For as long as we’ve known, from sparkly to shiny, jewellery has always been a girl’s best friend. New year is all about the bling and we met 10 jewellery designers that you need to know about in 2022. Looking for jewellery that’ll make you feel as good as you look? It’s time to glam it up!
Catherine Siu, Founder of PICS Fine Jewellery
- Can you tell us more about yourself and what inspires you to start PICS Fine Jewellery?
My name is Catherine Siu, the founder of PICS Fine Jewellery. As a gemologist, a jewellery designer and a jewellery maker myself, I enjoy every bit of creating a jewellery piece from ideas to reality. As my curiosity in gemstones led me to complete my GRADUATE GEMOLOGIST® PROGRAM at Gemological Institute of America (GIA), it opened up the doors for me to an auction house and a top-tier diamond manufacturer, where I didn’t only get to see and deal with all different types of gemstones and jewellery, but people, and I started to smell indifference in the air.
In 2018, one of my family members got a health issue and I needed to be in and out of hospital every day. I was so thankful that we saw speedy recovery on our side after a brain surgery, but at the same time, I felt so broken-hearted seeing a lot of patients suffering without much help from others. From that moment, I have decided to utilise PICS Fine Jewellery as a tool to inspire others to help those in need with our own abilities and expertise. I believe everyone is beautiful in their own ways, gifted differently, and the true beauty comes from within. We praise the uncommon and underestimated gemstones, so as to encourage others to understand more about minorities and the neglected. We appreciate it because we understand, not only about the gems, not only about the jewellery, but every soul we touch.
- Can you share with us your goals and collections in 2022?
In 2022, I will continue to inspire others with PICS Fine Jewellery. We all have some sort of influences on others with whatever we do, and I am trying to show that everyone can contribute to society with what they do best. PICS Fine Jewellery is a contemporary jewellery brand focusing on colors, shapes and characteristics of each different gemstone. While the big four gemstones namely diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald are more widespread in the jewellery world, we celebrate the uniqueness and rarity of uncommon exotic gems from different parts of the world. PICS Fine Jewellery are set with distinctive natural colored gemstones as the main focus, embellished by top quality diamonds which represents how the “popular” groups support and praise the minorities and the neglected. Abstracting rational thoughts and emotional experiences, we create timeless jewellery by the hands of our exceptionally skilled craftsmen using traditional techniques and tools in our workshop in Hong Kong. Our goal is to inspire everyone to appreciate true beauty. You cannot find two gems that are exactly the same, as unique as we all are and there is no gemstone more precious than one another. Being uncommon does not necessarily mean that they should be undervalued, I have a passion to show the world how exquisite these extraordinary gems are and what they can become. With constant effort, I am looking forward to seeing a change in the jewellery industry where it is not only about luxury and glamor, but a form of art that allows jewellery designers and/or jewellery makers to express themselves through their art pieces and an expression for wearers to show their standpoints.
- Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of or memorable?
Established in 2018, PICS is still a very young brand, yet with persistence and determination, we are able to inspire our clients through our jewellery. I am so grateful to be recognized as one of the winners to receive the Influencer Awards from Hong Kong Living in 2021, acknowledging that what I do has positive influences on others. It is also our humble honour to be part of different charity events. I still remember in one particular charity auction, we were so excited to see that the successful bidder actually donated almost double the amount of what he originally bid the jewellery for, showing his appreciation in the jewellery piece. We might be small, and what we do might seem insignificant, but everything starts small and never underestimate the butterfly effect. For me, the biggest achievement is that knowing our clients, and people we come across with, they understand the meaning behind each of our jewellery, they appreciate and cherish the uncommon and differences, and they are inspired to make good use of their gifts in support of those in need.
Nishita Mehta-Jasani, Founder of Nishita Fine Jewelry
- Can you tell us more about yourself and your background?
I am Nishita and I grew up in India, but I have lived in different cities from Boston, London, Shanghai, Antwerp and now Hong Kong with my family which has been my home for the past 13 years. I am the fourth generation in a jewellery business. My dad always said I had an eye and the intuition for jewellery design but, like many teens, I wanted to find my own way. I began my career in banking, then pursued my passion for writing, worked as a journalist, and have also co-authored a travel book. All along, I was designing jewellery for friends and family until I launched my own label 5 years ago. I am a creative person and draw inspiration from my travels, architecture, art and tapestries. I love movie nights with my family, weekend hikes with my girlfriends and curling up on my couch with a hot cup of tea and a good book.
- What inspired you to start the Nishita Fine Jewelry?
