Locking on to the promising business of light-weight gold jewellery, LE Concepts Ltd is determined to push the boundary of karat-gold hollow jewellery by exploring more product varieties and market opportunities with confidence.
Young and dynamic, LE Concepts was established by Edwin Lo and his elder brother in 2017 in Hong Kong back by their substantial experience in the trade for nearly 35 years.
To get a bigger look for less money is the key attribute of hollow jewellery. Hand-crafted hollow jewellery has a long history. Tube chains, bangles and hoop earrings made from coiled thin precious metal sheets are among the commonly seen hollow pieces. With the introduction of advanced manufacturing technologies to jewellery making, automated machinery has been employed to meet the stringent requirements for jewellery with better quality and sophisticated designs. According to Edwin Lo, Italy and Turkey have unrivaled reputations for their avant-garde technology in machine-made hollow jewellery.
“Machines from Italy can achieve the world’s finest and most intricate gold hollow chains as delicate as 0.02 mm in width. Even the exceptionally complicated styles can be fully made by automated machine. The technological level of Turkey comes right after Italy, though its design styles are not for everyone,” Lo said.
LE Concepts commissions its jewellery manufacturing to their partners in mainland China, according to Lo. “Machines from the Mainland are about one-third the cost of their Italian counterparts. At the same time, they are less advanced than the state-of-the-art Italian equipment by some 70 percent. Nevertheless, they can still achieve satisfactory results that are well-accepted by our buyers in the States and Europe,” he said.
Although competitions in hollow jewellery are not as keen as those in cast jewellery, Edwin Lo has been on a constant quest for new styles and applications of hollow jewellery in a bid to stay ahead of the trend. “By enriching hollow jewellery with cast jewellery parts, we have succeeded in setting new standards for hollow pieces. It adds values to the jewellery aesthetically and intrinsically. This is our niche specialty,” he added. A simple hoop earring, for instance, becomes a stylish ear piece when accented by a delicate gem-set ear stud done by casting. The combination can realise a huge variety of forms and styles.
LE Concepts has also envisaged the huge market potential of machine-made lightweight lockets in Europe and Australia. Lo said that there are no more than 10 companies in Hong Kong engaging in lightweight locket manufacturing due to its complication. “Making lightweight lockets is subject to an immense investment. The intricate production process involves eight to 12 steel moulds for a single design. Hand-soldering to join different parts together makes the whole process even more demanding,” Lo explained.
Oval-shaped and heart-shaped lockets are the all-time bestsellers for LE Concepts. Besides classic and vintage designs, the company also gives its lockets a modern twist by launching gem-set or faceted varieties in silver or gold for a younger clientele. One design normally comes with several sizes to suit different needs.
Based on the steady client base, LE Concepts reaches out to new business opportunities through taking part in three jewellery exhibitions a year, namely Vicenzaoro January in Italy, the March and September fairs in Hong Kong. “The Vicenza show this year was terrific. We exhibited with the Hong Kong Pavilion organised by the Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association (HKJJA) where we attracted a lot of attention from buyers who came for innovative designs thanks to our distinctive hollow jewellery which stood out from the crowd. We wish to stay at the same pavilion next January,” Lo said.
For the key market, the United States, Lo has planned to participate in JCK Las Vegas in 2020 when they have a stronger product assortment. Among the potential markets for his hollow pieces, Lo is confident in the Middle East. “When we were working for other companies, we exhibited at the shows in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain where hollow jewellery went very well. We believe our designs would work there,” he said. (Photo courtesy: LE Concepts Ltd)
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