Great Ideas
Runde Ringe — self-cut wedding rings
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Opening Times
Appointment by arrangement.
Address
Runde Ringe
Thalkirchner Straße 14
80337 Munich-Isarvorstadt
.How to get there
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Yellow gold, rosé gold, white gold, or platinum- what makes the perfect wedding ring? Inlaid with gems or smooth? Polished, matte, ice matte, or a hammered technique? Undertaking a trip to the jeweller can be a mammoth task for some. The selection is huge, the variants innumerable. And yet it can still be a challenge finding the perfect ring to symbolise a binding love.
If only you could cut your own wedding ring! Hammer and rasp in hand, pounding, sanding, welding, watching your personal dream ring take shape. To play goldsmith for a day- the Runde Ringe workshop lets you do just that. In their combined store and workshop, Maria Haake and Michael Meinecke have been offering wedding band cutting courses since the start of the year, helping their customers create one-of-a-kind pairs for life.
The first time I strolled by Runde Ringe’s display window on Thalkirchner Straße, I knew I wanted to get a closer look. And so one rainy afternoon I entered the cute storefront in Isarvorstadt full with the joy of anticipation. Michael was just filing a piece of precious metal in the rear workshop, preparing for the next course.
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The constant puttering about in the background, the sounds of metal and tools, and the two goldsmiths’ charismatic vibes filled the bright room to the ceiling with a feel-good atmosphere. Alongside rings they have everything from chains and pendants to bracelets and earrings, each remarkable piece of jewellery lovingly placed in display cases or under filigree glass covers. You can also commission individual productions.
"‘We don’t want a cookie-cutter ring!’ We hear that sentence from our customers so often during consultations." Maria tells me that it’s the experience with the ring, the creation process, and the handicraft that make the self-cut symbol for the bond of matrimony something special and unique.
Many customers come as a pair and take the course together. During a personal meeting Maria and Michael let them know what forms and materials are available, advise on surface design and workmanship techniques, and let them choose the ring type that will be designed on the day of the course from a handpicked selection.
I would love to stay here and sit on the work bench. I can picture everything in detail already. I can hear the muffled pounding of hammer on gold. I can see the glowing metal in the flames of the welder and fine gold dust swirling through the air around the filer. It must be an incredibly wonderful feeling to create this life-long ring. So much commitment and work are a part of it. And so much personality.
No prior knowledge is necessary. At the end of the course, specialised workshops in München take over any engraving and bind any stones. "In that case we keep the rings after the class and send them to be engraved or bound. Some customers think we then perfect their rings by hand ourselves," Maria laughs, "but of course we wouldn’t do that!" The self-cut rings are already perfect. Perfectly round and perfectly individual. And if you don’t want any engraving or stones, you can take the rings home right away.
Just to be sure, I take a look at the device that makes the rings so meticulously round, but in truth I’m already persuaded- by the idea, by the two goldsmiths’ handiwork, and most certainly by the rings.
