ikue -jewellery made of paper and gold-

Ikue - jewelry made of paper and gold

Design Company: TANT Inc.
Creative Direction, Art Direction & Design: Nori Yokoyama, Genki Harada
Country: Japan

ikue is jewelry made of paper and gold. It was inspired by “sanboukin”, a traditional bookbinding technique that protects books, such as the Bible, from deterioration. ikue is a new line of jewelry expanding the possibilities of paper.

100 sheets if 0.1mm thick paper are boarded one by one with gold leaf. When stacked, it creates a beauty that cannot be thought of as paper. The product, designed in a way that resembles a piece of metal, only weighs 5g. It was created, developed and eventually commercialized with the help and cooperation of a bookbinding company. Born by combining bookbinding history and techniques, changing and restructuring ideas, and applying them to small jewelry, we were able to discover a new and fresh value of paper.

The packaging serves three function: to protect, increase brand appeal and be given as a gift. When purchased, we wanted to strengthen the protection and storage for our delicate paper-made product. When displayed, we wanted the graphics to add and expand on the brand’s appeal and world view in-store. When gifted, we wanted the receiver to experience the high quality material and texture of the box.

Given the product’s construct, it is surprisingly light. Not only does it inherit the tradition of bookbinding, it unleashes a new potential beyond the realm of paper.