Visiting TO LABO's jewelry making, where the beauty of raw stones is kept just as it is

It's not something you absolutely need, but having it enriches your heart, makes you feel more positive, and gives you a sense of strength welling up inside.

That's what a favorite piece of jewelry can do.

Among such things, colorful natural stones hold an appeal that goes beyond their appearance. Though we use the single term "natural stone," it covers everything from diamonds and sapphires—the kinds of stones that come to mind immediately—to the pebbles you might find lying on the roadside. It's simply a general term for naturally formed minerals and rocks.

Wanting to learn more about these natural stones, we visited TO LABO, a natural stone jewelry brand based in Kofu.

We spoke with Tomohiko Oyori, who founded TO LABO.

He designs jewelry for TO LABO while also working as a craftsman himself, cutting and polishing the stones. 

The TO LABO shop sits along a small lane lined with red brick buildings on either side. Step inside, and you'll find colorful jewelry, looking almost like candy, arranged carefully and gently on display.

Thank you.

TO LABO opened here in 2014, and at the time there were no other jewelry shops in this area, but now there are two or three more.

Since this used to be a place where quartz was mined, I think people have a vague image of it as such, but in terms of actually communicating that to the world, we still have a long way to go. Part of why I decided to start the TO LABO brand was that I wanted to communicate the appeal of stones ourselves, rather than simply making products to order for other domestic brands. And the reason we opened an actual shop was that I wanted to have a place in Kofu itself from which to send that message out. I believe we're the only gemstone maker in Kofu that has its own brand.

I've heard that the last quartz was mined around 1979. There was a mine on Mt. Kinpu, and the quartz that was extracted was processed in various ways depending on the era—into Buddhist statues, round beads, and so on. This led to the development of stone-processing techniques, and Kofu came to be known as a city of jewelry. Stone carving is one of the processing techniques that Kofu is known for.

Natural stones aren't only used for jewelry—they're also processed into art and craft objects like incense burners and tea bowls. Think of it as creating three-dimensional objects; that's what's called stone carving.

Being able to do carving as well as polishing stones is a skill that belongs to Kiseki Chokoku Oyori, the parent company of TO LABO, and I feel that this carving technique broadens the range of designs we can create at TO LABO.

Take this ring, for example.

This design came out of a workshop with product designer Naoto Fukasawa. The plump part here is made by hollowing out the inside of a piece of quartz, and inside that, we place an even smaller natural stone. It's a design where a stone is capped with a capsule of stone, so to speak—and hollowing out a stone is something only possible through carving techniques, so I think this design was only possible because we had that technique.

One definition of a "good stone" is one without flaws. The degree of flaw really differs from stone to stone, so judgment comes down simply to whether there is a flaw or not. With a transparent stone like quartz, it's easy to tell whether there's a flaw, but with translucent stones where you can't see inside, we judge by things like lines on the surface of the stone.

A raw stone with a flaw. Some flaws aren't obvious to the untrained eye.

That's right. Some have their natural color, but some stones are actually dyed.

There's a stone called agate, which is actually the same material as quartz. Quartz with a lower density is called agate. Agate has sponge-like holes in it, so it's soaked in a chemical solution for months to years, and then fired, which fixes the color into the stone.

This is a technique that's been practiced for a very long time, and even pieces from decades ago retain their beautiful color without deteriorating.

Even though color is added, the stone is still originally natural, so the way it takes the dye varies from piece to piece depending on differences in density and the condition of flaws. In that sense, even with an artificial process involved, I still find the individual differences interesting. You might wonder whether dyeing means the color could fade, but since it's fixed by firing, there's no need to worry about that. 

We have a wish to turn the natural beauty of the stone itself into jewelry, so whenever a stone can be used in its raw, natural form, we use it that way.

Pieces like the AQUA BLUE PIERCE and HONEY PIERCE use the raw stone as is, so the shape and subtle size differ from piece to piece. 

Left as a raw stone. AQUA BLUE PIERCE.

Yes, I really think that's our strength. There are designs that can only be born because we start from the rough stone. When you look at a stone that's already been cut and imported from overseas, you end up seeing it only as that cut shape, so the design is already fixed. But when I look at a rough stone, I can imagine things like, "If I cut this part this way, what kind of expression will come out?" and decide on the design and which stone to use from there.

We do. Just in terms of quantity, we probably wouldn't need to buy any for a while (laughs).

But every stone is one of a kind, so meeting one is truly a once-in-a-lifetime encounter—and that goes for price as well. If you don't buy the stone you've just encountered right then, you'll never have that chance again. "I should have bought it!" doesn't work after the fact. 

Here, we were shown the process—rarely seen—of how a stone becomes a piece of jewelry.

They made ZUTTO's specially ordered OCTAGON series for us.

