Kerv Contactless Payment Smart Ring Funded On Kickstarter

By Chris Benham, co-founder and director of Inspired Jewellery Ltd., and Angelka Vegar, marketing coordinator of Inspired Jewellery Ltd.

The world’s first contactless payment ring has been funded through Kickstarter, achieving 43 percent more than its goal, with more than 2,000 backers. The backers pledged 110,182 British pounds ($158,000) to help bring this project to life.

The ring is called Kerv, and although there are other smart rings on the market, Kerv is the first ring that allows you to make a payment simply by swiping your hand over a contactless payment terminal. We spoke to one of Kerv’s founders, Philip Campbell.

Campbell and the team behind Kerv have backgrounds in the payments, digital, creative and electrical engineering industries. 

“We worked on a number of innovative projects in the FinTech sector, but we felt that they weren’t fulfilling their potential, and neither did the other products in the market. We felt we could do it better. Our goal was to make a piece of wearable technology that was desirable and looked more like a fashion item than a piece of technology. Nobody wants to wear ugly jewelry. It’s as simple as that.”

The ring comes in seven colors. Its design was developed by creative director, Dean Leybourn. “Dean and I have worked together for over 15 years, and he's a significant influence on the overall concept.”

And it would seem that people do want to wear it, with such a positive response from more than 2,000 backers pledging their money to get their hands (or fingers) on Kerv. It shows that there is demand for this wearable technology.

Kerv is being marketed to those who are young and active, whose minds are on which mountain to climb next or which gig to attend on Friday. Not concerned with the details, they just want to do it, be there and jump right in.

Currently in the production phase, it will be interesting to follow the journey of this new product concept—a wearable that aims to blend a good-looking aesthetic with useful technology. Executed well, it will provide many opportunities for the company, including opportunities to partner with banks, sports and lifestyle brands looking for clever ways to capture the younger, ‘less is more’ audience. You only need to look at the success of minimalist wallets from the likes of Bellroy, echoing the sentiment of millennials whose daily grind is to ditch the excess.

Campbell points out another group of consumers who have showed positive interest in Kerv. “One of the best responses we have received is from people that lack dexterity in their hands, be it the elderly or some disabled users. We are currently working with some disabled users and groups to help refine the product for this group as it could provide significant benefits. We are very keen to see if we can help support this audience”.

Initial plans were to sell Kerv directly online but the firm is now actively exploring the potential to sell via retail partners, specifically jewelry retailers. “This offers a great opportunity for users to see, touch and try the ring which we have seen leads to a very positive impression.”

There’s no doubt that smart rings are on the rise, only last week the OURA Ring was unveiled at CES 2016. But OURA serves a different function — it assesses your body and sleep patterns to help you live a balanced, healthy life. The NFC Ring (also funded through Kickstarter) unlocks doors and smartphones, and Ringly, the ring that most looks like a traditional piece of jewelry, allows you to receive notifications from apps on your smartphone. Kerv claims to be the first ring to allow contactless payments.

When released to the general public, Kerv will retail for 49.99 British pounds ($71).

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Etienne Perret’s Gem Ceramic Ring With Color Enhanced Natural Diamonds

Etienne Perret has carved a very successful niche for himself creating bridal and fashion jewelry using traditional and new materials. He specializes in color enhanced natural diamonds, 18k gold, platinum and Gem Ceramic. The results are first-rate designs that are affordable.

I find that some of his most interesting work is with his contemporary looking gem ceramic pieces. Perret was fascinated with this material for more than 20 years but its durability made it difficult to work with. The solution was to use diamond-cutting tools.

There’s a lot of variety in the designs in terms of shapes, colors and complimentary materials. The ring pictured is further adorned with round color enhanced natural diamonds.

Etienne Perret jewels are available at specialty retailers throughout the country and even in Amsterdam. Follow this link to the locations.

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Etienne Perret Demonstrates the Durability of his Ceramic Jewelry

White ceramic ring with colored diamonds

I first wrote about Etienne Perret’s ceramic jewelry in November during the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

At the recently concluded AGTA GemFair Tucson, his gem ceramic jewelry lines were on full display and doing quite well, according to Etienne and his son, Michael, whom I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time. This time Etienne brought a couple ways of demonstrating the durability and strength of his gem-ceramic jewelry. Below is a video of his demonstration.

Etienne Perret and His Ceramic Jewelry

Jewelry designer Etienne Perret has been enamored with ceramic for about 20 years. But creating fine jewelry out of the extremely hard material has been difficult nut to crack. The solution was to use diamond cutting tools.

The Camden, Maine-based artist introduced his new line of rings and bracelets made from gem ceramic, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, held November 11-14 in Philadelphia.

The ceramic jewelry can be created in several colors—although white, black and pink seemed to be dominant colors at the show. The ceramic is paired with more traditional jewelry materials, such as precious metals, diamonds and pearls. And he can create custom pieces. With the high-cost of gold, Perret said his ability to work with the material may have come at opportune time.

“I had no idea when I started this that gold was going to end up at $1,400 an ounce, so the timing seems right because you can make a ring or bracelet with some volume and still keep the price affordable,” he said.

Photographs of his ceramic pieces can be found here.

Below is a video of Perret at the craft show explaining his work with ceramic and showing pieces from his collection.