Russian jeweller tries to go viral with coronavirus-shaped pendants
MOSCOW: A small Russian jewellery company specialising in science and medicine-themed ornaments has launched a coronavirus-shaped pendant, a move that has drawn accusations of insensitivity by some.
When the first microscopic images of the coronavirus emerged a few months ago, Dr Vorobev, a jewellery firm based in Kostroma, Moscow, thought the intricately-shaped virus could become a good addition to its collection.
Sold online for around US$20 (S$28), its sterling silver coronavirus pendants reproduce the shape of the virus - a circular shell topped with club-shaped spikes - that causes the acute respiratory illness Covid-19.
"People started buying it, posting the product on their social media pages," said Mr Pavel Vorobev, the firm's founder. "No matter how sad it is, it has become a trend. It has had a viral effect."
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Russia has reported 2,337 cases and 17 deaths, and on Tuesday registered its biggest daily rise in cases for the seventh day in a row.
Responding to accusations of insensitivity, Mr Vorobev said the pendants are not intended to cash in on what has become an international crisis. - REUTERS
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