Celebrity Life

ILIA founder Stanley Chu is determined to change people’s mind about jadeite through contemporary designs and education

While my classmates played with toy cars and Lego, I played with jadeite,” says Stanley Chu, co-founder of jadeite jewellery brand ILIA. He shares his fond memories as we sit at his Landmark boutique in Central, which opened earlier in the year. Starting ILIA was, in a way, a long time coming; Chu’s family has been in the jade business for more than 60 years, but largely in the oft-unseen and low-key business of wholesale.

Chu’s childhood home had a jade workshop attached to it, where his parents worked and their craftsmen cut and polished jadeite before turning it into jewellery. “I was exposed to jadeite at a very young age,” he says. “My sister and I knew how to appreciate jadeite even as children and we’d play games, like guessing how much the jadeite was worth.”

At that time, and indeed until now, his family business supplied the industry with some of the rarest and most precious jadeites. Eventually, through ILIA, it’s been able to use these precious stones in its own creations under its own brand name.

Chu partnered with a family friend who also happened to be one of the biggest jadeite collectors in the world. With their strong ties and network among Myanmar’s jadeite miners, coupled with their lifelong experience dealing with the gemstones and making top-quality jewellery, they’ve earned an unrivalled reputation in the industry. But it was their shared deep passion for the gem that sealed the deal.

“Appreciating the beauty of jadeite isn’t something people can learn easily; it’s something, I believe, that’s instilled or passed on from a parent to a child, or from an experienced craftsman to his apprentice,” Chu says. “I love jadeite; it’s in my blood. And my partner, my good friend, shares this sentiment – and through this brand we can share this passion to the world and educate people about this stone.”

Their design mantra? That no two jewellery pieces they make are alike, because indeed, no two jadeite pieces are alike. They also strive to change the misguided perceptions that people might have about jadeite, for instance that it’s for more mature wearers, and isn’t nearly as valuable as rubies, emeralds or sapphires. That attitude is completely unjustified, says Chu, as top-quality jadeite is in fact just as rare as exceptional pink and blue diamonds.

“Unfortunately, despite its rarity, top-quality jadeite is still grossly undervalued,” Chu explains. “Case in point, while the auction price of a top-quality white diamond is around US$150,000 per carat, or US$2.5 million per carat for a pink diamond, or US$300,000 per carat for emeralds, the highest record price per carat for an Imperial Green jadeite is only at US$120,000. But the reality is that Imperial Green jadeite, which is like the Pigeon’s Blood of rubies, is just as rare as top-grade fancy-colour diamonds.”

Thus, a major goal of ILIA is to change people’s perceptions of jadeite – and, according to Chu, the way to do that is to modernise its image while educating people of its intrinsic value. “The younger generation is hungry for information,” he says. “They ask questions, such as what’s the investment value of jadeite, so they must have access to this information.

However, traditional jadeite designs are keeping them away from purchasing this beautiful gemstone and so the most direct way to change their impression is to include innovative and contemporary designs in our collection, working with young jewellery and fashion designers, locally and overseas. We understand that looking cool is just as important as looking elegant for the millennials.”

In fact, it seems as if the gemstone that’s been an underdog for far too long is well on its way to becoming appreciated by a much wider and younger clientele, and acknowledged for the precious gem it truly is.

The post How ILIA is paving the way for Jadeite Jewellery to Shine appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Choosing a singular piece of jewellery that’s supposed to symbolise a lifetime is no easy task; but we tried to put together a comprehensive guide on how to get started when looking for the perfect engagement ring.

Diamonds engagement rings may seem like a tradition passed down over the centuries, but it only became a rite of passage when, in 1947, the copywriter Frances Gerety coined the famous phrase, “A Diamond is Forever”, for De Beers. It was further exacerbated when Marilyn Monroe famously sang a rendition of “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the 1953 production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and, since then, no proposal has been complete without a diamond ring. But finding your one true love is hard and finding the courage to propose is even harder. To make the task of finding that one engagement ring to symbolise your eternal love, commitment and your promise to your significant other slightly less formidable, here's our guide to point you towards the direction of happily ever after.

As Easy as the 4CS

When you walk into any shop, large or small, the first thing all jewellers will ask for is your budget, as this will determine the types of gemstones they’ll be able to show you. This is where the 4Cs come into play. The 4Cs refer to the cut, colour, clarity and carat weight of diamonds, a universal standard established by the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) to grade diamonds, and first adopted by De Beers to help its clients find the perfect diamond. The cut of a diamond determines how brilliant and sparkling it can be. Expert cutting, with perfectly symmetrical and aligned facets, yields a more radiant diamond. For brands such as Hearts on Fire, cut is the most important of the 4Cs. Cut quality refers to the proportions, symmetry and polish that ultimately result in the performance of the diamond. You could have the world’s most perfect diamond and ruin it
by poor cutting. Hearts of Fire prides itself over its diamond-cutting skill and guarantees a perfectly cut diamond every single time. It’s highly specialised, so the brand only cuts round diamonds.

