Hong Kong sees a 3D revolution in jewelry making

Designer Elaine Shiu had never thought of opening a jewelry business until she worked as an interpreter at an international jewelry conference in Hong Kong. After a year, she decided to quit her job to start her own company. She was the CEO of Shanshu Jewelry, which focuses on selling jewelry made from precious corals, from 2010-2015. Ejj Jewellery is Elaine Shiu’s second company, started with two others. Her partners are responsible for business development and marketing, while Elaine’s focus is on researching designs and creating new products. She searched for new material and focused on application of digitization. In 2017, Ejj launched jewelry products created with a 3D printer, becoming the first brand in Hong Kong to utilize this new technology in jewelry making. It took her a year of study, research and experimenting before the creation of the first product. The company started with the aim of conquering the Hong Kong and China markets. To compete with individual designers, as well as top jewelry corporations, Elaine Shiu opted for product diversification. A special feature of Ejj is that the shine of Italian silver jewelry depends not on the gemstones, but on the cutting technique. A bracelet made with the 3D printer has a unique color and design. Before the product is loaded into a specialized printer, it is designed entirely through digital graphic applications like Autodesk Fusion 360, SketchUp and Rhinoceros. This allows Elaine to fine-tune every detail, control the parameter as well as the size of the… [Read full story]