We are the silver jewelry brand Nine Nine.
Thank you for always visiting us.
This time, we will introduce the story behind the production of custom-made earrings that were ordered by a customer.
When you hear the term "custom-made," it may sound a little intimidating, but that's not the case when you place an order with us.
On the contrary, it is very welcome.
Perhaps if you ask an artist or designer to create something for you, they might be very happy.
As creators, it's proof that our designs are loved, so it makes us incredibly happy.
Of course, depending on how the brand is run and how it is manufactured, it may be difficult to design and produce just one product.
At Nine Nine, we welcome even one-item orders.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have, such as, "I want something like this..."
However, there is one thing I would ask you to refrain from showing us pictures of famous high-end brands and asking us to make the same design. Lol This is not custom-made, it's just a replica...lol
Inquiries about custom-made products
For inquiries about custom-made products, please feel free to contact us via Nine Nine's official LINE!
*We will temporarily suspend accepting orders for custom-made products from February 2024 onwards.
We will notify you on our official LINE account once we resume accepting orders.
This request
↑Click to go to the product page
A man in his 20s, Mr. A, requested us to make a custom-made pair of earrings.
This customer has been a regular customer of Nine Nine rings for some time, and with complete trust in our craftsmanship, she decided to order a custom-made ring this time. We are very happy about this.
This time, Mr. A's request was simply for the words "silver 925" and "earrings," and he said, "I'll leave the design entirely up to you."
This is going to be a real challenge.
We normally don't accept orders like this, but knowing the Nine Nine rings that Ms. A loves and her preferences, I told her to leave it to me this time.
Please rest assured that we will listen carefully to what kind of things first-time customers like.
Let's create something together in your mind.
Back to the story.
Mr. A said he wasn't in a rush to meet the deadline, so we were free to work on it as we pleased, giving him about two months to complete it, and we discussed a rough budget together.
When designer and craftsman Hito Tsubaki heard the details of this request, he said, "I see," and grinned.
"So I'm leaving the entire design up to you," said Hitotsubaki, with a mysterious smile that mixed with joy and anxiety as he disappeared into the darkness of the workshop.
About delivery time
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When you hear that the delivery time is two months, do you think that's long or reasonable?
Here's what we'll be doing in the next two months:
- Recall the conversations and interactions you had with your clients
- Imagine what kind of clothes and shoes they were wearing, and their usual preferences.
- Research designs while keeping in mind designs you might like
- Consider several designs
- Choose the best design from the ideas that come to mind within your budget and refine it.
- Trial and error in production methods
- Order the necessary materials
- I failed here once (lol)
- I began to doubt my own design and wondered if it would really make people happy.
- I took a fresh start and changed the production process.
- The design turned out just as I imagined, so I feel relieved.
- Presenting to customers
This is a rough summary and I've left out quite a bit, but after going through these steps, the ordered product is sent to the customer.
If we could have enough time, around two months, we would be able to devote 120% of our efforts to the production.
When you're drinking a delicious cup of coffee, soaking in a warm bath, or taking a walk to change your mood, it's during these times that you're soothing your mind and body that you can remember things like, "I think this design here would suit that person better," or "Come to think of it, that customer said they liked this before," and make good decisions.
When delivery deadlines are short, there is no time to spare, so there is no time to think about the customer's favorite things or conversations.
The emphasis becomes too great to meet the deadline, and we are forced to reluctantly cut back on design and production methods.
If you can give yourself some leeway in the delivery period, everyone will be happy, both the customer and the maker.
The process of making custom earrings
↑Click to go to the product page
With the design now finalized in his mind, we took a peek at the desk of designer and craftsman Ichitsubaki, who had begun to disassemble a chain necklace he had previously prototyped.
"These parts are cool, but the necklace was different, so I think these earrings will suit me."
I forgot to take a picture, but the desk was a mess, to put it mildly.
Disassembled parts roll around, tools are scattered, and mysterious powder is flying everywhere. What will happen next?
Just as I was thinking that, I started reassembling the disassembled parts.
It appears that the chain parts that were previously connected in the same direction are now being reassembled in an alternating direction and soldered together one by one.
Then, the finished parts are attached to the round wire that has been bent in advance using a process called brazing.
Brazing involves using a burner to melt silver solder and attach the parts together, but it seems to be a rather difficult process.
When lighting the burner, even a slight difference in temperature can determine success or failure, so it seems like it requires a lot of attention to detail.
It is no good to heat the small parts for too long or too short a time, so we proceed carefully.
The scattered parts gradually came closer to the earrings.
Once the parts are glued together, the next step is to solder the earring posts.
Attach a post with a diameter of approximately 0.7 mm vertically as firmly as possible so that it does not break.
If the soldering is not done properly, the post may become distorted or break when you wear the earrings.
However, if you apply too much force, the earring post will inevitably reach its strength limit, so please handle it gently.
Once assembly and soldering are complete, the final step is polishing.
Using a polishing machine, the surface discolored by heat is removed and made shiny.
This time there were a lot of small parts, so I ended up polishing even the fingers, but I managed to complete it.
Presenting to customers
↑ Here are the finished custom earrings
This is the exciting moment.
Normally, we would coordinate the finished image based on design drawings and reference photos, but this time we were left completely to their discretion, so we skipped that step and instead just enjoyed the finished product.
(To the designer: This kind of approach should be done only after you have established a relationship of trust with the client. From the director.)
Fortunately, Mr. A, who requested the service, was very pleased.
It seems that she always wears these earrings on important days.
▼The customer also posted on Instagram with some lovely comments.
We are very happy to create jewelry that our customers can choose for their special occasions.
We have always thought that it would be great if jewelry could not only function as an ornament, but also bring greater value than jewelry, as an item that can make you feel like your strongest self.
Thank you for entrusting us with this task.
Inquiries about custom-made products
For inquiries regarding custom-made products, please contact us via the official Nine Nine LINE account, our inquiry form, or email.
If you casually contact us with a question like, "I want a design like this," we will make suggestions based on your preferences and the style of your everyday clothes. Please feel free to consult with us!
*We will temporarily suspend accepting orders for custom-made products from February 2024 onwards.
We will let you know on our official LINE account when we start accepting orders again!
