The Josef Ruefelli line – “A Passion for Precision” – takes its inspiration from one of the two Swiss immigrant brothers who started Colonial Bronze in 1927.
Josef, shown here, was particularly obsessed with precision. His toolbox, which we still have, contains drafting tools, calipers, micrometers, and other gauges that attest to his dedication to precision manufacturing. And, given the fact that Josef came from the canton in Switzerland just over the border from Lake Como in Italy, his zeal for precision was heavily influenced by Italian design.
As a result of the combined influences of Swiss precision and Italian design, the Josef Ruefelli line is rectilinear, with meticulously machined geometric patterns. Through the use of computer-assisted design and manufacturing software, each almost jewel-like pattern and shape is exactingly engraved into the surface of the hardware using diamond-tipped tools, some of which are as small as 0.005” in diameter.
