Groh Ripp - The Magazine

extends from thin cover
glasses used in microscopy
to accessories for watches
and movements and on to
complex large-scale objects
such as sculptures, plinths
for statues and cases for
large clocks.
In the technical department
objects are realised whose
use is only evident at second
glance: these are purely
components. The dials or
case rings made from materials
such as turquoise, lapis
lazuli, coral, opal, malachite,
onyx, mother of pearl,
meteorite, hawk's eye, jasper
and synthetic sapphire
represent just a part of the
whole. Their elegance is only
truly unfolded when they
are processed further. When
the dial sits beneath a gently
domed sapphire crystal in a
metal case, when the hands,
powered by a quietly ticking
movement, move across
the fascinating material in
composed elegance, then a
completely different side to
the beauty of the gemstones
is revealed.
Achieving the
high technical
requirements is
often difficult,
because each
040 GROH + RIPP
material places its own demands
with regard to how it
is worked. The thinner the
stone is cut, the more intricate
the processing required
and the more fragile the
finished product will be. In
addition, different hardness
of the stones, irregularities
such as cracks or natural
inclusions always represent
new challenges for the company.
Step by step,
complex
plans are
transformed
into the
most precise
products at
Groh + Ripp.
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This is why Bernd Willi Ripp
and his daughter Sandra,
who together manage the
technology department at
Groh + Ripp, are always
looking to expand opportunities
for processing gemstones.
They are in constant
search of solutions in order
to realise projects that were
previously thought inconceivable.
This is why a great
deal has been invested in
computer-assisted production,
which comprises,
amongst other activities, annular
sawing, surface grinding
and milling machines.
This machinery enables the
creation of highly-complex
pieces with tolerances in the
range of 1/100 mm, in some
cases even µ. The equipment
used in the final inspection
is also state of the art. Every
development on the market
4.+5.+6. The highest standard of precision
in all production processes
is monitored — and where
practical, the corresponding
equipment is acquired.
The result is an impressive
machinery park in which
mighty apparatus is used
to create the most intricate
objects, to the most precise
specifications. Here, for example,
we can see how a
special saw is used to saw a
large block of lapis into extremely
thin discs. Through
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