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OtherApr 29, 2016
Galatea takes ‘smart’ pearl to Kickstarter
The company is using a crowdfunding platform to make its Momento line of “smart” pearl jewelry available to the public.
The campaign is on crowdfunding site Kickstarter, and aims to raise $50,000 by March 29 to manufacture the jewelry as well as add new designs and line extensions to the collection this year.
As of press time, the campaign had raised just under $5,000 nearly a week after its launch.
Kickstarter is one of the most well-known platforms for crowdfunding--raising money for a project through a large group of people, usually on the Internet--and includes providing “backer” rewards to provide an impetus for donation.
Galatea is offering a select amount of freshwater and Tahitian Momento pearl jewelry for backers: $95 for a freshwater pearl pendant in sterling silver, and $125 for the same with a Tahitian pearl.
The Kickstarter campaign also is offering options in 14-karat gold for backers who give more than $350 to the campaign, including a pearl pendant in 14-karat white gold with a 0.03-carat diamond for $750.
RELATED CONTENT: Galatea makes pearl jewelry personal
The “Momento” pearl collection uses near field communication (NFC) technology, embedding a chip into the gemstones to allow users to create a tailored voice message that will play when the pearl is tapped against a compatible mobile device. The pearl also can store digital content like images, messages and videos. NFC refers to the communication that takes place between smartphones, tablets and other devices when in close proximity to one another.
“This is where the future of jewelry begins,” Galatea founder Chi Huynh said. “A person can ‘live’ in this pearl forever, as it holds the voice and memories of a loved one.”
So far, the Momento technology is only available for Android users. Though the Apple iPhone 6 is NFC-capable, the company has not yet released the code to allow developers to create the app for the iPhone.
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