The task
There was no brief. aruz started with a hex nut: during my apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic, I milled out the thread of large nuts until they fit a finger, then shaped the outside until I liked the look. I wanted to work in silver, so I taught myself goldsmithing. Today aruz is a registered business making rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and earrings to order.
Idea & approach
I wanted a name with German heritage, so I read through an Old German dictionary and wrote down every word that caught my eye. aruz means ore, the raw material every piece starts from. It runs from A to Z, it's short, and few people know it. The wordmark is set in FF DIN, for its double-storey a and because it stands for German precision and industry, the world I come from. The seal gives it a sense of value, and a deep blue, long tied to nobility, feels strong and calm at once.
Process
To make pieces reproducible, I taught myself 3D modelling, rendering and printing. Every piece starts as a CAD model in Shapr3D, so I can scale it to any size. It's then 3D-printed, sand-cast, finished by hand in my workshop in the Eifel and packed in a jewellery box I built myself. Lost-wax casting is next on my list.
Result & learning
aruz has no website or social channels yet. It's a label for me and for friends who want a piece designed with them. Being my own client was the hardest part: complete freedom is wonderful, but at first it's overwhelming, because no one pushes back. That freedom is also what got me hooked on brand building. It's why I started studying design and spent my free time learning about shop design, conversion, pricing and how to grow a brand.