Coming from a heritage of jewellers, I have always loved and appreciated what jewellery represents. Jewels weave a wonderful tapestry of our lives; a mix of heirlooms and pieces bought to represent life’s milestones. The fine jewellery business had a looming inconvenient truth of heavy mining, a history of conflict stones and a serious environmental footprint. I noticed there was a gap in the Hong Kong market for affordable, beautifully crafted fine jewellery with an emphasis on responsible sourcing, ethical production, and mindful design and that is what inspired me to start my label.
- Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of?
I’m happy and grateful when I see someone wearing my jewellery for me to know that my designs are being appreciated. Nishita Fine Jewelry is almost 5 years old and navigated through 2 years of protests and another 2 years of covid which have been uncertain and turbulent. However, we have built a trusted boutique brand in Hong Kong known for its quality craftsmanship, attention to detail and authenticity.
Himani Shah, Founder of INNAYA JEWELRY
- Could you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I was born into a family of diamantaires so I grew up around diamonds and gemstones. As a child, I was fascinated by shiny diamond jewels and loved the feeling when I wore them. I knew I wanted to do something with them when I got older. Growing up, my father was active in the industry as a well-known and leading entrepreneur, so I began to build an interest in entrepreneurship, marketing and jewellery designing. After high school, I attended UK’s top 10 ranked best marketing course at Royal Holloway, University of London. Once I graduated, I came back to Hong Kong to further my interest in jewellery designing and took up the diamonds course at The Gemological Institute of America, Hong Kong. I was looking for something new that would create a social trend in the jewellery market – that’s when I came across pie-cut diamonds – a unique artistry that uses smaller fancy-shaped diamonds to create an illusion of a larger solitaire diamond. I was one of the first in the industry to launch pie-cut diamond jewellery into the Hong Kong market under the brand name “Innaya Jewelry By Himani Shah”.
- What inspired you to start your brand?
I was about 15 or 16 when I was interning at an international real estate company in Hong Kong. It was a marketing internship which I thought would give me the ability to be creative and artistic. But even then I had to follow rules and instructions. That was a turning point for me because that’s when I realised I couldn’t work under someone or be bound by rules. I knew at that point that I will do something of my own, have my own company, where I can lead, make decisions myself and do things my way. But, to be honest, I wouldn’t identify myself as a “jewellery designer”. Whenever somebody asks me what I do I proudly say: “I’m the founder and CEO of my own diamond jewellery brand Innaya.” This shows that I am more than a designer – I am also an entrepreneur, a leader and a decision-maker. I’ve always wanted to break norms, empower women and do something out of the box, which is what inspired me to start my own brand. Nowadays, jewellery brands are charging premiums for diamond and gemstone jewellery, making it less accessible to millennials and Gen X; which in turn is pushing them to turn to cheaper alternatives such as fashion jewellery. With Innaya, my primary goal is to shift the trend back to purchasing real diamonds and gemstone jewellery. The designs I’ve seen in Hong Kong stores are too serious and safe. Me, though, I love playing around with gold colours, textures, geometrics and gemstone colours and that’s what I do with my jewellery designs.
- Can you share with us your design inspiration?
It may sound weird but I don’t really have anything or anyone that inspires me. I could be in a conversation with a friend, speaking of something completely irrelevant to jewellery or design, but suddenly an idea would pop up into my mind from a food dish or a city we’d be talking about. I will give some credit to travelling because I love taking photos. I’d be scrolling through my gallery and come across a photo of a castle that would inspire me to design something as unique as that castle. I’ve also never pinpointed a particular target audience for my designs. Since designs are personal like art, any gender of any age or descent could fall in love with it and want it, so I feel it’s wrong to bound these designs to a particular type. If you feel this design talks to you, then it’s yours to own!
Kajal Naina, Founder of KAJAL NAINA
- Can you tell us more about yourself and your background?
I was born and raised in Nepal and I have since spent time living in India, Singapore and Japan. Now I live in Hong Kong with my husband and daughters. I worked as a dentist for ten years before I switched careers to become a jewellery designer. Dentistry and jewellery may sound like opposite professions, but there are so many similarities and I found that being a dentist has added to my skills as a jewellery designer. While growing up I had always loved art and seen myself as an artist, but I was also very good at studies and interested in Science. So having these two passions, the first choice was obviously to take up the more stable medical profession as in those days art was seen more as a hobby. But deep within me, there was always this burning desire to flex my creative side as well. After getting married becoming an expat wife, following my husband for his work, it was no longer possible to continue my dental profession smoothly due to a number of reasons. So at that point, instead of seeing that as a setback, I saw it as an opportunity to let my creative side out!
