The Beauty Is in the Details: We Create Timeless Jewellery with Care and Intention
A finished jewel reveals little of the work behind it. With this look inside our workshop, we share the small gestures and careful decisions that give the On a Roll collection its final form.
From a 3D Print to a Wax Model
The clean geometry of Minrl’s On a Roll collection begins with something surprisingly intricate: a wax model surrounded by tiny supports. In our making-of video, you can see these blue forms alongside the precious metal pieces they will become. Modelled and then printed on our 3D printer, they emerge in a raw state, still attached to the structure that holds them to the printing plate. Those supports have served their purpose, but before the model can be cast, each one must be carefully removed to reveal the shape beneath.
Casting in 9k Fairmined Gold
For the pieces in this video, the next step is casting in 9k Fairmined gold. This introduces another structure: the supports that connect each model to a larger casting tree, bringing together all the pieces being produced. Once the casting is complete, the forms are in metal, with new attachments to cut away. At the jeweller’s bench, supported by a worn wooden bench pin, the work of removing them begins.
Removing the Casting Attachments
This is where the small saw and files seen in the film become essential. Every cut and every stroke removes gold, so each movement must be carefully measured and judged. The aim is to remove the remaining attachments while preserving the exact outline of the design. With On a Roll’s open geometric forms, that means paying close attention to every edge, angle, and meeting point. A little too much removed in one place can change the balance of the shape.
The Skill in the Smallest Gestures
Watching the hands at work, it is easy to overlook the skill in gestures that seem simple: finding a secure way to hold a small piece, turning it to reach an intricate space, or positioning a file so it refines a surface without softening the corner beside it. These decisions happen throughout the process. The grip, the angle of the tool, and the pressure of each stroke all contribute to the clarity of the finished form. The precise lines you see at the end depend on this patient attention along the way.
Collecting the Gold Dust
As the saw and files do their work, they leave behind fine dust and filings. This material may have been removed from the piece, but it is still precious: it contains gold, and we carefully collect it. Once a year, we take the accumulated material to a refinery, where the gold is recovered and purified, returning to us as a 999 fine gold ingot. Collecting these small traces is part of life at the bench, extending our care for the material beyond the jewellery itself.
Bringing the Gold to Its Final Finish
Once cutting and filing are finished, the focus shifts to the surface. Polishing begins with sand paper, continues through a barreling process, and is completed with brushes and polishing compounds. Each stage brings the gold closer to its final finish, while the edges and angles so carefully defined at the bench must retain their character. Gradually, the marks of working give way to the finished surface, and the relationship between the gold and the open spaces becomes clear.
Geometry Shaped by Hand
By the end of the video all the casting supports have disappeared. What remains is a collection of small geometric sculptures, ready to become earrings to necklace charms. Their clean lines give little indication of how much work they hold: the raw wax print, the casting, the carefully placed saw cuts, and the repeated strokes of a file. Yet it is this sequence of considered gestures that gives On a Roll its precision and makes each finished piece so satisfying to turn in the light.
