Business Innovator

Keeping the sparkle

Nicole Slater speaks to Elaine Shiu, executive director of Ejj Jewellery on powering through the pandemic

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Elaine Shiu has always been business savvy, starting her first business, trading red coral for luxury jewellery, during her second year of university. Shiu’s parents and professors didn’t believe she could handle the pressure of owning a business and keeping up with her studies, but she proved them wrong in 2017 after being nominated as coral expert.

Upon graduating Shiu decided to establish her own brand, Ejj Jewellery, noticing a gap in the market for affordable fashion jewellery. “I decided to fill that gap and design my own jewellery with high quality pieces without a huge price tag,” she says. Taking inspiration from fashion blogger and entrepreneur, Chiara Ferragni, Shiu wanted to empower women with her elegant but wearable designs.

Ejj Jewellery went on to become the first Hong Kong based jewellery brand to 3D-print products, collaborating Forbidden City on a unique collection in 2019. The collection received both a MUSE Design Award and an A’ Design Award earlier this year.

There is a saying in Chinese which translates to ‘crisis creates opportunities’

While 2020 started on a high for Shiu, the ongoing pandemic has been hard for the startup business. “There is a saying in Chinese which translates to ‘crisis creates opportunities’ and I feel that there are still opportunities out there, I just needed to adjust my business plan,” she says. By improving Ejj Jewellery’s online platform over the past few months, Shui has been able to connect with customers virtually and showcase her designs online. Shui believes that business owners should always be prepared for the best and worst situations in order to keep up with changing times.

You can find Elaine’s award-winning designs online at ejjonline.com