Young designers come forward. One of these, in London, is Castro Smith. His avant-garde frontier, however, is the rediscovery of an ancient skill: that of engraving. For centuries this technique has been used by goldsmiths who used the burin in a virtuous way. And today Castro Smith uses metal working in a creative way, with the rediscovery of the past, but with a new use. His jewels seem to come out of a medieval fable, slipped off the finger of King Arthur’s knights. But in reality this is not the model of the designer, who uses the chevalier model to create elaborate signet rings. But the idea of also engraving the sides of the ring arose simply from a mistake made at the beginning of his career, using a 3D modeling program. A mistake that, however, turned out to be an excellent successful idea.
Curiously, Smith, who was born near Newcastle, North East England, had a focus on video games. While waiting, he did a five-year apprenticeship in an engraving company, which gave rise to his passion. An internship in Japan followed under the guidance of master silversmith Hiroshi Suzuki. His rings with elaborate figures engraved in silver or gold and ceramic have become cult objects for many fans.
