A wife’s whimsical wish for orchids to last forever gave birth to a unique gift idea, and subsequently a premium gift company, over 30 years ago.

It all started when the late Dr Lee Kum Tatt, then chairman of Sisir (Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research now known as Spring, or Standards, Productivity and Innovation for Growth) was having a stroll at the Singapore Botanic Gardens with his wife Engeline one day.

When she mentioned immortalising the flower, Lee thought up a novel idea to preserve the orchid.

Together with a team of people at Sisir, a patented process that plates fresh orchids in 24-carat gold was developed. Lee then presented his wife a gold-plated bloom he named after her — Oncidium Engeline Lee.

In 1976, the first four Risis (Sisir spelt backwards) outlets opened in Singapore.

Today, Risis is a premium lifestyle gift company, plating a wide range of jewellery and ornaments in 24-carat gold, rhodium and precious metals.

It has won several awards that include the Certificate of Award for Good Manufacturing Practice by Sisir, the Singapore Design Award and Best Tourism Souvenir award presented by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board.

Besides Singapore, Risis has a presence in the United States, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and China.

There are generally five product categories — natural plated products, business gifts, figurines and collectibles, home and living, and personal accessories.

Designs are inspired by Asian heritage and also reflect a contemporary feel.

"We create products with an Asian story, some of which may not have anything to do with orchids. However, our best-selling products are still orchid-based," said Wee Swee Poh, chief executive officer of Risis, during an interview with Malaysian media who were invited to Singapore recently.

The most popular jewellery product is the orchid slider, a chain with a single bloom that can be worn as a choker, short or long chain, or waist belt.

"Our products are also unique because they have a rich texture," said Wee, adding that some Risis products are embellished with semi-precious stones, crystals and fine enamel.

The company obtains fresh blooms for plating from a commercial nursery in Singapore that grows special hybrids specifically for Risis. These hybrids blooms are smaller in size than commercial varieties.

"We want to create delicate jewellery with thinner petals which can still withstand the plating process," said Wee.

Currently, 15 of these special hybrids are being plated. Besides that, Risis also plates full species like the Vanda Miss Joaquim, which is Singapore’s national flower.

"We have to anticipate what customers want. If a certain hybrid and design is not popular, we have to create another hybrid," said Wee, adding that the company also plates other natural products like eggs, leaves and roses.

Risis also produces customised jewellery, such as for weddings, upon request. In addition, its products are commissioned as gifts for dignitaries and state gifts to world leaders.

For example, an orchid hybrid called Dendrobium Elizabeth was named after Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of Her Majesty’s visit to Singapore in 1972.

A spray of the hybrid was then plated in 24-carat gold by Risis and presented to her as a state gift in honour of the golden jubilee of her ascension to the throne.

Another orchid spray called the Arachnopsis Hun Sen ‘Bun Rany’, named after the wife of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, was also plated in 24-carat gold and rhodium and presented to Hun Sen by then Singapore President S.R. Nathan during the premier’s visit to Singapore in 2003.

A special orchid hybrid created by Mardi (Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute) named the Mokara Datin Seri Endon was plated by Risis and presented to Nori Abullah in 2006 in memory of her mother, the late Tun Endon Mahmood, for her contribution to local arts.

Risis’ production plant is located in Batam, Indonesia. The entire plating process takes three days to complete.

Before plating, each bloom is hand-picked and checked for symmetric features and similar-shaped petals.

"We are very particular about choosing each bloom. From a single stalk, we may use only one or two blooms because we need a nice, balanced shape," said Kam Chong Phoh, senior manager of development and production, as he showed the media a simplified version of the plating process at Risis’ headquarters.

Before the start of the process, each flower is gently shaped by hand for evenness before being attached to a thin wire. It is then dipped into gold paint, which is a copper alloy specially formulated for orchids to protect the flowers’ surface and retain their texture.

Next, the flower is dipped into a copper ‘bath’ or copper solution for three hours to give it a strong coating.

"The texture and veins of the flower can still be seen after this stage," said Kam.

The coated flower is then shaped manually before going through a second copper bath for another five hours. Next, it is polished, and finishing touches are applied before it goes through a nickel bath for five to 10 minutes to prevent corrosion and to protect its colour.

The final dipping is into the gold bath, a clear, chemical solution which contains pure, melted 24-carat gold.

The flower is then left to dry for three to five days before being lacquered.

The entire plating process is done by hand, including the dipping stages.

About 60 per cent of Risis’ customers are Singaporeans, with the rest being tourists. Wearables like jewellery are the most popular items, while framed orchids are sought after as business gifts.

Risis also features special collections for Christmas (Keepsakes Collection 2009) and Chinese New Year (the 2010 Zodiac Tiger Collection comprises eight different tiger figurines).

Prices of products start from S$22 (US$16) for a pair of earrings. - ANN