Beautiful forms created by a recorder maker

and the wild luster of pearl shells

 

New objets d'art have arrived, showcasing the exquisite craftsmanship of Mr. Hoshika, a recorder maker well-known for his specimen stands for COLLECTIBLE PEARL.
This feature will introduce the process leading to the creation of these stand trays.

 

I wanted special display trays.

The impetus for creating these stand trays was the desire for distinctive trays to display jewelry at exhibitions.

I wanted something special that couldn't be found anywhere else, much like the specimen stands Mr. Hoshika custom-makes for COLLECTIBLE PEARL.
As I gazed at an Akoya shell growth specimen displayed in the office, I thought, "If I'm going to make something, why not make something unique to a pearl shop, something interesting that embodies sCenes?" That's when an image flashed into my mind.

 

Designing

The image that came to mind was a stand tray gleaming with the unique interference colors of a pearl shell. There aren't many stand trays with pearl shell dishes, and since the shells themselves are beautiful, I thought they would make good objets d'art even just for display.

I tried placing an Akoya shell on Mr. Hoshika's specimen stand, but I decided it was too small for a tray and lacked the thickness to be flattened on the back.

So, I experimented with white butterfly shells and black-lipped pearl oysters, and decided to create a prototype using black-lipped pearl oysters, which offered a good balance in size.

I immediately created a design image and went to Mr. Hoshika's place with the black-lipped pearl oysters.

From left: Akoya shell, black-lipped pearl oyster, white butterfly shell. The nacre's interference colors are beautiful. The stands are specimen samples.

Visiting Kiyoto Hoshika

Mr. Hoshika closed his workshop, where he had been active for many years. Now, at his home, he only operates his lathe when there is a request for special recorder parts that only he can make, and he also seems to enjoy making sake cups for his favorite drinks as a hobby.
When I heard he was closing his workshop, I was in a panic, fearing the discontinuation of the specimen stands. However, he agreed to continue accepting orders at a slower pace, much to my relief.

His trusty large lathe, which had been his partner through the earthquake and was continuously repaired and used, was too big to use at home, so he seemed a bit sad. Yet, he was satisfied with the feel of his new lathe, saying that experience is what truly matters.

Based on the design image I provided, we discussed and refined ideas with Mr. Hoshika's suggestions, aiming for a stand that was simple yet detailed, much like the specimen stands. We went through several prototypes.

The resulting stand has a design that looks like an inverted COLLECTIBLE PEARL stand.
With edges placed throughout, the beautiful curves extending from the corners, a hallmark of handcrafted work, are truly magnificent, and the fine groove details are just right.
It's a warm stand, clearly made with careful attention to the wood, a warmth that mass-produced turned goods cannot replicate.

Mr. Hoshika's new lathe. It's quite large for home use, but it seems it can also be used to make long recorders.

Tools used for cutting are self-made by sharpening blades to match the design. This skew was crafted for the stand.

Wood for recorders is dried in a well-ventilated area.

Finishing the black-lipped pearl oyster

We tried several patterns for finishing the black-lipped pearl oyster to match the stand.
When commercializing pearl shells, the edges are brittle, so they are cut round to prevent flaking and hand injuries.
However, shells with rounded edges felt somewhat unnatural and incongruous when paired with the stand. Therefore, we removed only the brittle parts and processed them to a certain degree of smoothness.

For the back, instead of exposing the nacre, we felt that a more natural state would look better when combined with wood. So, we only scraped off surface deposits and brittle parts. For protecting cracks, instead of varnish which gives an unnatural shine, we used a non-glossy polymer to finish the surface.

I believe that the natural, unadorned beauty of the shell enhances Mr. Hoshika's exquisite stand, and vice versa.

The left is the final specification. The middle one has rounded edges and a varnish finish. The right one, where the periostracum was scraped off to expose the nacre, is beautiful, but it was deemed unsuitable for this purpose.

Using a rotary tool to sand down the brittle edges, leaving a natural finish. Shell processing is done at sCenes.

Left is the raw shell, right is after cutting. Next, the adhesive surface for the stand is flattened, and polymer is applied.

Completion

This time, the stand tray comes with two color options for the stand part.
The wood used is "maple," the same as for the specimen stands and recorders. There are two types: natural with a non-oil finish, and dark brown painted and finished with linseed oil.
*Boxwood was not used this time because our stock of material ran out.

Each shell has its own unique characteristics in terms of size, interference color display, and the appearance of its reverse side.
Please refer to the images for details.

A primitive and unique stand tray, characteristic of sCenes, has been born.
All items are one-of-a-kind, and there will only be four available initially.

Sales start on August 27, 2023, at 8 PM