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New technological tools are constantly shaping the luxury industry. They are changing how we design, produce, value and consume it. Now, at the heart of this transformation is the metaverse — a digital space where imagination isn’t restricted by the real world. Here, physical and material rarity have stepped back, giving a blank slate to innovative ideas, storytelling and immersive experiences. These changes are reimagining craftsmanship and offering new possibilities for creators and self expression.
One of the most pioneering voices in this space especially relevant to the jewelry industry is Brilliantcrypto, a visionary project led by Naruatsu Baba, founder of Japanese gaming company COLOPL. With a background in game innovation — starting with Colony Life, the world’s first location-based game — Baba is now exploring how blockchain and NFTs can redefine luxury through digital jewelry.
The project has worked with traditional and digital designers and exhibited a collection of 10 pieces of digital-only jewelry at one of the biggest events in Paris dedicated to blockchain and web3 technology. One of such digital only pieces, a Lotus Ring, by an American-based designer Ilona Song went for the price as much as 6,000 USD.
In the interview that follows, I speak with Baba about Brilliantcrypto’s forward-looking vision: from algorithmic rarity to community-driven creation — and whether digital craftsmanship can truly carry the emotional weight of a family heirloom.
LIJ: Jewelry survived the Industrial Revolution by emphasizing handcraft. How does it survive digitization when the very notion of craft becomes algorithmic? Was there a moment when you realized that the true value is in what it represents? And why did that insight lead you toward the digital world?
Mr. Baba: The idea of translating jewelry into the digital world came from both my professional life and a personal fascination towards gemstones that I’ve carried since childhood. I was always drawn to the thrill of unearthing something rare and beautiful, especially in games. I used to wonder: what if I could truly own the gem I found?
Later as a game developer myself and someone deeply interested in Web3 (technology aiming to build a decentralized internet, using blockchain, to give users greater ownership of their data and digital assets), that early fascination evolved. I began to see the potential of creating in-game items that people could actually own and that would have a real value. Back then seeing how Bitcoin, often called “digital gold”, became a breakthrough led me to an idea: if humanity could invent digital gold, why not digital gems?
NFTs (blockchain-based unique digital assets that power Web3‘s decentralized ownership) lets us assign rarity and ownership to something entirely virtual. They bridge craftsmanship and technology, allowing the value of gemstones, based on their rarity and beauty, to be brought into the digital world. Jewelry has long embraced CAD and 3D printing. Web3 is just another tool in the maker’s hands. It offers a new kind of transparency, a new proof of origin, a way to trace creativity back to the maker.
Our goal is to push this merger forward and build a digital craftsmanship and digital economy for jewelry. We want this new digital craftsmanship to feel as meaningful and emotionally charged as the physical. That’s what Brilliantcrypto is about: a new ecosystem where digital gems mined in-game can be turned into collectible digital jewels, with real-world value and artistic integrity.
Fashion has already followed the trends of digital identities and avatar fashion, and major brands are now present in Roblox, Fortnite, Decentraland. We believe jewelry is next. Digital jewelry, like its physical counterpart, symbolizes identity, status, beauty and these meanings will also transition towards digital space in the future. So will jewelry survive digitization? I think it’s already happening. In fact, digital might be where it grows next.
LIJ: These digital jewelry pieces are made with the gems that come from Brilliantcrypto game. In Brilliantcrypto these gems aren’t simply bought, they’re mined, discovered through gameplay. How does that act of mining turn digital data into something emotionally or even financially valuable? And what makes these digital creations feel authentic, collectible to someone who loves physical jewelry?
Mr. Baba: Digital gems gain emotional and economic value through the discovery process in the game. To guarantee the value of these digital assets we came up with the “Proof-of-gaming” algorithm, which is initially inspired by the mechanism that “digital gold” Bitcoin uses –“Proof-of-Work”.
The value of digital gems is directly tied to the effort players put into acquiring them. The time and skill required to mine these gems are reflected in their market price. Rarity also plays a significant role; the rarest gems are given unique names and backstories, making each digital asset a distinct and valuable collectible.
