Rockin' the world: US$2m gold and diamond guitar is boosting Hong Kong's brand, creator says
Jeweller behind record-setting gold and diamond instrument says it is already helping to put the city on the international map
The Hong Kong jeweller who designed the world's most valuable guitar sees his US$2 million creation as a timely reminder of the city's international brand.
Aaron Shum Wan-lung said he designed the instrument, which features 1.6kg of gold and 400 carat diamonds, to put Hong Kong's brand on the global map.
"Our jewellery traditions are strong but somehow the Hong Kong branding has always played a second fiddle. This US$2 million guitar will change that," said Shum, 59, who will show off his creation on a televised TVB charity show tonight. It will be the first time the guitar has been played to a home audience since it won the Guinness World Records accolade at the Baselworld trade fair in Switzerland in March.
That fair was a sign of the guitar's brand-building power, with Shum's Coronet Solitaire brand invited to exhibit in the main hall - a first for a brand from China in the fair's 96 years.
It's not the first time Shum, a former chairman of the Hong Kong Jewellery Manufacturers' Association, has sought to enter the record books. In 1997, he submitted a seven-storey pearl tower to Guinness, but was rejected.
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"I believe a product like that is a promotional gimmick that will bring about a breakthrough for local branding," he said of his new creation. "We thought of a diamond bikini, but no one would put that on for a second time. But with a diamond-studded guitar, every star musician would love to play on it."