history

The roots of Ito Jewelry date back to 1939, when Yasugoro Irikura, the grandfather of the third-generation president and CEO Soichi Ito, founded his company in Asakusa, Tokyo. Irikura operated as an artisan making hand-made accessories such as obi sash clips and ornamental hairpins. After World War II, he moved his workshop to Warabi City, Saitama Prefecture and was quick to introduce the casting method.* At that time, Japan’s jewelry industry was in its infancy, with wholesale businesses starting up in the neighborhoods of Misujicho and Torigoe in Taito City, Tokyo and jewelry production gaining momentum in Warabi City, Saitama Prefecture. In 1974, second-generation president Kazuo Ito founded the current Ito Jewelry based in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture. The company has continued to grow while providing wholesale services to retailers.

＊ In Japan, the jewelry casting method started after the mid-Showa era. This method involves a silver or resin prototype being made by hand. This prototype is then placed between silicone rubber before being pressurized and heated. The hardened silicone rubber is cut open, the prototype is taken out and wax is poured in. The solidified product from this process is called a “wax pattern,” while the accumulated product is called a “wax tree”. The wax tree is fixed to a metal tube, hardened with plaster, and fired in an electric furnace. Shapes are formed by pouring molten metal into the cavity of the wax, which has been melted by the high temperature.