Editor’s Note
As the companion animal population grows, so too does the market for memorializing them. This article details how Boram Group is expanding its biometric jewelry business to serve pet owners, establishing a dedicated new venture to meet this demand.
With the companion animal population reaching 15 million, Boram Group has expanded its business beyond human biometric jewelry ‘Via Gem’ to include pet biometric jewelry ‘Petsvia’. The company is managing this as a separate business area, having established dedicated manufacturing facilities for pet biometric jewelry alongside its existing Via Gem production lines.
Boram Group’s biometric jewelry manufacturing subsidiary, Via Life Science, is captivating Asian pet owners with ‘Petsvia’ and advancing into overseas markets. According to Boram Group, Via Life Science participated in the ‘2024 Premium Pet Products Exhibition’ held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in May, receiving significant positive feedback from local buyers and visitors.
‘Petsvia’ is a unique pet gemstone created by extracting biometric elements from a pet’s fur, claws, or cremated remains and synthesizing them with sapphire. At the exhibition, Petsvia garnered attention for its differentiated technology and originality compared to conventional memorial stones.
Via Life Science set up an exclusive promotional booth at the exhibition to conduct consultations with buyers and visitors about the pet-specific jewelry ‘Petsvia’, and received on-site orders. Through this exhibition, Boram Group confirmed the potential of the pet biometric jewelry business and opened a ‘Biometric Jewelry Promotion Center’ at the Hong Kong Science Park, often called Hong Kong’s Silicon Valley. This move aims to explore entry not only into Asian markets but also into the European market.
In March, the company participated by invitation in the ‘2024 Shenzhen International Pet Products Exhibition’, a globally significant pet industry event, offering a new experience to China’s 70 million pet owners.
A Via Life Science official stated, “Customers in China and Hong Kong showed great interest in our products, which create pet biometric jewelry using proprietary technology in large-scale, advanced facilities. Building on what we presented at the recent two exhibitions, we will thoroughly prepare to advance beyond targeting the Asian region and into the global market.”
The biometric jewelry business of Boram Group began with an idea from Chairman Choi Chul-hong. The technology involves extracting biometric elements from human or pet hair, fur, nails, or cremated remains and synthesizing them with artificial sapphire. It was born after over a decade of R&D starting in 2007 and has now expanded to include various products, including the pet biometric jewelry ‘Petsvia’.