This is the red agate used for the OCTAGON NECKLACE. Since the final size is 7mm, it's cut into roughly a 1cm square, allowing for the material lost in carving and polishing.

Mr. Oyori, who answered every question that popped up during the work with great care.

A machine called an engraving machine.

This is a machine unique to Oyori Gemstone Carving, which requires skilled engraving technique—this single machine can both "cut" and "carve" stone.

The abrasive is thick and muddy, with a texture like mud mixed with sand. It's the same abrasive used to polish microscope glass. There are several grades of coarseness, and the stone is carved while gradually switching to finer grades.

When we asked if he had any occupational habits, he said, "My nails are always short." I suppose they get worn down.

A disc called a "koma" is set up, and the stone is pressed against it as it spins at high speed to carve it down.

At this point, abrasive is poured on from above so that the stone is pressed against the koma through the abrasive and gets carved. Since the abrasive is dark like mud, the stone gets covered and you can't actually see where it's being carved—so he judges how much has been carved by feel, through the sensation of pressing the stone, the coarseness of the abrasive, and the sound of friction.

Once a stone is carved too much, there's no going back. It's astonishing craftsmanship—adjusting by 0.1mm increments relying purely on the sensation in one's hands.

"Chamfering," or rounding off the edges, is also done entirely by hand. Once the beautiful octagon shape of the OCTAGON is complete, it still doesn't have much shine at this stage.

Next, every facet is polished with a polishing machine.

Here too, an abrasive is used, but a much finer one. Rather than carving, this step polishes away the cloudiness on the surface.

It takes about an hour to shape a square stone into a 7mm octagon, refine its form, and polish it.

He would carve a little, check, carve again, and check again—maintaining constant focus and sharp attention as he repeated the process.

When we asked what part of the work he likes best, he said, "The moment I see a stone that's been polished to a bright shine—it really is beautiful, I think."

There are several stages within the process of carving and polishing a stone, but basically one craftsman handles all of the work.

Since adjustments of 0.1mm are required, it's more accurate to do everything yourself from start to finish. If someone else did the final adjustment on a stone that another person had partially worked, they wouldn't be able to sense how much more needed to be carved or at what angle the previous work was done—so each craftsman handles it themselves from beginning to end. 

OCTAGON PIERCE

The OCTAGON series, whose production process we were able to see firsthand, is a ZUTTO exclusive design.

We've featured the necklace before, but this time a new pair of earrings joins the lineup. 

The octagon-cut stone is the same 7mm size as the necklace.

We made them as American-style hook earrings that sway gently beside the ear. 

There are three types of stone.

Smoky Quartz

The translucent grey has a mature, sophisticated feel and finishes with a calm, composed atmosphere.

Wear it stylishly paired with a white shirt.

Since it's a color that blends easily with the skin, even those who don't normally wear jewelry can put it on effortlessly, without any sense of unfamiliarity.

Pink Opal

A pale pink that blends beautifully with the skin—a very easy color to wear.

It lacks transparency, and often has striped or lace-like patterns running through it, giving it rich, varied expressions.

Yellow Agate

With its clear, beautiful translucent color, just putting it on seems like it could lift your mood.

A color that suits both casual and more refined looks.

Since it's a single earring style, have fun thinking about what to pair with it for the other ear. Simple pieces like pearl or single-diamond stud earrings are easy to combine. 

HONEY PIERCE

The popular Honey Pierce.

As the name suggests, these earrings look almost good enough to eat, with a rich, thick honey-like color. Their calm, muted tone makes them perfect for grown women as well. Since the raw stone known as citrine is used just as it is, each piece varies slightly in size and color. 

ネックレス and Necklace

This design was made possible by the skill of adhering stones together. It's a two-tone necklace combining clear quartz crystal with beautifully colored agate (meno).

After joining the stones together, they are cut and polished as one piece to finish. Rather than a simple U-shaped necklace, the chain narrows to a single strand partway down in a Y-shape, lending it a stylish touch unlike other pieces. 

LAPUTA NECKLACE（Laputa Necklace）

This necklace deliberately avoids over-polishing, instead focusing on the natural beauty of the stone's crystalline structure. The stone used, called fluorite, comes in an especially wide range of colors, with a gradation that spreads freely across shades centered on green and purple. 

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When I visited the TO LABO workshop this time and saw raw natural stones and their manufacturing process that I had never seen before, I truly felt the fascination of stones. Some stones were so transparent and clear that I wondered, "Did this really form naturally?", while others were such perfectly clean cubes that they seemed almost artificially cut. It made me realize just how profound and deep this world truly is.

It's sometimes said that stones hold something within them, or possess a mysterious power, and I felt as though I had caught a glimpse of the vast power of nature that gives rise to such beliefs. 

▼Go to the full list of TO LABO（Trabo）jewelry