After almost a year in the making, we’re excited to announce our new collection, Kigumi. Inspired by traditional Japanese woodworking, Kigumi features clean, joinery-inspired details, mixed white and yellow gold tones, and, for the very first time, RINGS!
Culture and Folklore
Japanese culture is deeply entwined with nature. This relationship is rooted in Shinto, Japan’s animistic indigenous religion, which believes that everything in nature, from trees to rocks to streams, contains a god, or kami. The Hayao Miyazaki movie Princess Mononoke does a great job of illustrating the complicated relationship between man and nature, and if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Also, Michael B. Jordan (excuse me, Oscar Winner Michael B. Jordan) said it was his favorite movie of all time, so there you go.
This reverence for nature extends to the care with which Japanese craftsmen treat the materials they use. For example, woodworkers are careful to orient lumber in the same direction in which the trees originally stood. Not only does this ensure the natural strength of the wood is utilized, but it shows respect and gratitude for the sacrifice the tree made to become lumber.
In Japanese folklore, there’s even an angry spirit called sakabashira that haunts houses where the pillars were placed upside down during construction, bringing misfortune to the household.
Japanese joinery
The complexity of Japanese joinery is often masked by the seamless final product. You would not know an intricate hand-cut joint is there unless you looked for it, but when you slow down to examine a piece of furniture and allow your eyes to trace the subtle seams between adjoining pieces of wood, the genius of Japanese woodworking becomes apparent.
Joinery allows the construction to be done without nails or glue. The result is a temperature-regulated structure that is more flexible than concrete or steel, making it better suited to Japan’s climate and frequent earthquakes.
The Kigumi Collection
The Kigumi collection symbolizes inner strength, connection, and harmony. It features five rings, two pendants, and two earrings, including our first wedding band and wedding ring set.
I’ve long been a fan of Japanese design, and I’ve previously written about how Yū|Mono’s name is derived from Japanese aesthetics. Key elements such as proportions (kiwari) and negative space (ma) are essential to the aesthetic of Japanese construction, and I’ve tried to incorporate them into the Kigumi pieces in a way that feels modern yet authentic.
A challenge I ran into early on was finding the best way to highlight something that’s meant to be invisible. Much of the intricate detail of joinery is hidden in the joint itself, with only a faint seam visible on the outside.
Kigumi utilizes contrasting white and yellow gold tones to highlight the joinery while honoring the intention of the woodworkers to keep the joints inconspicuous. I also opted for a brushed finish to mimic wood grain and create a more organic feel, while offering a sharp contrast to smaller, high-polish elements. I love the way brushed gold diffuses light, creating a beautiful glow–rather than a mirror-like finish which only reflects direct light.
Aside from studying the joinery itself, I drew inspiration from Japanese-American furniture maker George Nakashima and Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, and the way they incorporated elements of traditional Japanese design into their work.
Lastly, I’m fortunate to have my very own in-house woodworker and furniture maker, my partner Danny Ovryn of Rust & Root Furniture. I’ve peppered him with random woodworking questions at all hours of the day over the last year, and he’s been a patient and knowledgeable resource.
This is Yū|Mono’s most ambitious collection to date, and I’m thrilled to finally release it. Each piece was intentional; I didn’t want any superfluous “filler” pieces, but I also wanted to make sure there was something for every type of jewelry wearer. This is the kind of fulfilling project that makes me grateful to be a designer.
Shop the new collection here.