Before the gemstone is mined, even us, the developers, do not know what gem will be found and of what quality and rarity they will be, and we cannot affect this process. This resembles the real word – before the gemstones are actually found, no one knows how many gems are there and what are these gems.
We tried to make mining experience in the game as realistic as possible and also introduced the real-world standards for digital gems. Currently there are red spinels, aquamarines, Paraiba tourmalines, yellow diamonds, rubies, tanzanites, and diamonds. They follow the 4 Cs – color, clarity, carat, and cut – based on traditional gemology sources.
The blockchain technology guarantees the authenticity and ownership of each gem, with every discovery being permanently and securely recorded to prove the uniqueness and ownership of the digital asset. Even for those who treasure physical belongings, the rarity, unique story and personal effort invested in finding these digital assets establish a meaningful emotional connection rooted in a person’s experiences in the digital space.
These gems can be treated as rare digital collectibles and traded in the game and other markets or users can use them to create jewelry and accessories for digital avatar fashion.
LIJ: How does craftsmanship translate into digital design? Jewelers have centuries-old techniques and fine detail. In your world creation must be codified differently: through rarity algorithms, rendering precision, or even community validation. What’s the digital equivalent of the jeweler’s loupe that defines quality and authenticity?
Mr. Baba: Craftsmanship here means realizing ideas and concepts skillfully with digital tools. Our platform fosters a community where designers inspire and challenge each other, raising standards together. Both experienced and emerging talents are welcome.
But beyond technique the value also depends on the digital “materials” – the gemstones used in the design. Unlike other forms of digital fashion where value is solely determined by brand and design, digital jewelry’s worth is tied to its core components: the gemstones. While a digital t-shirt’s value isn’t based on each virtual thread, a piece of digital jewelry is different. Each gemstone within it is a unique NFT with its own value, which in turn defines the total value of the finished piece. This unique connection to material value gives digital jewelry a more authentic representation than other digital fashion items, although brand and design remain crucial for both.
One of our early collaborators, designer Beatriz Biagi, comes from a background in physical jewelry and shared that the process of designing a digital jewelry piece felt unexpectedly familiar:
“Many physical designs begin with a particular stone especially with precious or rare gems so the process didn’t differ much from traditional work. While creating a digital piece, the advantage is that it doesn’t have to be production-ready. But the design must still be credible, accurate, and have strong aesthetic quality. For me, jewelry always means pushing innovation to its boundaries.”
– Beatriz Biagi.
That sense creative play allowed in digital world also transformed the way designer Nataša Blagojević approached her work:
“Designing digital jewelry with Brilliantcrypto feels like working in a dream. Suddenly, weight, price and wearability no longer limit your imagination. You can create pieces that wouldn’t be possible in the real world. I worked with enormous digital gemstones, and it completely shifted how I design. There are no rules, just intuition. But what makes it truly special is the emotional connection: when a digital jewel tells your story, it becomes something only you can truly own”.
–Nataša Blagojević
This evolution in approach is echoed by designer Chaeyo Lee, who was one of the creators behind the First Collection of digital jewelry pieces
“In traditional jewelry design, I was always working around the character of the stone: its fragility, the weight of metal, price points, production limits. Moving into digital design felt freeing. Suddenly, I could create forms that floated, expanded, glowed without being limited by physical constraints. That freedom was truly exciting.
But new challenges came with it. Without the tactile quality of real materials, even from the sketching stage, it was harder to capture that human touch and spirit. I had to find ways to express texture, weight, emotion purely through visuals. It was frustrating at first, but I adapted by focusing on silhouette, color and movement.Even in a digital space, I want to create jewelry that feels meaningful and empowering, not just decorative.When digital materials are infinite, luxury becomes less about rarity or cost and more about the experience. It’s about the emotion the piece evokes, the story it tells, and how it connects with the wearer.”
– Chaeyo Lee.