White diamonds come in a variety of shades, ranging from colourless to warm whites. GIA grades diamonds on a scale of D (colourless) through to Z (light colour), but all D-Z diamonds are considered white diamonds. D, E and F are colourless, and the differences are so minor that only a gemologist can detect them in side-by-side comparisons. These diamonds should be set on only white-gold or platinum bands to maximise the colourless effect. G, H, I and J are considered near colourless, and are still suitable on a white-gold or platinum setting. K, L and M are faintly coloured white diamonds, usually with a subtle yellow tint; however, set on yellow gold, these warm coloured diamonds can be appealing to some. From N onwards, these diamonds usually have a yellow or brown tint that’s discernible by the naked eye.

Clarity refers to any internal traces of organic substances, called inclusions, in the diamond that can be seen under 10X magnification. Flawless diamonds have no inclusions and no blemishes visible. Internally Flawless (IF) has no inclusions visible. VVS1 and VVS2 have very slight inclusions that are difficult for a skilled grader to see. VS1 and VS2 have minor inclusions that can be observed with some effort. SI1 and SI2 have noticeable inclusions, while I1, I2 and I3 have inclusions that may affect transparency and brilliance. Carat is measured by weight, with 1 carat equalling 200 milligrams. The larger the carat, the more expensive the diamond, but a diamond’s worth is also affected by the other characteristics of the 4Cs.

Terminology: Shapes Vs Cuts

People often confuse a diamond cut with a diamond shape, but they’re not the same thing. A diamond cut determines how its facets interact with light. A diamond’s shape refers to the geometric appearance of a diamond, typically described its form when viewed from above. Diamond shapes are categorised into two groups: round diamonds and fancy shaped diamonds. A diamond’s final shape is often determined while it’s still in the rough – a more uniform one will usually result in a round diamond, while less uniform diamonds tend to be cut into fancy shapes, including princess, cushion, emerald, oval, pear, marquise and heart. At De Beers, you’d find the largest diversity in shapes for diamonds. Round brilliant-cut diamonds are the most popular diamond shapes, for one very specific reason: they’re also the most radiant, with the most intense sparkle. Round brilliant diamonds are cut in a way to optimise their brilliance, with 57 facets in total throwing a spectrum of colours and reflecting light within the diamond.

A cushion-cut is a square or rectangular diamond softened with rounded corners to give the diamond a “pillow” shape. It’s a unique spin on the classic round shape, and is a style that’s been popular since the 1800s, making this cut truly timeless. For a more contemporary take, princess-cut are modified square diamonds with pointed corners. They’re also extremely radiant, with more than 50 chevron-shaped facets, making the princess cut a popular choice as well. Emerald-cut diamonds are another classic choice, extremely sought after for their understated glamour and perceived depth. Emerald-cut diamonds are elongated, rectangular shapes with a step-cut facet that has less room for flaws than other cuts.

Asscher-cut refers to a square emerald-cut diamond, another understated classic shape with strong brilliance. Oval diamonds are a happy cross between a round brilliant cut and a marquise cut. Oval-cut diamonds are a more unique shape, suited for those who crave individuality; the oblong shape has the added benefit of giving the illusion of longer fingers.

A marquise-shaped diamond is a polished diamond with a boat-shaped outline, with triangular and kite- shaped facets similar to a round brilliant cut diamond. Pear-shaped diamonds are also known as tear drop- shaped diamonds, and are extremely flattering on the fingers, especially when worn with the narrow tip facing the nail.

Heart-shaped diamonds are for hopeless romantics. They’re cut in a similar way to the pear-shaped diamond, but with a cleft at the top. Extra care has
to be taken to ensure that the curves on both sides of the heart are symmetrical. If a particular shape calls out to you, then great. There’s no better gauge than to follow your heart to find the perfect engagement ring.

If you’re still struggling to pick a shape for the engagement ring, here are two factors to consider that might help make your decision easier. First, the diamond shape ultimately determines the sparkle in the diamond. How the diamond is cut will determine the number of facets on the diamond, thus determining its sparkle. A round brilliant diamond will definitely be the most sparkling and radiant. An emerald cut, with its stepped facets, showcases the clarity, rather than the brilliance of the diamond, and thus is a more understated than the rest.

