Seongsu ring workshop for a birthday leaf silver ring: Robenta Seongsu

Today is another round of our Seongsu things-to-do series, this time hunting for a one-day class in Seongsu. It was my companion's birthday and I wanted to do something special, so I was searching for Seongsu date ideas and places worth visiting in Seoul, and I found Robenta Seongsu (반지공방 로벤타 성수). I went right away, so here's my honest review!

How do you find the entrance to Robenta Seongsu?

Robenta Seongsu is a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Seongsu Station, on the 3rd floor of a building. The building has two entrances and I got confused at first and went in through this one, but it's often the back door, so you need to find the other entrance.

The real entrance has a Robenta standing sign. It's on the 3rd floor, so just walk up the stairs.

Once you get to the 3rd floor, you'll see Robenta Seongsu right away.

Inside Robenta Seongsu and choosing a design

At the entrance of Robenta Seongsu, various ring designs and packaging are on display.

A price list with VAT and stones included made it easy

Before starting, you're guided to a table where you choose your ring design.

The prices and designs are laid out transparently. VAT and stones are all included, so you don't have to calculate anything yourself, which is really convenient. There are lots of samples, from simple designs to sculptural, unique ones, so I spent quite a while just browsing.

+) We chose Robenta in the first place because we loved the variety of designs and the transparent pricing. And when we actually visited, it was great that all those reviews and visitor reviews didn't let us down.

Free lettering engraving event

When we visited, Robenta Seongsu was running an event offering free lettering engraving for writing a Naver receipt review. You have to include 3 photos and the designated keywords (Seongsu ring workshop, Seoul ring workshop, Robenta).

Can you pick up a Robenta Seongsu ring the same day?

Robenta Seongsu is usually set up for same-day pickup, so once you've chosen a design you fill in this form. They say they'll contact you while you're eating or hanging out in Seongsu, and if waiting is hard, you can apparently get it by delivery too, so there's no need to worry about missing the pickup time.

The ring-making table and storing your things

The ring-making tables at Robenta Seongsu are laid out with all kinds of tools.

Every table has a bag holder.

With hangers at the entrance and a bag holder at each table, you won't be stressed about where to put things in coat season or when you're carrying a lot. I liked little details like this.

The gloves are in the middle drawer

The work gloves at Robenta Seongsu are in the middle drawer of the table. We couldn't find them and worked without gloves until partway through, so they're right here, and I hope you don't have to go through this funny episode...

How the leaf-design silver ring is made

The ring stand is where you rest the ring while you work on it. It was my first time at a ring workshop and I had no idea how to use it, but it turns out you just place the ring on it and work.

We settled on the leaf design, and this ring is size 16. We only work on the part marked with a felt-tip pen; the design sits above that, so they said it's best not to touch it if possible.

Flat file

The flat file is the most basic file, used to push the sides flat and even. They carefully explained that you should push in one long, loooong stroke rather than in short bursts, so even as a first-timer I could follow along easily.

Half-round file

The half-round file is used to make smooth curved surfaces.

Sanding

You use sandpaper to smooth away the rough spots. Once you finish this, the hand-shaping part is done.

Polishing with the handpiece machine

The last step is polishing with a handpiece machine that you run by pressing a pedal.

It generates heat, so they said that if you put it down somewhere or press on the ring, the shape can get slightly deformed. It was kind of amazing to watch the shine come up after rubbing it on the machine a few times.

Choosing your ring packaging 2 hours later

At Robenta Seongsu, you come back about 2 hours after the class to pick your ring packaging. You can choose a fancy case and bag however you like.

+) Making the ring took about 1 hour, and after wandering around some nearby pop-ups and having a meal, Robenta called us. The finishing work seems to take roughly 2 hours.

We left having had a really great experience.

We picked a green case and a white bag, and maybe because it's a silver ring, it goes really well with the green case.

The leaf-design ring: stone and material

The stone set in the Robenta Seongsu leaf-design ring is moissanite. I first thought the stone was a bead, but they said it's moissanite. It's said to be second only to diamond in durability, so I'd worry less about it getting damaged like a bead.

And when I looked inside the ring, it says Ag925. It's sterling silver, which holds its shape well, so it seems great for wearing every day.