LIJ: Brilliantcrypto sits at the intersection of gaming, finance, and fashion. When you imagine your ideal community, is the goal to turn gamers into jewelry lovers, luxury clients into digital collectors, or are you building a completely new kind of hybrid consumer?
Mr.Baba: Many gamers discovering gemstones through our Jewelry Workshop have become jewelry lovers, while luxury collectors and enthusiasts are also showing early enthusiasm. Through the Brilliantcrypto project we’re creating a digital jewelry ecosystem, with a diverse community of gamers, traditional and digital designers and investors.
Users can engage with the platform in multiple roles. If you are a gamer, you can join the gemstone hunt and explore virtual landscapes to find the rare, high-value gems. If you are a designer, the game lets you showcase your designs and earn income by selling them to other players. Even non-digital designers can participate thanks to a user-friendly interface. Investors trade and collect gemstones as digital assets backed by real-world value via blockchain provenance. Our users can shift between gamer, designer and investor roles creating a new hybrid creative-consumer.
LIJ:Luxury brands like Gucci and Balenciaga have already made moves into the metaverse. Jewelry still feels like a niche. Why do you think that is? Is it the weight of tradition, technical limitations, or maybe a lack of imagination? And how does Brilliantcrypto’s model where discovery comes before design offer a different path?
Mr.Baba: While brands like Tiffany have entered the metaverse, jewelry’s digital presence is limited compared to garments, mainly because translating gemstone value digitally is challenging. In the real world a gemstone’s value is shaped by its physical traits, like carat weight, clarity and color, as well as rarity and market demand.
We combined high-quality digital gems with gameplay, where players mine gems themselves, investing effort that creates value through discovery. It is a novel concept built on emerging technologies, which may explain why digital jewelry remains an untapped niche. Exploring new digital territory gives us a first-mover advantage.
LIJ: Has the resale or secondary market for your digital gems begun to take on its own ecosystem?
Mr.Baba: Yes, there is an active secondary market between users. Once the user acquires a gemstone through mining or purchase, they fully own the asset, as such they can further resell it on our platform or on other platforms trading similar digital assets. They can make jewelry with it, which will become a new NFT that can be traded across platforms including platforms like Opensea.
LIJ: Every new idea comes with its own challenges. For Brilliantcrypto, is the biggest one technical, cultural or structural — building a system where discovery and design really work together? And looking ahead, do you see Brilliantcrypto following the traditions of luxury or setting a new standard for what digital luxury can be?
Mr.Baba: Our biggest challenge is uniting diverse communities across web3, gaming, and fashion, each with distinct interests. When creating the First Collection of digital jewelry we worked with a wide range of creators from digital fashion experts to traditional jewelers new to Web3, many experiencing digital tools for the first time.
Having previously received positive response from the both traditional and digital creative communities, we aim to make the Jewelry Workshop a platform where creators and collectors can gather, showcase and trade their work.
Our next goal is to make digital jewelry wearable across other digital platforms and establish digital jewelry as a key fashion element in the virtual world through collaborations with brands and designers.
In summer 2025 we started a partnership with an American-based metaverse developer Pixel Canvas which specializes in building custom virtual spaces. This integration will allow creators to see their jewelry pieces worn by avatars across various virtual environments. Together with Pixel Canvas we will bring digital jewelry to runway shows at Digital Fashion Week 2025 taking place in London and New York.
To highlight creative talent, we’ve launched a jewelry design contest, running from August 1st to 15th. The top 10 designs will receive awards from Brilliantcrypto, and the top 5 will be showcased on the digital runway in New York (September 11th) and London (September 18th).
We hope this will be a chance for digital creators to explore jewelry design as a new creative field, and for traditional artisans to engage with the world of digital fashion and design.
To learn more about Brilliantcrypto’s latest initiatives, including the digital jewelry design contest and upcoming runway shows at Digital Fashion Week 2025, visit their official website or follow them on Instagram @jewelry.workshop.
