Incus | Xuberance

The project is a collaboration between Shanghainese design studio Xuberance and a innovative hearing aid company from Hong Kong called Incus.

The hearing aid has been designed to be a gift for Queen Elizabeth II and will be part of a limited edition series of luxury hearing aids. 

The initial concept for the hearing aid started from a simple idea of combining two worlds -  jewelry and advanced electronics.

From the very beginning the concept was to design a hearing aid worthy of the Queen herself that will be both technologically advanced and beautiful.

To achieve this goal we have chosen to use direct metal 3D printing which is one of the most advanced manufacturing technologies up to date.

 3D printing allows the artist to design far more intricate shapes and forms that feature complex curvature, patterns and openings that would not be possible to achieve using traditional manufacturing methods.

Titanium was chosen because its extreme durability, lightweight and non-allergenic qualities.

A goal was set to create a new type of product, that would find its place between fashion and technology and that could also communicate its place of origin through the essence of Chinese motifs and symbols.

After several design iterations the hearing aid was formed into a necklace that has a central medallion that houses most of the necessary electronics as well as a "u" shaped element that is locked securely on the neck. The earphones when not in use are a decorative extension of the necklace.

The overall shape of the necklace was heavily inspired by the jewelry of the Emperors of the Qing dynasty. The decorative patterns on the medallion come from the Royal Pavilion in Brighton which is a great example of combining artistic elements of the western and eastern culture.

There are also typically British elements to the necklace such as the neckpiece that features a pattern referring to the Union Jack or the chain that was inspired by the royal crown.