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Coral Manchetknapper by Andrea Ragazzo

Coral Manchetknapper by Andrea Ragazzo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award i Sølv in Smykkedesign Competition Category.


SølvSmykker· 2020

Coral Manchetknapper

by Andrea Ragazzo

Client: Ragazzo Design Studio

A' Design Award i Sølv Winner in Smykker Category

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The Design

About Coral Manchetknapper

Coral er et par manchetknapper skabt til at holde en skjortes manchetter sammen. Mange manchetknapper er klodsede og tunge. Coral følger i stedet en italiensk tradition for enkelhed og respekt for organiske former. Den åbne, gennemsigtige form giver et let udtryk, mens den rå indvendige tekstur tilføjer kontrast. Hver manchetknap er håndlavet af sterlingsølv ved hjælp af cire perdue-støbning. Hvert stykke er poleret og pletteret med platin eller rosaguld for at bevare glansen. Den flade, finneformede stang forhindrer rotation og gør manchetknapperne nemme at tage på og af.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award i Sølv

Coral Manchetknapper er vinder af A' Design Award i Sølv, en usædvanligt prestigefyldt anerkendelse, der tildeles designs i topklasse, som er pragtfulde og imponerende. Sølvvinderne er enormt geniale og overordentlig kreative værker, der illustrerer deres designeres fremragende ekspertise, talent og skarpsindighed. Coral Manchetknapper forventes at være et vidunderligt udstillingsværk, der er bemærkelsesværdigt professionelt og dybt innovativt. Dette design, der har vundet A' Design Award i Sølv, er en højst bemærkelsesværdig, beundret opfindelse, som gavner og flytter grænserne for kunst, videnskab, design og teknologi. Coral Manchetknapper er en skabelse, som mange misunder, og som vækker begær, bringer positive følelser og antænder forundring og undren.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties
These cufflinks are designed in the best tradition of Italian love for simplicity and respect for organic shapes. They are featuring a unique see-through look, which creates lightness, while the rough inner texture creates added contrast.

Each cufflink is hand made from Sterling Silver. To keep its shine, they are individually polished and either Platinum or Rose Gold plated. The flat, fin-like stem prevents them from rotating while making it easy to put on and take off.
Dimensions & Packaging
Sterling Silver with Rhodium plating and Rose Gold plating, ∅20 x 22mm
Tags
Cufflinks, Men's Accessories, Sterling Silver, Gold Plated, Italian Design, Luxury Accessories, Men's Fashion, Modern Design
Production Technology
The cufflinks are made by lost wax casting, which is commonplace in jewelry making. All files were created in Creo 4.0 and rendered in Keyshot to get an accurate representation of the final design before production. A Makerbot 3D-printer was also used, to get preliminary parts made in PLA. These were used to fine-tune the look and size.
Design Challenge
There was not much of a research challenge for this project since cufflinks have been around for a very long time. Also in terms of manufacturing and materials, the choice to use Sterling Silver and Lost Casting were straight forward. A high-quality material was necessary, and therefore, only silver or gold would have been appropriate. Using pure gold would set a too high selling price. Therefore the choice to use Sterling Silver and gold plate them.
Research
During the initial phase of the design, several directions were taken, including designs featuring enamel. The enamel was placed in the inner part of the cufflinks, creating contrast and making the design feel alive. The idea came from the underside of a starfish, which reveals an inner color, different from the outer skin. It makes it more vulnerable and fragile, enhancing its lightness even more. Unfortunately, it was not possible from a technical point of view, since reaching the inner surface was very difficult and time-consuming.
Inspiration
Cufflinks in itself are meant to hold the cuffs of a shirt together. The tighter, the better. They can be bulky and overloaded, usually made of expensive materials to show the status of its wearer. The inspiration was to create something opposite to that. Something that still made of a single, pure material and which replicated lightness. Something that even when holding the cuffs, would so not by weight, but by its structural integrity.
Project Duration
The project started in September 2018 and the first production of three SKU's (Rose Gold, Silver, Gun Metal) arrived in Hong Kong around March 2019.
Operation Flow
There are several types of cufflinks - Whale Back, Bullet Back, Chain Link, Ball Return, ... The Coral Cufflinks come as Fixed Backing design, which usually is a little harder to put on. Due to the slim design and functional shape; however, this is not the case. These cufflinks slide easily into the cuffs cuts, keeping them tightly together.
Patents
Copyrights belong to Ragazzo Ltd., Hong Kong, 2019
Image Credits
#1: Maxime Chambigneulle, 2019
#2: Andrea Ragazzo, 2019
#3: Andrea Ragazzo, 2019
#4: Andrea Ragazzo, 2019
#5: Maxime Chambigneulle, 2019

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