The second factor to consider would be this: which diamond shapes appear the largest? Many people would agree that fancy-shaped diamonds appear larger. Oval, pear and marquise cuts appear larger, due to their elongated shapes. Even cushion cuts, princess and asscher cuts can appear larger, because the corner-to- corner length is greater than that of a round diamond.

Engagement Ring Trends of 2021

As a newlywed myself, I love my engagement ring: a cushion-cut diamond with a halo setting. I knew early on that I wanted a cushion-cut diamond and love the vintage vibe the halo adds to it. While halo engagement rings are extremely trendy right now, they’re also not everyone’s cup of tea. You may prefer a solitaire (single diamond on a band), or a more unique setting. You might even eschew diamonds altogether and opt for coloured gemstones.

Jessie Thomas, a London-based goldsmith and designer, says that for 2021 there’s definitely a shift towards statement engagement rings. Yellow gold is making a comeback, as are fancy-cut diamonds, especially the pear. There’s also a shift from the standard solitaire or the three-stone rings, as people start exploring more adventurous designs and find more unique pieces.
“I also think there’s a shift towards people looking to invest in good design and craftsmanship, rather than simply looking to purchase a large rock,” says Thomas. “This could certainly be due to the pandemic: I feel people are leaning towards buying fewer, high-quality special pieces. Or perhaps this has to do with the fact a lot of more women are choosing to design their own rings after the proposal!”

Emma Clarkson Webb, a certified GIA gemologist and bespoke jeweller, agrees that people are making more meaningful purchases than ever. “Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve certainly noticed a movement towards bigger spends and more impactful stones,” she says. The rise in popularity of sapphire rings and the new season of The Crown is no coincidence. “Sapphire rings have always been extremely popular but they seem to have come full circle, thanks to the renewed focus on Princess Diana’s ring. The variation in tones and shades that blue sapphires come in makes them appealing to a wide audience; they’re also very hard wearing and don’t come with quite the same price tag as a diamond, which definitely adds to their popularity.”

Going Bespoke

Bespoke ateliers are also popular choices these days for those who prefer to flex their creativity. Having a bespoke engagement ring made by an independent jeweller tends also to be a fraction of the cost of buying something ready made from a big-name brand Webb owns her own private atelier and offers her clients an incredibly personal service that’s tailored to their budget and design specifications. “I love incorporating special details into each design: be it a meaningful birthstone, a personal motif or a hidden message hand-engraved in the client’s handwriting,” she says. “I’m essentially helping my clients create a future heirloom; something that will be treasured and hopefully handed down from generation to generation.”

Lucy Crowther of Minka Jewels, who’s also a certified gemologist with a workshop in England, shares the same sentiment. The design process of the engagement ring could be just as important and romantic when shared with your other half. “Each jeweller has their own style and will go that extra mile to make sure everything is just perfect.”

Still lost? No matter what, you should always aim for quality. Says Crowther, “Ask your jeweller to source a variety of colours and cuts to choose from. The right stone will jump out at you and it means you can trust your own judgment while being educated along the way. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and do spend time considering the setting and the practicalities of the design.

The post The Art of Choosing the Perfect Engagement Ring appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Inspired by the rich patterns and chromatic palette seen in the artisanal tie-dye technique, Victoire de Castellane presents the Tie & Dior high jewellery collection comprising more than 100 jewels made with a cornucopia of stunning precious gemstones.

COMMISSIONING EDITOR CHARLENE CO / PHOTOGRAPHY BRIGITTE NIEDERMAIR 

The post Discover The Colourful Tie and Dior High Jewellery Collection appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Let's close the year with some incredible jewellery pieces that we would love to stack with our other favourite trinkets, and don with our fancy garb in those special gatherings. From contemporary and edgy pieces you can't live without to stunning gemstone-laden chokers and romantic tiaras that make you look and feel like royalty, these beautiful and sleek sparkling pieces give us much to fall in love with. Here are our favourite versatile and divine jewels of the season.

COMMISSIONING EDITOR CHARLENE CO | PHOTOGRAPHY KARL LAM | STYLING JUSTINE LEE | HAIR JEAN TONG | MAKEUP CHI CHI LI | MODEL STACEY S @ QUEST | STYLING ASSISTANT VENUS CHU

The post Versatile and Divine Jewels We’re Dreaming About This Season appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Astounding gemstones and awe-inspiring craftsmanship notwithstanding, the story of heritage jewels is what make them the stuff of legends. Here are the tales of some of the most amazing heritage pieces and of their owners.

Jewellery pieces only truly come alive when they’re worn, and as they’re often inextricably connected to a particular owner, these precious objects are transformed and take on a persona of their own. When we admire heritage pieces from behind glass in museums or exhibitions, or perhaps placed on headless busts, their stories still resonate. One can almost hear the proclamations of a hopelessly smitten lover, or the chides of an insatiable woman, if not feel the unspeakable pain brought about by loss and tragedy. There exist many such storied relics, but here are a few that will surely compel you to explore more.

