Totwoo: Smart Jewelry Brand
Totwoo is a jewelry brand that specializes in smart jewelry. Like Bucardo we covered earlier, this is a brand that aims to bring a sense of classicality to smart wearables. The brand’s mantra is “jewelry first, then wearables” — which is reflected in many of their products.
Founders of Totwoo
The brand was launched in Milan in 2015 as a collaboration between Jieming Wang and Marco Dal Maso. Jieming Wang (also known as Mats Wang) is an award-winning Chinese entrepreneur. Prior to founding Totwoo, Wang was the president of VIVA – a digital publishing platform based in China. Co-founder Marco Dal Maso is an Italian jewelry designer who came from a long line of artisans. A traveler by nature, Marco Dal Maso creates his jewelry design based on the inspiration he got from his travels. Marco is also the founder of his own namesake jewelry brand MARCO DAL MASO.
Totwoo’s first jewelry collection was We Bloom – a collection of crystal pendant necklaces designed by Marco. We’ll talk more about this product in the next section. Ever since its launch in 2015, the brand has been adding new products to its collection each year.
Totwoo Smart Jewelry
As I mentioned earlier, Totwoo releases new products each year. So you’re getting more and more new and exciting products to choose from — presumably equipped with better technology and improved battery life. However, Totwoo doesn’t really phase out older products. For example, its pioneering product line We Bloom that was launched in 2015 is still available for sale in its official store today. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing because We Bloom pendants are perhaps the best-looking smart necklaces I have ever seen. But the product options can be very confusing to the consumers.
As of now, the product collections available in their global store are Lucky, Memory, Andy, We Bold, We Bloom, Morse Code, Lollipop, Meteor Garden. Their functionalities vary from one collection to another and I will try to summarize them below. They have also recently announced an apple-shaped ornament that is supposed to be some sort of security device for the ladies, but that is not available through their global store yet.
Totwoo specializes in two types of jewelry – smart bracelets and smart necklaces. For most of their jewelry collections, you’ll find both types of jewelry in them.
Totwoo Product Collections
We Bloom
The first smart jewelry collection Totwoo launched back in 2015 in Milan. The collection consists of both pendant necklaces and bracelets. Designed by Marco Dal Maso, The series is said to be inspired by the Baroque era.
The floral theme is inescapable but welcomed. When you look at a We Bloom design, the first thing you’ll notice is the eight drop-shaped Swarovski crystals on the body of the ornament. The crystals are arranged in a way that represents a flower in full bloom. The arrangement is inlaid on a flower-shaped panel that has an opening in the center that looks like a flower. At the very center of the design, within the inner flower, is a small heart shape. At about an inch wide, We Bloom is definitely an intricate piece of jewelry that captures attention.
For the pendants, a ninth crystal inlaid in the bail and it comes with a chain. For the bracelet, the ornament is attached to a metal bangle.
Underneath the crystals and flowers comes the smart aspect of the jewelry — the Totwoo Smart Core that powers all its features. The features supported by the necklaces and bracelets are the same, and they are remote sensing, color-changing, step counter, selfie remote, incoming call alert, and reminders.
Remote sensing. One of the main selling points of Totwoo jewelry is connecting people, especially lovers who are in a long-distance relationship. After pairing, the devices can be used to send little love nudges by tapping on the ornament. On the receiving end, the ornament vibrates and blinks — which is a pretty cool way to stay connected even without calls and messages.
Step counter. The smart ornament functions as a pedometer that keeps track of the number of steps you have taken.
Selfie remote. Take selfies remotely. The ornament is connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth so the range is pretty wide. You can take photos of yourself from various vantage points that aren’t possible without a remote.
Incoming call alert. The ornament vibrates and blinks when there’s a phone call coming in. This is pretty useful when you’re in a crowded or noisy environment.
Reminders. You can also set custom reminders in the Totwoo app. When the reminder is due, your pendant or bracelet will notify you by blinking and vibrating.
Charging. This is not a feature per se. But the jewelry charges itself in a delicate jewelry box that doubles as a portable mirror. And this feels like a nice touch.
We Bold
We Bold came after the We Bloom series. Featuring a bolder and more rugged design, the series is designed for men in mind, but it definitely looks great on women too. The front of the ornament is an unassumingly stainless steel dome. For the pendant, there’s an agate stone inlaid in the bail on the front and a love shape in the back — which is a thoughtful design for long-distance couples who wants to feel connected with their partner but don’t want to flaunt their relationship in everyone’s face. For the bracelet which doesn’t have a bail, the love shape is found on the interior of the clasp instead.
Another thing I appreciate is the Latin quote at the back that says “Fortune only patronizes brave people.”
The supported features of this collection are the same as We Bloom.
Morse Code
Although there are some minor differences, it is clear that the Morse Code series’s metal dome exterior is based on the brand’s We Bold design. The differences being the shapes of the openings and their positions are different, and also they added a subtle zircon to balance out the masculinity of the design.
What sets this series apart is its ability to send Morse code. That means you can tap on your Totwoo ornament in a certain sequence and the message will manifest itself in the paired device as vibration and blinking. So for those of you who are well versed in Morse code, you can as a matter of fact use this device to send coded messages to each other.
Meteor Garden
The Meteor Garden collection is not a standalone collection. Rather it is a curation of necklaces and bracelets from the We Bloom and We Bold series that were worn by the protagonists of the 2018 TV show Meteor Garden.
Other Products
Andy is a bit of an oddball. From what I gather, it’s a traditional pendant that has no smart features.
Lucky is one of the brand’s latest offerings. Designed by Marco Dal Maso, it is said that the series of pendant necklaces was inspired by stained glasses in old churches.
Memory features filigree designs with what looks like a green gemstone above the center of the pendant. Information is lacking for this product but it looks like the pendant acts like some kind of key that you can use to lock photos, videos, text messages, and etc in the app.
Moonlight is a pendant necklace that helps keep track of the menstrual cycle. Its design is an artistic take on the crescent Moon using materials like mother of pearl and enamel.
Lollipop is inspired by the popular namesake candy. The orb-like pendant is made of ceramics and metal. In addition to the common feature set supported by other Totwoo products, the Lollipop design also has the ability to change color based on the rhythm of the music you’re listening to.
Promising but…
In a Market Watch report, Totwoo was named as one of the several key leaders in making smart jewelry. Some of their products look surprisingly good for a smart wearable. Wearables usually have a sporty or techno look to it (think Fitbit) but Totwoo managed to combine the classic look of jewelry and tech. And the union is quite beautiful both figurative and metaphorical. That statement is definitely true for the We Bloom series. It simply blows competitors like Bellabeat’s Leaf Urban out of the water in terms of appearance.
One thing I find lacking is the brand’s marketing effort. There’s virtually no news coverage and influencer endorsement of any kind. I did find some Youtube videos with a minuscule number of views but that’s as far as it goes. The official social media, while exists, is severely lacking. Their Facebook and Instagram accounts give the impression that they may not be active anymore.
The jewelry business is all about branding. And Totwoo simply hasn’t established itself properly in terms of branding. This is especially true on the global level. Maybe Totwoo’s main focus is the domestic China market? Either way, I think Totwoo is missing out by not targeting the global market.
