A Cut Above the Rest
Since 1991, Hong Kong jeweller Charmings Trading Co Ltd has been putting its heart and soul into crafting spectacular jewellery pieces, as well as helping its clients to expand and prosper.
Charmings Trading has a long history of working with Hong Kong and overseas jewellery chain stores on both OEM and ODM orders. Whether the designs come from its clients or from its in-house creative talents, the firm’s jewellery items are made exclusively with 18K gold or platinum and embellished with top-quality diamonds, gemstones or pearls. “We focus solely on making medium- to high-priced jewellery products,” says the firm’s general manager, Amie Lam.
A specialisation in creating high-end jewellery is not a rarity among Hong Kong jewellers, but what Lam is referring to is something that only a handful of jewellers are capable of. “Some of the jewellery pieces we make are for buyers to sell to auction houses, which will eventually be in the hands of connoisseurs,” says Lam. “If it takes a month to create a jewellery product for the mass consumer market, it takes six times longer to make one that is to be sold to auction houses. We’ve been crafting such jewellery since 2010.”
Willing to invest
Headquartered in Hong Kong, Charmings Trading’s top-class jewellery is crafted in its 8,000-square-metre factory in Shunde on the Chinese mainland. The factory employs about 500 employees, including highly skilled craftsmen, and is equipped with imported, state-of-the-art manufacturing and testing tools including equipment for mould-making, laser-engraving, and testing of gold and diamonds.
Lam emphasises the importance of having diamond-testing equipment right in the factory. “Since we only use natural and top-grade diamonds in our jewellery, we have to be able to cross check the authenticity and quality of the diamonds ourselves before we use them, as well as during and after the production process,” she says. “Having our own testing equipment also allows us to issue authenticity and grading reports, which give clients confidence in our products and peace of mind.”
In addition to hardware, Charmings Trading also invests heavily in human resources. Unlike some jewellers that have laid off designers during economic downturns to save on operating costs, Charmings Trading has kept all of its designers on the payroll, as it firmly believes that brilliant minds can help to turn out new product designs, which are vital not only in retaining existing clients but for attracting new ones as well. Currently, the firm launches as many as 200 new items every season, 60 to 80 of which are showpieces.
Accommodating clients’ needs
Last year, the stagnant global economy created disappointment for the jewellery industry. To help its clients weather the downturn, Charmings Trading managed to produce jewellery — through clever designs and excellent craftsmanship — that looked as sparkling and alluring as ever while using less precious metals and fewer and smaller gemstones to suit clients’ shrunken budgets. Understanding that wedding jewellery is a necessity in both good times and bad, Charmings Trading also offered more engagement and wedding rings for its clients to choose from.
As for the firm’s plans for 2017 and the years ahead, Lam and her team are working hard so that the firm can continue to expand, improve on its craftsmanship, gain more new clients and maintain close relationships with existing ones. “Whether it is meeting production schedules, accommodating their needs, providing accurate and detailed product information, or prompt and quality delivery, we are committed to providing even better customer service to our clients,” says Lam.