How ‘Kin is redefining demi-fine jewellery with 9-carat gold

In its ongoing quest to expand and elevate its offerings, the brand recently introduced its newest collection of contemporary 9-carat jewellery adorned with a variety of striking gemstones. And whilst it may seem ordinary on the surface, this particular collection marks a pioneering shift not only for ‘Kin but also for the local jewellery scene as a whole.
 
So, what makes this collection special? We’ll leave it to the ‘Kin duo to tell you all about it themselves in an exclusive interview below.

Tell us more about this collection and the inspiration behind it.

When we first started our brand, everything was either golden, silver or rose gold, so we thought that the next step was to add colour to our pieces. We considered various options—from enamel to beads—but nothing really felt like it resonated with our brand, until we finally decided on using precious gemstones, and we sourced them from different parts of the world. And because we wanted to allow our customers to experiment with colours themselves, every piece from this collection can be personalised with custom gemstones.

It’s not often that we see 9-carat gold jewellery on the market, what made you go down the low-karat route?

We’ve been in the market for five years now, focusing mainly on sterling silver with gold vermeil and rhodium plating. We have always wanted to include rings in our collections, but then the pandemic happened, and it made us rethink how we wanted to get our rings into the market. The issues we had with Covid were things like contamination, sanitising and hand washing. Wearing rings would be inconvenient, and their colours will fade quickly.
 
So, we started researching for the best material we could use. Higher carat gold like 24 and 22 usually come in bars, they’re also very yellow and too soft to be durable. Then there are 18-carat and 14-carat gold jewellery, which are highly sought-after, and that’s not the market we are trying to compete with. For us, we want to offer stylish, affordable jewellery that is of good quality. Therefore, we looked to 9-carat gold jewellery, and whilst they have always been around, they are always nestled in the corner of stores that nobody really pays attention to, and we realised that it was an opportunity.

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Most consumers would typically prefer the standard 18-carat when it comes to gold, what’s your take on why people should consider 9-carat instead?

It’s a lot cheaper than any other carat, so it’s a big difference in terms of price. We want to make quality jewellery that modern, working women can afford to buy for themselves, and 9-carat jewellery is not something you have to save up for months to be able to purchase. We are thinking of those who work and want to treat themselves, and this collection offers a way for these people to do that.

As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Or in other words, it takes time to create great things, and this collection was certainly not completed overnight. In fact, the rings alone took three long years to develop. What was the process like, and what were some challenges you encountered in bringing this collection to perfection?

When it comes to gemstones in the form of beads, it’s quite hard to find in Malaysia. So, you need to look elsewhere, and we went to bargain stores in Thailand, and we went to Italy to find the right look—it wasn’t easy. There is also the cost of everything, as well as the many rounds of trials and errors, which were definitely the challenges of making this collection. Over the last two and a half years, we have spent a lot of time to sample and create different designs. We started by working with Malaysian artisans, and we worked with different suppliers in Thailand and Hong Kong. We were one of the first to craft jewellery with 9-carat gold in a modern way. We want to be pioneers in some styles, in some categories, so the 9-carat move sits perfectly in that space, and it took a long time to finally bring this collection to life.

Considering these pieces are made with quality materials and precious gemstones, they require proper care to ensure they last for a lifetime. What are some of the important steps to take to preserve the jewellery?

For pieces with beaded gemstones, especially because they are strung together, it’s best to be extra careful when wearing them, like you would with any other beaded jewellery. In terms of maintenance, just give them a rinse every now and then to ensure they stay clean. They don’t require much care, really, because 9-carat gold is very durable.
 
All things considered, if our customers encounter any problems with our jewellery, they can return the pieces to us at any time to get them fixed or cleaned. Ultimately, our pieces are specially designed to be kept and cherished for a lifetime, perhaps even passed down as heirlooms, so we encourage our customers to reach out to us should they ever need to repair any damages.

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