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Fine Principles

We combine fine jewellery and principles of design & mathematics with each other. The term ‘Fine Jewellery’ refers to all jewellery made of precious metals such as gold, silver, or platinum. In our case, we use recycled, nickel-free, and certified materials from a German refinery. All our jewellery is handmade in small quantities in Pforzheim.

Unlike recycled gold, sustainable or fair trade gold still comes from mines. Although they are labelled with certificates such as Fair Trade, FAIRMINED, or IRMA (Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance), they are difficult to assess from our point of view in terms of ethical and social conditions. Especially if you have not been there yourself and cannot see the conditions miners work in. That’s why we like to use materials that are already available — recycled metals from teeth, old jewellery, objects, or even e-waste.

We have lots of principles actually, but when it comes to our creation, we combine design with simple mathematics to form timeless jewellery objects.

Therefore, we use flexible folding grids and transform them from 2D to 3D. The aspects of mathematics take effect in the number of facets as well as in the dimensions. Four of our six categories strictly follow the ‘Geometric Series’. However, since rings and bangles correspond to natural body measurements, they are each drawn and adapted separately. In other words, nothing is scaled.
We have all heard the term ‘facet’, but few can describe it accurately. The word itself derives from the Latin ‘facies’ (meaning ‘(front) side’ or ‘face’) and is basically nothing more than a flat or smooth surface on a geometry. Thus, facets find their use in stone carving, cutting, geometry and printing, or can even be found as part of a personality trait in psychology.

Our facets are created by folding techniques — more precisely by the ‘X-Form’ grid. These small triangles shape the appearance of our object and sometimes turn out larger and sometimes smaller. To achieve this, they are cast and then carefully trimmed by hand. To preserve the quality of the edges, we leave the matte surface largely untouched. But this also means that the objects can vary slightly, especially in very small sizes.

We love the aesthetics of sharp edges, and we hope you do too. If you still have questions about the surface and comfort, please contact us.
XF is derived from the folding technique ‘X-Form’. As the name suggests, the X-shape consists of a repeating pattern of triangles that resemble successive X’. For example, if you fold a ‘Heaven & Hell’, also known as ‘Salt & Pepper’, you get edges called ‘Valley’ and ‘Mountain’ folds in paper folding.

Unfolded, the result is a grid consisting of three horizontal, three vertical, three 90°, and three 180° diagonals. These lines form exactly 32 right triangles. In this way, flexible design grids are created through duplication or combination, which, transferred to 3D objects, take on a dynamic of their own.

Today we find the X-Form in paper folding, of course, but also in sculpture, architecture, graphic design, and installations. One artist, who creates metal, paper, and wood sculptures using folding techniques, is Peter Millett — enjoy exploring.
All our pieces have an ID consisting of a number and letter code. For example, behind XFCE64S2 is the system of ‘X-Form’, the object ‘Circle Earring’, the number of ‘64’ facets, the size ‘S’, and the material thickness of ‘2’.

In the case of creoles, exactly ¼ of the facets are missing. However, they are described with a complete number since the design is based on circle earrings. And we only count the facets that define themselves according to the grid and not the endings or beginnings.

The word ‘System’ describes the connectedness of all our future series, and objects in a series, to each other. Despite different identities, they have the same origin, namely folding techniques.

Production

Our jewellery is made in Germany, in Pforzheim to be more precise. This means that we produce in Pforzheim and receive materials from Pforzheim.

We collaborate with Manuel Grosse and his atelier Ars Vivendi Germany. He has worked for many years in the family business founded in 1903 in Pforzheim. He has long-standing contacts within the industry, including to casters, refineries, suppliers, stone setters, and other manufacturers. His expertise enables us to initiate ideas from the beginning to the finished jewellery piece.

The goldsmith’s work differs depending on the product, of course, and he is not the only person involved in the whole process. There are many steps taking place on behind the curtain. These steps include the work of the product manager, the caster, the goldsmith, and the process of (galvanic) plating. These wonderful professionals help transform ideas into concrete objects and bring them to life.
We produce our pieces by hand in small quantities in Pforzheim, Germany. All our recycled materials are certified precious metals and nickel-free, as also additional elements such as ear pins or chains. Our goldsmith atelier receives recycled silver, recycled gold, and recycled platinum from a refinery nearby. This refinery is a certified member of RJC — Responsible Jewellery Council.
In the goldsmith’s atelier, materials are received from a RJC-certified supplier in Pforzheim. The Responsible Jewellery Council is the world’s leading sustainability organization in the jewellery industry. The refinery also follows the standards of the Code of Practices (CoP) and Chain of Custody (CoC).

The atelier and its entire supply chain comply with REACH regulations. REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals and is a regulation of the European Union (EC) No 1907/2006.

The focus is on protecting human health and the environment from the risks posed by the use of chemicals. At the same time, it aims to improve the competitiveness of the chemical industry in the EU and to promote alternative methods of harmful substances in order to reduce testing on animals.
We want to support responsible consumption — therefore we focus on small quantities and production on demand. So, it takes four to seven weeks to make a piece and send it to your home.

This is because there are many steps behind the curtain. These steps include the work of the product manager, the caster, the goldsmith, and the process of (galvanic) plating. These wonderful professionals help transform ideas into concrete objects and bring them to life.

But as we are present at selected jewellery and design fairs all over Germany and bring a small selection of jewellery for you, you can also buy pieces on the spot. We will also post all future events here and on social media, or just sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date.

Protection and care

We would like to point out that jewellery is also an object of use. Just like a pointed leather shoe, the edges, and the gold plating may wear off after some time. This is quite normal, because by wearing the pieces they automatically come into contact with other objects.

Therefore, never transport the jewellery with other hard objects, but store it in a soft packaging with enough distance from other pieces. Please note that gold-plated rings in particular can be scratched more quickly than earrings. Please contact us if the gold plating needs to be refreshed.
Even jewellery wants to be worn every day, and you can too. Nevertheless, we would like to point out that all products wear out over time. The following tips should help you protect it for as long as possible.

We recommend never cleaning the pieces with soap or any other cleaning agent, as this can damage the tarnish protection. Please keep the jewellery in a dry place and protect it from direct sunlight. We also suggest that you always take off the pieces when swimming in the sea, during long sporting activities or even washing your hands, if possible. If the pieces get wet, a silver cleaning cloth is suitable, with which you can gently rub the pieces dry.

In order to protect the surface for as long as possible, the pieces should not be stored loosely in a box or box together with other pieces. They can then hit each other and the plating or tarnish protection can rub off. It is advisable to always store them in the jewellery bag and/or box when not in use, especially when travelling.
Precious metals like gold and silver are generally very suitable for everyone who suffers from allergies. As all our products are nickel-free and made from recycled materials — mainly recycled 925 sterling silver — the source of danger is very low. Even our plating includes recycled silver, recycled gold, recycled palladium, and recycled platinum.

However, should you experience a skin reaction to any of our pieces, please contact us, and we will try to help.

Shipping and return

As soon as we start selling our products through our shop, we will add additional information about our conditions. Please be patient, more updates are coming.
Within Germany, you do not have to pay any additional shipping costs. Everything is already included in the price. More information about shipping costs in Europe will follow shortly.