SAPPHIRESKATES 2023 UPDATE: B-Stock Sale of RUBY, Restock Schedule, and Product Development

SAPPHIRESKATES 2023 UPDATE: B-Stock Sale of RUBY, Restock Schedule, and Product Development

  1. B-Stock Sale of RUBY SAPPHIRESKATES
  2. Restock Schedule
  3. Product Development

We started this company about a year ago and launched the first sapphire crystal mouse feet. People loved the idea, and we've even had some difficulties staying in-stock (which is not a bad problem to have). I am excited to share some updates for 2023 in regards to our product availability and plans for the near-future! 

B-STOCK SALE OF RUBY SAPPHIRESKATES

  • Time of availability: Friday 1/27/23 at 4:20PM Pacific

I have some good news for those looking to either buy a second set of Ruby or if maybe you're new to the brand and want to cop a set at a significant discount. We are doing a sale of B-Stock units which have minor cosmetic defects but 100% of the performance as our standard products.

The reason behind this is that we have a strict QC procedure, and it's gotten stricter over time. We don't do injection molding since you can't do that with single-crystal sapphire, so the manufacturing process is much more time-consuming and challenging compared to other materials.

The result is that we QC away A LOT of pieces. Many of these pieces are excellent, but with some small defect (for example, a small chip only visible from the bottom of the skate). So basically, we created sets that are the best among the large quantities of pieces that didn't pass for cosmetic-only reasons.

This way, we reduce waste and give people an opportunity to buy at a discount.

RESTOCK SCHEDULE FOR 2023

As you may have seen from our website banner, we have been in "slow-mode" lately in terms of product availability. We've been spending more time on product development, as well as putting together B-stock sets as mentioned above. However, we get a lot of inquiries about when we will be back in stock. Sorry in advance if you've been waiting. 

Our aim is to pretty much get our main products back-in-stock in about a month and a half from now. I have noted in a previous email that we are going to do less colors in a single production run since it yields better results. The main products which will be continuing into 2023 are: Ruby Sapphireskates, Clear Sapphireskates Type 2, and Flexskates (Moissanite). Some production runs we plan on doing different colors as well, so stay tuned on that.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

I have been doing a lot of testing and have also learned to grind and polish sapphire myself. For the past 8 months, Ken, our factory, and I have been trying to figure out how to take Sapphireskates to the next level.

First, I will say that our standard Sapphireskates aren't going to be changing. A lot of people really like our original shape and it has the benefit of gliding smoothly past any debris.

What we have been working on is a 'SAPPHIRESKATES v2' with similar benefits to the original but an improved surface quality for lower friction through a special planar polishing process. I expect that it will take more than twice the amount of time to produce this, so the plan is to sell it as a premium set for $99. We don't have an ETA yet on this model.

I know that it's going to be good because I have been making them myself. Starting about 6 months ago, I have converted 2 turntables into gemstone grinding and polishing machines (combined with some lapidary gear such as diamond wheels). It is quite difficult to achieve good surface quality without any visible dents and scratches but I can do it consistently now, it just takes a very long time. 

These processes are inspired by the way that silicon wafers are polished, as well as the field of metallography (the study of materials). It's definitely possible to apply these concepts yourself, and I may write a guide on how to do it in the future.

The problem of course is that there's no way for me to scale this process without the aid of our factory. Currently, it takes 24-48 hours of somewhat active work to get the result I am looking for. On good batches, this can yield up to 2 sets.

I shipped a set of skates that I produced to the Head of Operations at our factory. They were quite impressed by it, saying that it had an incredibly low-friction surface without the aid of any surface coatings or lubrication. (I was patting myself on the back for getting the approval from a gemstone factory). We are now currently working to figure out the best way to produce these on a larger scale. 

Many of our customers are super open-minded about trying new things, even taking a chance on something with hardly any info available on the internet. Some of the extra-keen ones have found a place on our website called the "Secret Shop" which I created as a place to try new ideas like this. 

You can check it out by clicking the hidden button on any of our product pages (next to the last color selector icon), and if you are so inclined, you can purchase a set of Match-Grade Sapphireskates which I have planar polished myself.

-philzgoodman  

 

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