2. What inspires you to start the Kajal Fine Jewelry?
I was lucky to have been born and brought up in Kathmandu where life is surrounded by art and beauty everywhere. I was double lucky to have had the opportunity of living in different countries, which has helped expand my horizon of beauty. When it wasn’t feasible to continue working as a dentist anymore, I found myself being pulled to answer my creative desires. I wanted to add not just the expert craftsmanship, the eye for details and high quality, but also the look, the feel and the overall happiness in owning something that one truly enjoys having in life that I wished others to experience as well. It was not long before I began dreaming and wishing that I could share what I felt with my friends and family and then with the whole world. It is part of the dream that today I stand before you as a jewellery designer with a mission to bring beautiful, meaningful, unique, world-class jewellery to you. I feel like I’m a storyteller and my jewellery is often inspired by my surroundings – people, nature, culture, the sky and stars – so these beautiful, meaningful pieces tell stories that relate at various levels with different people, while my bespoke pieces are all about the commissioner.
3. Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of?
Of course every time a customer is happy, every time our jewellery brings a smile to someone’s face, it feels like an achievement. We have received great response to most of our collections and are growing strong year after year. Our greatest high, though, has to be the unplanned – truly accidental – success of our most wildly popular mangalsutra collection. Mangalsutra is something I never thought I would be doing but due to popular demand, we have been making a lot of it. Perhaps something some would find more admirable, is the fact that this whole collection was designed, created and sold not only in Hong Kong but globally during a pandemic. My love for creating meaningful designs and hardworking nature has been appreciated and KN Fine Jewelry has been highly successful even throughout Covid-19 and we have had our best year yet. At Kajal Naina, we often say that people wear our pieces because they’re beautiful but truly fall in love with them because the pieces are so meaningful. Whether a customer chooses a piece that is inspired by nature, celestially-inspired or traditionally symbolic, they’re often a reminder of something special.
Payal Shah, Founder of L’Dezen Payal
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Founder of L’Dezen Payal Shah started her career as a furniture designer before switching to jewellery design. From 18-carat hand-made rose-cut diamond earrings to statement flower rings, L’Dezen’s designs are thoughtful and are made to be worn on their own or together as a collection. “Investing in one of our pieces is an investment in yourself,” says Payal. “My goal is to grow with our clients.”
Anna Hu, Founder of Haute Joaillerie
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Raised in Taiwan, Anna Hu was a classically trained musician who made the switch to jewellery design at the age of 30. After founding Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie in 2007, she had a solo exhibition at the Louvre in Paris and even broke a world auction record at Christie’s in Geneva. Anna’s designs take inspiration from classical music and impressionist art.
Michelle Ong, Head of Carnet Jewellery
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As the head of Carnet by Michelle Ong, a luxury jewellery company founded in 1998, Michelle Ong specialises in nature-inspired pieces. Her works are highly prolific and well-loved by celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Glenn Close. Recently, they have even been featured in the hit film Crazy Rich Asians. Michelle’s philosophy is to “be true to your vision, never compromise.”
Corina Larpin, Owner and head designer of Stefere
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Corina Larpin grew up in Romania and began her foray into the jewellery industry when communist rule ended in 1989. Inspired by people and landscapes around her, Corina founded Stefere, a company known for its edgy aesthetic with fans like Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Madonna.
Marielle Byworth, Founder of Marijoli
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Launched in 2006 by Marielle Byworth, Marijoli is a jewellery house that achieved superstardom after being featured in Miss Universe Japan’s photoshoots. Marielle’s unique style fuses Chinese spiritual beliefs and Japanese Zen concepts and her creations are 100 percent ethical.
Nathalie Melville, Founder of Melville Fine Jewellery and Hatton Jewellery Institute
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After pursuing a degree in jewellery design and working at Tiffany & Co., Nathalie Melville started Melville Fine Jewellery in 2010 and subsequently became the first firm in Hong Kong to hold a Fairtrade precious metals licence. All her designs are made from sustainably sourced metals like emeralds, sapphires, tanzanite and tsavorite.
Sarah Zhuang, Jewellery Designer at Tak Fook Jewellery
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After heading up the creative side of her family’s business Tak Fook Jewellery, Sarah Zhuang founded her own brand, Sarah Zhuang Jewellery, with the goal of creating pieces for contemporary women. Her collections are versatile and can be worn in multiple ways for self-expression. They combine elegance and functionality to suit the modern woman’s fast-paced lifestyle.
