Customers Virtually ‘Try On’ Tacori Jewelry at Bloomingdales

There was fun and excitement on the third floor of the Bloomingdales flagship store in New York City this past weekend where customers had a chance to “virtually” try on jewelry from the Tacori 18k925 Collection.

In front of a video screen mounted with a webcam, customers were able to wrap a paper cutout of a piece of jewelry, such as ring, select which jewelry item from the new Tacori collection they would like to see by touching the screen and then holding the cutout to the webcam. On the screen the ring, or other jewelry, would appear as if they are actually trying it on.

The “Try It On” experience, known as augmented reality, was provided by Holition, a U.K.-based technology company that specializes in 3D and augmented reality solutions. The use of this type of technology isn’t brand new, but it has been very active during the past year. Earlier this year, Holition launched a Tissot 3D interactive touch screen window display experience at Selfridges department store in London.

“Shoppers today are busy, and sometimes don’t have the time or inclination to wait at a jewelry counter for a sales person to help them try on the below the counter items they desire,” said Paul Tacorian, SVP of sales and marketing, TACORI. “Our virtual ‘Try It On’ experience allows clients the fun and instant gratification of trying on beautiful gems, and customizing their style to quickly find what Tacori 18k925 design they like best.”

You can virtually try on the new Tacori 18k925 on a personal computer if you have a webcam by following this link.

Boucheron Allows People to Virtually Try On Jewelry at Home

French luxury jeweler Boucheron has created a way for people to virtually try on the company's collection of jewelry and watches from their home computer.

The tool works in real time via the Web, in this case the Boucheron Web site, and in selected stores through augmented reality application. Augmented reality is an engaging way of combining live video with computer-generated data and visualizations.

The application was created by a London-based company called Holition. Savvy Jewelry News Network readers may remember this company through interactive window displays they created for Tissot and De Beers.

With a Webcam and a printer, users can go to the Boucheron Web site, print a page that has a seemingly generic image (“symbol”) of a watch and ring, put them on their wrist and finger and show it onto the Webcam. On the computer screen the paper is transformed into a piece of Boucheron jewelry. It’s as if the person is looking at a mirror and wearing the luxury product. The augmented reality experience allows Boucheron’s customers around the world to virtually try on more than 20 different watches and rings from Boucheron’s collections, including the Chameleon and Quatre rings, set with sapphires, diamonds and other precious gems.

The augmented reality application integrates with social media through a “sharing” capability that allows potential customers to take a picture of them virtually wearing the jewelry and watches and then share it with family and friends via social networking sites.

Below is the demonstration video.

Tatler Readers to Virtually ‘Try On’ Million Dollar Rings

The British magazine of glamorous lives and lifestyles, Tatler, is bringing augmented reality to its pages. Starting Thursday, those who have purchased the magazine’s September issue will be able to virtually “try on” rings worth millions of dollars.

Augmented reality is an engaging way of combining live video with computer-generated data, visualizations and sound for a live direct or an indirect view of a physical, real-world environment. The magazine will release the details of how to use this technology with its website tomorrow, but let me explain how it will most likely work.

The September issue of Tatler (to be released Thursday) will contain a page with a seemingly generic image of a ring. Just cut out the image and place it on your finger. Then you need a computer and a webcam. Go to the Tatler website, find the “Try Me” page. Following the directions, place the paper ring on your finger in from of the webcam and an image of an actual will appear on the computer screen. It will be as if you are looking in the mirror trying on the actual ring. There will most likely be screen prompts that will allow you to try on different rings.

And what an assortment of rings you’ll be able to virtually wear. International jewelry brands featured in this AR-enhance piece of editorial are Boodles, Cartier, Chanel Fine Jewelry, Chopard, De Beers, Fabergé, Graff, Harry Winston, Louis Vuitton, Mikimoto, Tiffany and Van Cleef & Arpels.

The AR is being provided by Holition, a U.K.-based company that provides 3D augmented reality solutions and specializes with luxury providers. It’s a name that regular readers of Jewelry News Network will no doubt recognize as it has graced these electronic pages through its projects with De Beers, Tissot, Tacori and Boucheron.

Tatler, which claims its roots to 1709, calls itself the oldest magazine in the world.

“What excites me is that we have brought together the oldest magazine in the world with an industry steeped in heritage and tradition—and combined the two to create a digital innovation,” said Jessica Walsh, Tatler’s jewelry editor. “Digital technologies are changing the way in which people interact with both media and brands and I am excited to be contributing to this shift.”

De Beers Marks Diamond Jewelry Craftsmanship with 3D Window Displays

De Beers Diamond Jewellers is celebrating 120 years of craftsmanship with an exhibition in Tokyo using new 3D technology.


The exhibition is in the form of window displays at Isetan, the world-famous department store. The 3D film is shown on Alioscopy screens in the store windows, giving consumers an insider view of De Beers diamond jewelry through multimedia displays. The exhibition will run through July 21.
 

The stereoscopic 3D film captures the beauty and sparkle of De Beers jewelry shown in a continuous loop of visual artistry. The 3D film is shown on a customized screen that does not require viewers to wear special glasses and allows the finest details of the jewelry to be seen.

The technology is first for Japan and the jewelry world, according to the two London-based companies that created the visual display: Holition, which creates advanced 3D technology applications for retail and Pointy Stick Films, a newly formed 3D production company.

Holition previously made the virtual pages of the Jewelry News Network with a Tissot window display in London that allowed consumers virtually try on watches.

Window Display Allows Consumers to Virtually Wear Watches

If you were in London in late May hopefully you were able to pass Selfridges department store on Oxford Street and participate in the outside window display that allowed you to virtually try on a number of watches from the Tissot T-Touch collection before walking into the store.

The touch-screen interactive interface is known as “augmented reality application.” It was created by a London-based company called Holition. The screen allowed potential customers to virtually try on and interact with a number of different watch styles, colors and sizes—as if they were actually wearing a T-Touch collection watch. The virtual watch is brought to life with what the company calls “real time light reflecting technology.” A person using the system was given a paper wristband that, when shown to the camera on the Holition system, allows them to view an image of themselves on a computer LCD screen in the window wearing the chosen watch. The person can experience the different designs of the watch by twisting his wrist.

You should be seeing more of this technology as the company is working with several luxury jewelry and other high end fashion houses.
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If you missed the live promotion, below is a video demonstration of the technology.

Tissot’s Interactive Window Display at Harrods

Those of you who read this website regularly know that Swiss watchmaker Tissot has been using augmented reality displays to market its products at department stores and online. This time, the famous Harrods department store in London gets the interactive treatment.

The company is showcasing its Ladies and T-Touch collection in one of Harrods window displays on Brompton Road as part of the store’s new promotion celebrating all things Swiss. The window display allow consumers to virtually “try on” watches by placing a paper band around their wrist and showing it to the interactive display screen on the window. The fully interactive touch screen allows these potential customers to engage with a wider range of Tissot watches than in the past.

The augmented reality display, which began April 1, is live and fully interactive on weekends between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. The display will be in place till April 24.

As part of the promotion, customers have the opportunity to win a Tissot Jungfraubahn watch and a holiday to Jungfraujoch to witness the mountain panorama in Switzerland.

The display is provided by London-based Holition, which specializes in 3D and augmented reality applications online, in-stores and at live events for luxury retailers and brands.