JNA Awards 2012 Jewellery Industry Best Practices

57 JNA AWARDS 2012 In 1995, the company pioneered the use of laser-welding technology in Hong Kong and was the first to apply this to the jewellery industry. In the same year, it introduced wax-setting technology, resulting in a five-fold boost in productivity and making NJA the leader in wax setting reverse mould baguette technology. These manufacturing innovations won it the 1996 Hong Kong Awards for Industry – HKPC Productivity Award from the Hong Kong Productivity Council, a feat it repeated in 2001. NJA made the first of its breakthrough manufacturing innovations in 1998, with the Nelson Set Invisible Setting. This rimless mounting technology gives the illusion that the stones are floating. Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department gave NJA a grant to assist in worldwide patent applications for the technology. “While some refinements have granted us a competitive edge, such as the Nelson Set Invisible Setting patented in 1998, other innovations, including the use of laser technology in wax setting and welding, have subsequently been adopted and is widely used by the trade at large,” Ho noted. “These continuous advancements in design, product presentation and production have all served to identify NJA as a leader in the industry in embracing innovation and technology to improve the business.” Innovative pursuits The turn of the millennium saw NJA pull out all the stops in jewellery design and retail. In 2000, the company obtained the trademark for its exclusive Tempting Heart Collection. Four years later, it created and patented a new diamond shape, the Calla Cut, which it markets successfully in the US. Eliminating the bow-tie effect that is common in fancy cut diamonds, the Calla Cut is more brilliant than a traditional marquise and has more fire than a princess cut. And then in 2006, NJA launched the Nelson Signature Bridal brand for the US market. Not content to rest on its laurels, NJA refined its Invisible Setting technology in 2008 to produce the Invincible Setting. Aside from cutting production lead time from five weeks down to three weeks, this technology uses precision calculations and highly- automated setting processes to lock stones firmly within the karat gold or the platinum frame. Quick to adapt to changes in the global marketplace, the company diversified its business to focus more on Asia after the US credit crunch of late 2008 dampened prospects from the West. Growing jewellery consumption in China prompted it to embark on retail operations in Mainland China in 2009. The Group now has at least 20 retail shops across China. International OEM orders still constitute the bulk of NJA’s business, but the company intends to push its own branded merchandise and steer more orders towards its Invincible Setting. Nelson Ho, managing director of Nelson Jewellery Arts Co Ltd Nelson Jewellery Arts Co Ltd is one of Hong Kong’s most successful jewellery manufacturers Jewellery pieces by Nelson Jewellery