Ring-making date with English guide for foreign boyfriend: Robenta

My boyfriend was visiting Korea again after a while, and I wanted a date in Seongsu that wasn't just food or a café, so this time we made rings together!! I heard this was the most famous ring workshop in Seongsu, so we headed there 🙂↕️

I went to a silver ring workshop with friends before, where you hammered a raw silver stick into shape yourself, but at Robenta the main method was finishing a ring that already had the design built in. Not what I expected, but honestly it turned out even better 🫶

Cutting to the chase — I loved the finished piece so much. Like, wait, did I actually make this?? Haha, so let me just brag with a photo first before I say anything else. Pretty, right?!?!

Finished silver couple rings made at Robenta Seongsu — Finished couple rings from ring workshop Robenta in Seongsu

Finding Robenta Seongsu — the entrance is a bit confusing

The building has two entrances, so head toward the real estate office side! Not the BALBAL Vintage side, but the one closer to the main road. We went to the vintage shop first, but luckily there was a sign pointing us the right way~!~!

Exterior of the Yeonmujang 13-gil building housing Robenta Seongsu

Floor sign for the ring workshop at the building entrance

Entrance leading up to Robenta Seongsu on the 3rd floor

Robenta was on the 3rd floor~ The building looked a bit old from outside, but inside felt quite different from that first impression.

Interior view of the Robenta Seongsu workshop

Work table with electric tools and a workboard

Ring-making seat with a phone stand for filming

Overall it was clean and had quite a few seats, but the tables didn't feel too cramped together. Every seat had electric tools and a workboard, plus a phone stand for photos or video. Great for filming the two of us making rings haha.

What are the design options and prices like

As soon as we walked in, we checked out the design samples, and there were way more than I expected! The last place I went had a pretty limited selection, but here they had a lot of trendy designs, which I loved! We could try on everything from simple bands to ones with cubic stones and compare, and prices varied by design. The bottom-right designs were totally my style 🤍✨ I included photos of the price list and all the designs. Size 20 and up, and lettering engraving, were each an extra ₩10,000.

Display of ring design samples at Robenta Seongsu

Ring design sample featuring a cubic stone

Price list showing prices for each ring design

An English guide if you're with a non-Korean speaker

My boyfriend usually likes plain, simple designs, while I prefer something with a bit of a point. We agreed to pick something in a similar vein, and S said the design I picked looked hard to make, which actually made it more fun, so we went with it together haha.

They also had a separate English design selection guide. It covered everything from measuring your size to design, finishing method, and engraving, so we could both understand easily. Being there with my foreign boyfriend, I really appreciated that level of detail 🫶

English-language ring design selection guide — Robenta's English design selection guide for foreign visitors

How does the ring-making process go

Once you pick your design, you move to the work table! We put on aprons and gloves, took some photos, and staff brought over a sample of our chosen design and walked us through the process step by step~

Filing down rough edges
Smoothing the surface with sandpaper
Refining inside and out with an electric handpiece
Polishing

That's the process, and at each step staff checked in to guide us on what needed more or less work.

Filing a ring while wearing an apron and gloves

Files and sandpaper tools used for ring making

First we used two kinds of files to smooth the surface and edges, then went over it once more with 400-grit sandpaper for a smoother finish.

After that we used the electric handpiece — we also used sanding equipment marked 320 like in the photo, and smoothed the surface once more with a rubber-like tool.

It takes way more effort than you'd think, haha. We were both trying so hard to make our rings as smooth as possible that mine ended up too thin — sad but also funny haha. Even that thinned-out ring was rescued beautifully in the end 🥹🤍

Smoothing the inside of a ring with an electric handpiece

Surface condition of a silver ring mid-work

My boyfriend was next to me, totally focused, and the concentration face was hilarious haha. So cute haha. Staff kept checking on our progress throughout and re-explained the method when needed. It wasn't really a make-it-completely-alone-from-start-to-finish setup — more like we did a lot of the hands-on shaping ourselves, and staff brought up the final finish quality at the end.

I worked with the size I'd measured at first, but right before finishing I tried it on and it felt tighter than expected ^ㅡㅜ In the end, staff resized it and finished it up for me.

How does same-day pickup work

After we finished working, we left our rings with them. From this point, staff handle the final finishing and contact you when it's ready! I got a call around 5:30 saying it was ready for pickup, and went back around 6. The location is great for killing time in between — checking out pop-up stores or wandering cafés — so waiting around wasn't a hassle at all.

Staff performing the final finishing work in the workshop — Robenta's workspace where staff do the final finishing

And the moment I picked it up — oh my gosh, wait, did I actually make this?? Thank you so much!!! That's basically what came out of my mouth haha. Compared to when we finished our part, the surface was so much cleaner and shinier — I was so happy 🤍 It genuinely looked great, and the case and packaging box were also so lovely.

Ring case and packaging box from Robenta

Haha, and my ring had this cubic stone set in so nicely that once finished, it felt even more like my style 🫶 I think it'll be great for everyday wear haha.

Hand wearing the finished cubic-point silver ring — The finished cubic-point silver ring from Robenta Seongsu

Look at this, the packaging is so pretty!!! Great for photos once you're done, and it honestly felt like receiving a gift.

Who is this good for

Anyone in Seongsu looking for a date that's more than just eating and going to cafés~! Especially good for an anniversary haha. From picking the design to actually making it side by side, it was such a unique and fun experience~~

And even though you do the hands-on work yourself, staff finish it off perfectly at the end, so it suits people who want the memory of making it themselves but also want a polished final product! Getting the finished ring back the same day was such a nice touch too.

Things to know before you go

You don't get your rings back the moment the hands-on session ends. In our case, we needed resizing and my ring needed extra care since it got a bit thin, so it took about an hour and a half 🥲 (We were told it'd be under two hours, so it wasn't a surprise haha.) The wait was a great chance to check out pop-up stores or grab a coffee nearby~

Oh, but if you're expecting to do every single step yourself from scratch — like melting silver or hammering a raw stick into shape — this might be a bit different from what you imagine! Here, it's more about finishing a ring that already has a design, with staff bringing up the final polish. That said, it honestly ends up feeling like you're wearing a properly purchased ring ✨

Both rings worn together on two fingers — Both rings are mine

For two silver rings plus the hands-on experience, I think ₩200,000-something is worth it. But would I do it again right away? Probably not for a while, since our rings turned out so nice haha. Still, doing this once for an anniversary is so satisfying — you keep the finished piece and the memory of making it together 🫶☺️