About Us
THE WORKBENCH
OBJECTS BUILT TO LAST LONGER THAN THE TREND
The process
Each object begins as a flat blank of sterling silver or a rough-cut block of highland hardwood. No casting, no molds. The silver is annealed in heat, brushed by hand with a steel tool, and brought to a matte finish measured between Ra 0.8 and 1.6 microns.
The wood and metal are joined without adhesive, held by friction and the precision of the cut alone. This is the same structural logic used in Ming dynasty furniture joinery. If the fit is wrong by a fraction of a millimeter, the piece comes apart.
The wood and metal are joined without adhesive, held by friction and the precision of the cut alone. This is the same structural logic used in Ming dynasty furniture joinery. If the fit is wrong by a fraction of a millimeter, the piece comes apart.
MATERIAL
We use 925 sterling silver and highland hardwood sourced from above 1,500 meters elevation. At that altitude, trees grow slowly — annual rings under 2mm wide — producing a density and stability that lowland timber does not reach. These are not aesthetic choices. They are structural ones.
Built to Age
No Shortcuts
Estovio started at a single workbench. The first objects were desk trays — a flat piece of highland walnut with a silver inlay, joined by pressure fit. The goal was not decoration. It was a surface that felt different from every other surface in the room.
Every piece still goes through the same sequence: annealing, brushing, fitting, testing. The tools are sharpened more often when working highland wood because the density demands it. That extra step is not mentioned anywhere on the product page. It is just part of the process.
Every piece still goes through the same sequence: annealing, brushing, fitting, testing. The tools are sharpened more often when working highland wood because the density demands it. That extra step is not mentioned anywhere on the product page. It is just part of the process.
The objects are not designed to look new forever. The silver develops oxidation in its recessed lines over months of contact with skin and air. The wood deepens as it absorbs the oils from your hand. These are not flaws to be corrected — they are the record of actual use.
What you receive is the starting point. The surface on the day it arrives is the lightest version of what it will become. Given time and daily contact, the material finishes itself in a way no factory process can replicate or predict.
What you receive is the starting point. The surface on the day it arrives is the lightest version of what it will become. Given time and daily contact, the material finishes itself in a way no factory process can replicate or predict.