A new generation of Asian jewellery designers to know

The East has always been meeting place for jewellers. From setters to stone cutters and everything in between, storied houses have been patrons of jewellery craftsmen in cities like Hong Kong and Bangkok for decades. Now, in an era where luxury is being rewritten through identity and local craftsmanship, a new wave of jewellery designers from Asia is rising to the top. Modern, personal and a curious blend of influences and cultures, here are four brands that are making space for themselves and shaping the future of fine jewellery, one piece at a time

Boochier

Picture: Boochier

It’s fun, it’s playful, it’s a cornucopia of colour and it comes paved with diamonds. Melinda Zeman’s Hong Kong based fine jewellery label creates pieces that gives its wearers a pep in their step. Drawing inspiration from her childhood and the bold maximalism of the MTV era, pieces like the brand’s yellow gold and diamond Slinkee ring is a fun twist on the popular 90s toy rendered in precious stones and metal. Zeman’s Fruit Hoops collection is an ode to the colourful cereal that dominated breakfast tables pre-aughts and translated with a combination of coloured enamel, pavé diamonds and gold.

Chantel Shafie

Picture: Chantel Shafie

Based in Hong Kong and inspired by the culture and tradition around her, Shafie has been creating fine jewellery collections that merge symbolism and craft. Her first collection, The Signature Medallion Collection features vintage solid 22k gold coins from around the world set into diamond medallions, while her second expands the idea of the gold coin by creating medallions featuring the Chinese zodiac. From there, Shafie created the Eternal Dragon collection, made in collaboration with a local feng shui master and one of the city’s last master dragon carvers. Set in a selection of stones from onyx, mother of pearl to jade and red jasper, Shafie continues to find ways to work with local craftsmen to create contemporary jewellery while preserving traditional craft.

Pen Mané

Picture: Pen Mané

Inspired by the craggy coasts of Brittany’s Quiberon Peninsula, France’s northwest coast, Pen Mané is the brainchild of Calvin Wang and Vincent Raffin. One of the brand’s signature collections is Wild Coast, which features earrings, rings and bangles in four shades of gold. Its hallmark is having one side appear damaged, its lines mimicking the rugged coasts of Raffin’s summer home, and dotting diamonds of different sizes along the surface. The brand seizes on the nuances of imperfection and creates raw yet contemporary pieces that reframe the way diamonds and metals can be assembled and worn.

Patcharavipa

Picture: Pen Mané

At Patcharavipa, Siam gold and Siam craftsmen are at the heart of each piece made. Each piece raw, sculptural and seemingly imperfect, Pat Bodirat draws from the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, which celebrates organic form and natural flaws. Her pieces utilise 18k Siamese gold and coconut shells, Moroccan Thuya wood are used all in the same breath as a ten-carat emerald princess cut diamond. In addition, the brand, which is stocked at Dover Street Market in London, also customises vintage watches giving Rolexes, Audemar Piguet and Cartier pieces a completely new life in yellow gold or diamonds.

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