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Experience is the foundation of all art and all knowledge.

ARISTOTELES

Von allen Welten, die der Mensch erschaffen hat, ist die der BĂŒcher die Gewaltigste.

HEINRICH HEINE

Oft vergessen wir, dass das Material auch der edelsten Sache aus der Natur stammt.

OTTO BAUMGARTNER-AMSTAD

That feeling of holding something timeless in your hands. That’s what we work for.

‹CONRAD MATTHEY

Small anchors in the great river of time

Craftsmanship. For C. Matthey, this is not just a word, but one of the ideals that drive us: to create products by hand that embody our passion for masterful quality and carefully selected materials. Products that stay with us for a long time and bring us joy. And we believe this can only be achieved if the manufacturing process itself is a craft, if every step is carried out with the utmost care. The result is traditionally crafted companions for life – small anchors in the great river of time.

We specialise in several product ranges. Our range includes diaries, address books and notebooks, photo albums and guest books, as well as desk accessories such as pen pots and pen holders, document trays and desk pads.

Experience craftsmanship

In our workshop, we create hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind pieces from the most exclusive materials, which are not suitable for automated production lines. We use traditional tools and techniques, and this requires one thing above all else: a great deal of experience.

Tools

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Tools

Cutting, creasing, stapling, piercing 
 Crafting distinctive products entirely by hand requires a great deal of finesse and the right selection of specialised tools. Take, for example, creasing bones made from cow bone, which leave no marks whatsoever when creating a crease in the paper. Or a leather-cutting knife tailored to your own posture, with which leather can be cut so thinly that ordinary paper seems thick by comparison. Not to mention all the specialised spindles, presses and brushes 


Thread stitching

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Thread stitching

Once the paper has been folded and trimmed, the sheets can be bound together to form the book block. To do this, a triple-twisted linen thread is pulled by hand through the centre of the sheet around the edges – the book block is, so to speak, ‘sewn’ together. The thread must be kept at the ideal tension to ensure the sheets are bound evenly. It is subsequently visible inside the spine.

The hand-sewn stitching is one of the main reasons for the durability and stability of our books. Furthermore, this binding ensures that the book can be opened very flat.

Sharpening

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Sharpening

The cowhide leather we use is between 1.1 and 1.5 millimetres thick. However, in order to be able to fold over and stitch the outer edges of the leather more effectively, they need to be thinned down further – a process known as ‘sharpening’ the leather. To do this, the folded edges are roughly thinned using a leather-thinning machine, and the curves and corners are finished by hand using a traditional thinning knife. This is an extremely delicate and difficult task that requires a great deal of experience and can only be successfully carried out if the craftsman’s personal knife has precisely the individual curve that enables him to apply the correct pressure at the right angle.

The very best quality, right from the start

Our products are characterised by their exceptional durability. That is why we use only selected materials of the highest quality. A single sheet of our handmade deckle-edged paper is worth as much as all the material used in an industrially manufactured guest book. Our leathers are produced exclusively in Italy – except, of course, for the Oasen goat leather used in the Gold guest book. This leather comes from Africa. Environmental and social standards are simply a matter of course for us. We are convinced that no product can become something special if the origin of the materials used is not beyond doubt. That is why, throughout our supply chain, we rely on European partners who operate in a verifiably sustainable manner.

Paper

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Paper

For our products, we use selected high-quality papers that are resistant to ageing and durable. Should it - for our products, we use selected high-quality papers that are age-resistant and durable. However, if you’re looking for something truly special, we opt for – as is the case with our photo guest books, for example – Handmade paper with a handmade edge and a watermark.

Genuine handmade paper, produced using a round-screen machine, has an unmistakably smooth surface texture, carefully selected ingredients and a long lifespan. Added to this are the paper’s distinctive, slight waviness and the characteristic irregular edges of each individual sheet. aus­gesuchte Bestand­teile und eine hohe Lang­lebigkeit. Hinzu kommen die mar­kante, leichte Wellung des Papiers und der cha­rak­ter­is­tische un­regelmĂ€ĂŸige Rand jedes einzelnen Blattes. Auch des­wegen er­fordert es bei der Ver­arbeitung große Hin­gabe und kann nur in Hand­arbeit zu einem Buch ge­formt werden.

Leather

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Leather

Leder ist nicht ohne Grund unser Werk­stoff Nummer eins. Leder ist kost­bar, eines der Ă€ltes­ten, halt­barsten und Àsthetischsten Ma­terialien, es atmet, duftet und ver­Ă€ndert mit der Zeit sanft seine Struk­tur. FĂŒr unsere Pro­dukte ver­wenden wir pflanz­lich und mi­neralisch ge­gerbte HĂ€ute von deutschen und öster­reichischen Rindern, die in Italien be­arbeitet wurden â€“ dem Land mit den höchsten Qua­litĂ€ts- und Um­welt­standards fĂŒr Ger­bereien in ganz Europa. Dabei gilt stets: Unsere Pro­dukte möchten ge­nutzt und ge­braucht werden. Vor allem unsere Taschen sollen das Be­dĂŒrfnis nach einem treuen Be­gleiter stillen und nach Lebendig­keit aus­sehen. Des­wegen ver­wenden wir fĂŒr sie ein offen­poriges, leicht ge­fettetes Leder, das typische Falten und Haut­strukturen auf­weisen kann. Und eine Patina ent­wickelt, die ein kleines Doku­ment ihres All­tags wird. Auf Zier­nĂ€hte ver­zichten wir voll­stĂ€ndig. Durch die zu­sĂ€tzlichen Ein­stiche wĂŒrde das Leder schneller aus­trocknen und hĂ€tte des­wegen eine ge­ringere Halt­barkeit.

Every piece is a masterpiece

Each of our products is handcrafted especially for you. Our range extends from elegant photo albums, guest books, address books and notebooks to desk accessories such as bowls, pen holders and desk pads. Each one is a masterpiece of craftsmanship – and made to ensure you will continue to enjoy it for many years to come.

We develop high-quality, durable products with clean lines and balanced proportions.

Contact

Please feel free to get in touch with us directly!

info@c-matthey.de

Imprint

Data controller

C. Matthey

Inh.: Conrad Matthey

Emsstraße 15 – 17

48291 Telgte

Germany

Regulatory authority: MĂŒnster District Office

USt-IdNr.: DE450198052

Managing Director

Conrad Matthey

Concept & Design

Programming

Photography

Image credits

Foto-GÀstebuch Paul © Franz Hulet

Notizbuch © Lucija Ros

unsplash.com

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