Coral Запонки by Andrea Ragazzo is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Срібна нагорода A' Design Award in Ювелірні вироби Competition Category.

СріблоЮвелірні вироби· 2020

Coral Запонки

by Andrea Ragazzo

Client: Ragazzo Design Studio

Срібна нагорода A' Design Award Winner in Ювелірні вироби Category

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Colors

The Design

About Coral Запонки

Coral — це пара запонок, створених для скріплення манжет сорочки. Багато запонок є громіздкими та важкими. Натомість Coral наслідує італійську традицію простоти та поваги до органічних форм. Відкрита, прозора форма надає легкості вигляду, тоді як груба внутрішня текстура додає контрасту. Кожна запонка виготовлена вручну зі стерлінгового срібла методом лиття за виплавлюваними моделями. Кожен виріб відполірований і покритий платиною або рожевим золотом для збереження блиску. Плаский, схожий на плавник стрижень запобігає обертанню та полегшує надягання і зняття запонок.

The Recognition

About the Срібна нагорода A' Design Award

Coral Запонки є переможцем Срібної нагороди A' Design Award — надзвичайно престижного визнання, що присуджується першокласним дизайнам вищого ґатунку, чарівним і вражаючим. Переможці Срібної нагороди — це надзвичайно блискучі та вкрай креативні роботи, що ілюструють видатну експертизу, талант і проникливість своїх дизайнерів. Очікується, що Coral Запонки буде чудовою, взірцевою роботою, надзвичайно професійною та глибоко інноваційною. Цей дизайн-переможець Срібної нагороди A' Design Award — дуже помітний, шанований винахід, що приносить користь і розсуває межі мистецтва, науки, дизайну й технологій. Coral Запонки — це творіння, якому дуже заздрять, яке розбурхує бажання, приносить позитивні почуття та викликає здивування й подив.

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