for this renewal.
However, we did not choose the path of fully custom-made products. Not everyone has a clear image of their ideal form from the beginning. It is a challenging task to develop our own form completely from scratch. As customers consider the options we present, their ideal form gradually becomes clearer. We aim to foster such a relationship between the brand and the customers.
What kind of requests have actually been made? While reflecting on our interactions with customers so far, we decided on each customizable option one by one.
From one ring
Both of them can choose freely. It's fine to select different designs. However, I also thought that there should be a proper connection as marriage rings in what each of them chooses.
What comes to mind is the image of a tree that branches out multiple times from a single trunk, with leaves and fruits. If we focus only on the leaves and fruits at the tips of the branches, each one is a slightly different individual existence, but if we trace back to their origin, they all come from one trunk. Let's consider the whole as a single tree.
We started with the simplest plain design as the base and thought about how to add something to it. Ultimately, we settled on four designs. (Currently, an additional new design has been added, and we are now offering five designs.)
Plain design, a design with hammered texture on a plain ring, a design that expresses curves by slightly bending the plain ring, and a design that connects two materials while keeping the plain shape as it is.
3 designs have been carried over from previous collections. However, the design that connects the two materials must be newly created.
「ひとりね、いますよ」
Platinum and gold. The design that connects the two materials has actually been in concept for many years. It may seem easy to just connect them, but it's not that simple.
Platinum and gold have different rates of thermal expansion when heat is applied. The way the two materials shrink when the welded joint cools is different, so if it fails, the joint may come apart or warp, resulting in a poor finish. It is a technically challenging process.
Until now, it has been difficult to find craftsmen who can finish beautifully, and it has been shelved for a long time. If we miss this opportunity for renewal, it will end up never seeing the light of day.
We tried various connections, but we couldn't achieve any notable results. Finding a craftsman was proving to be difficult. One day, we consulted someone who has been running a jewelry brand in Kobe for many years.
"Recently, there has been a significant decrease in artisans." Due to a lack of successors, jewelry artisans are increasingly going out of business, and this is a source of concern even for those who have been observing the industry for over 40 years.
After all, it's not something that can be found so easily. At this point, it might be better to give up and change my mindset. After a brief silence, he opens his mouth.
There is one, you know. A skilled craftsman in Kobe.
This was the opportunity that led to the encounter with the craftsmen who supported this renewal.
A skilled craftsman who has established a workshop in Kobe, just like us, and has been immersed in the world of precious metal jewelry for over 20 years. I wonder what kind of person they are? When I nervously visited the workshop, I found a refreshing and wonderfully smiling person, completely opposite to what I had imagined.
As soon as I talked about the new design, they agreed to produce it without hesitation. It felt like all the struggles I had faced until now were worth it, as things began to flow smoothly, and we were able to see a clear path for the realization of all the designs.
