Kinetacube Ring Box - Fourth Limited Edition - Titan: Apollo

Note: pictured engagement ring is not included in purchase. 

About this Limited Edition:

Expanding on our collaboration with Titan Ring Designs which produced the Fourth Limited Edition: Titan box, our Apollo box intersects our obsessions with meticulous hardware and history of spaceflight.

We originally connected with Titan Ring Designs in 2019 based on our shared love for mechanical art. Titan Ring Designs specializes in the creation of fine mechanical jewelry with titanium machining as their chosen medium. When it came time to explore the application of our ring box design to new materials, Titan was a natural, values-aligned fit. They've since managed to apply their obsessive attention to detail to this product and the result is truly exquisite.

As long as we can remember, we've been fascinated by spaceflight. As children, we named our pets after Apollo astronauts. As adults, we designed spacecraft for NASA while working at SpaceX. The diverse materials and features used to manufacture hardware for the harsh environment of space have their own unique beauty which few get to touch and enjoy. With this product, we wanted to bring that stark beauty into people's hands.

Using LE4 Titan's titanium construction as a mechanical foundation, we've added a number of features to connect this Edition to an era of spaceflight which we're particularly passionate about: the Apollo program.

First, on box's exterior surface, we've laser engraved a contour map of the moon's surface. This map shows the area centered longitudinally around the moon's equator and spans the three predominantly square faces of the box, oriented upright when box is opened. The curves were processed off of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Scans with three levels spanning from min to max altitude. The surface which is oriented towards the user when presenting the box corresponds to the Earth-facing surface of the moon. On that face, all six landing locations from the Apollo program surface missions are discretely numbered. You'll notice that 13 is missing. 

Second, on the interior surface, we've lightened the solid titanium walls of the box with an isogrid pattern. This particular arrangement of triangular pockets is used to reduce the mass of structural panels while minimizing impacts on their structural integrity, and is commonly used in the construction of modern spacecraft.

Third, inside the box, we've wrapped the ring's protective pillow in original Beta Cloth from the Apollo program. This is the same fireproof textile developed following the Apollo 1 pad fire which was used to cover astronaut spacesuits, including the A7-L EVA suits that walked on the moon. To this day Beta Cloth is used widely in the space industry. We accomplished this construction by securing an Apollo-era insulating blanket that was sold at a space memorabilia auction in 2000, most likely originally used in ground support equipment. This blanket was carefully deconstructed and the exterior fabric was retrieved. Soiled after use and a half century of storage, we developed a process for cleaning the fabric back to its original white character, and were able to run it through our existing pillow assembly process. Two layers of Beta Cloth are used in the wrapping of each pillow to get the correct weight and wrinkling, and our grey foam was replaced with white material to minimize contrast. For quantitative verification of the fabric's authenticity, we confirmed that the mass per square yard matched the material originally developed for the Apollo program. Having also handled the modern version of this fabric while working at SpaceX, we can personally verify its similarity in feel and appearance. After all this processing, we were only able to make seven complete inserts which ultimately limited the size of this run. 

Like previous runs, all purchases include complementary laser engraving of a custom message. These messages are placed discretely on a panel edge where they're visible while the box is open but concealed when closed. 

Each box in this limited run of 5 pieces is laser-marked with its individual number, assembly date, design iteration, and design version. These markings are positioned such that they aren't visible to the ring's recipient when the box is presented. Customized engravings will be placed in the same location on an adjacent panel to ensure that your personalized message is the only text that the recipient may see when the ring is revealed. 

Piece numbers within the run will be issued to customers in the order of purchase.

About the Ring Box:

In the DoF ring box's patented Kinetacube design, six faces of a cube are formed by the links of a mobius kaleidocycle mechanism. With each face mapped to an individual link, the entirety of the box transforms during the opening process, revealing its contents in one fluid motion. Its single degree of freedom movement results in motion which is fluid, satisfying, and will continue to mesmerize even years after introduction.

Inside of the ring box's machined aluminum mechanism, a velvet-wrapped foam insert is installed to carry the box's contents. While closing, the insert's segmented design is wrapped around the ring, holding it securely in place. When opened, the foam insert flattens while continuing to grip safely onto the ring.

To permit opening of the ring box's mechanism, the back has a curved opening which is covered by its velvet-wrapped insert while closed. The pointed ends of three curved panels act as feet which allow the box to sit on its end.