Did your necklace just say something?

Jewelry's charm is usually a silent expression of beauty.

Not any more.

With a plug-and-play jewelry tech maker kit, jewelry can now shine colorful lights, give you a nudge or help you connect with people at the other end of the world.

China's smart jewelry brand Totwoo launched its smart "Totwoo love" kit with US fashion tech company 360Fashion Network, at the SAP Net-Gen Space at Hudson Yards in New York on Wednesday evening.

The wearable tech DIY kit enables fashion and jewelry designers to create pieces of smart jewelry using Totwoo Inside smart core 2.0 without the need to code or solder. It's available online from Queen of RAW, the New York-based online destination for designers to find innovative and sustainable raw materials.

The signature function is "Totwoo love code", which allows two connected users to share their virtual emotions in real time by linking their devices through the Totwoo App. The jewelry vibrates and lights up in response to the user's physicality.

A tap or two makes a necklace or bracelet embedded with smart core work as a fitness tracker or a reminder of an incoming call.

"Smart jewelry should not work purely as a high-tech gadget or a fitness tracker, but also as an aesthetic way to create emotional connections and interactive experiences," said Wang Jieming, who founded Beijing-based Totwoo with Italian designer Marco Dal Maso in 2015.

Totwoo's debut piece — Love Bloom — is a gold foil pendant inlaid with Swarovski crystals, that can send health reminders like "hydrate yourself" or "take a break."

Totwoo is also in the process of developing "virtual human technology", which integrates AI and AR into the jewelry, Wang said.

"What we are doing here is developing jewelry into a new concept, keeping the beauty, keeping the art with a soul (of wearable technology) inside," said Dal Maso.

The smart core module is 5mm thick with a collection of advanced technologies from touch sensors, a tri-axial accelerometer and waterproof technology, with certified wireless charging technology similar to what Apple uses. The kit includes smart core, 3D files, a 3D printed base and a charger.

"Empowering fashion designers with solid technology is the mission of 360Fashion Network," said Anina Net, former model-turned-founder of 360Fashion Network. "This kit allows creatives to focus on design and integration as their first step into fashion tech."

Contact the writer at wanglinyan@chinadailyusa.com