金属食器

Metal tableware

Blue, green, orange... When entering SUSgallery located in Jingu-mae, Tokyo, you’ll be mesmerized by colorful reflections from the metal cups. Pick one up and gaze into it. Mysterious blue lights caused by complex refractions shimmer before your eyes. This marvelous effect is like the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra) of Capri in southern Italy.

These insulated cups are made of double-walled titanium enclosing a thin vacuum layer, so the temperature of the beverage — no matter whether it’s hot or cold — doesn’t reach your hand. What’s more, neither exterior temperature nor hand heat is easily transferred inside the cup, so cold beverage doesn’t warm up while hot beverage doesn’t turn cold.

These wonderful, practical cups are created in a factory called Seven Seven in Tsubame, Niigata, which is noted for its expertise in metal processing and manufacturing. In the factory, well-worn machinery tended by skilled artisans shows fine old craftsmanship at work. The texture of the cups resembles traditional oven-fired ceramics created by special metal processing methods, capturing a feeling of old Japan. Only expert polishing techniques “forged” and perfected over decades of metalworking can create the breathtaking glow of the mysterious lights. It leaves viewers worldwide simply speechless.

Shoko Tsurumoto is the managing/creative director of SUSgallery brand and one of its founders. She sensed the significance of this concept while at the height of her career as a collaborator in contemporary arts, mainly in New York and Tokyo. Now, she comments about her dream: “Since modern times are filled with mass production, it’s crucial to create inspiring products that awaken people’s desire to give exceptional gifts on memorable occasions. We want to nurture SUSgallery as a sustainable global brand through such products.”