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS: UN-ZIPPED

Perhaps unknown to many, Van Cleef & Arpels’ famous Zip necklace was conceived on the suggestion of the Duchess of Windsor, formerly the American socialite Wallis Simpson, a big client of the house whose controversial love story and eventual marriage to Prince Edward of Great Britain – who in 1936 abdicated to marry “the woman I love” – were the stuff of legend. So too was her jewellery collection. The couple was known to have shared an incredible passion for jewellery; story has it that the
Duke would spend hours with Van Cleef & Arpels’ designers to develop
and customise jewels for the Duchess.

In the 1930s, after the Duchess of Windsor had just purchased an Elsa Schiaparelli piece that was fastened, for the first time in haute couture, with a zipper – then relegated mainly to utilitarian wear – she encouraged, or perhaps challenged, Renée Puissant, then artistic director at Van Cleef & Arpels, to create the Zip necklace, a piece designed to be worn either open around the neck, or closed, gracing the wrist as a bracelet. Made from yellow gold and diamonds mounted in platinum, the Zip took more than a decade to make and was only completed in 1951. The Duchess is believed never actually to have owned a Zip necklace herself – pundits say the wait might have been a tad too long – but she remained a huge fan of the French house, having owned many of its pieces.

BULGARI: A LOVE SET IN STONE

It’s remiss not to include Elizabeth Taylor’s renowned emerald necklace and brooch suite by Bulgari when speaking about jewellery of incredible provenance. As the story goes, the actor Richard Burton fell in love with Taylor after filming the first scene of Cleopatra together – naturally – and the jewels just poured thereafter. Burton famously said, “the only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is Bulgari” and, unsurprisingly, Bulgari’s Via Condotti store was one of the couple’s favourite venues in Rome.

Burton gave Taylor the spectacular Bulgari necklace mounted with 16 step-cut octagonal Colombian emeralds of 60.50 carats, each surrounded by brilliant-cut and pear-shaped diamonds, and on their engagement he presented her with this 23.44-carat step-cut Colombian emerald brooch, which she wore on their wedding day in 1964. In 2011, Christie’s held a sale of Taylor’s private collection, which set records as the most valuable jewellery in auction history. From this sale and other private transactions, the brand re-acquired nine of its pieces – one of which is this brooch.

BOUCHERON: A QUESTION OF TASTE

The Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia, a devoted client of Boucheron, is known to be the first owner of the Point d’Interrogation (or, as most of us know it, the Question Mark), an astounding emerald and diamond peacock-feather necklace. Designed by Frédéric Boucheron and the head of his workshop, Paul Legrand, the necklace was referred to, for obvious reasons, as the Question Mark: it was wrapped around the wearer’s neck without the need to be fastened.

Although this modern, asymmetrical piece formed part of the Boucheron collection that won the Gold Medal at the World’s Fair in 1889, the Grand Duke already had his eyes on it even before it was presented to the world, having seen it in a sketch in 1879. He bought it a few years later, in 1883.

CARTIER: EPIC PROPORTIONS

This extravagant necklace was made for Sir Bhupindra Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, in a special order that was placed in 1925 in Paris and completed three years later. The Maharaja brought a trove of his traditional Indian jewels to Cartier, instructing the house to modernise them. The result was a magnificent ceremonial necklace with, at its centre, the 234-carat De Beers yellow diamond, believed to be the seventh-largest diamond of all time and surrounded by another 2,900 diamonds.

In 1947, the necklace vanished and in 1998, Éric Nussbaum, the former director of the Cartier Collection, discovered it in a poor state. Its restoration took Cartier’s artisans more than two years, with zirconia, white topazes, synthetic rubies, smoky quartz and citrines replacing the original gems. Tremendous efforts went into restoring the platinum chain necklaces, specifically that of the pendant that held the De Beers diamond. The necklace, as it now appears in the Cartier Collection, was shown in public for the first time in 2002.

CHAUMET: PERFECT PARURE

In the early 1800s, Chaumet and its founder Marie-Étienne Nitot were appointed as Napoleon Bonaparte’s official jeweller. Nitot would go on to design Napoleon’s coronation crown, sword hilt and many precious gifts for his first wife, Empress Joséphine, who would be known as Chaumet’s “first great client”.

The royal court’s ties with Nitot would continue even after Napoleon’s second marriage to Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine of Austria, the grand-niece of Marie-Antoinette. They married at the Louvre Chapel in 1810, when the Empress Marie-Louise received as gifts two elaborate sets of jewels, each comprising a tiara, a necklace, a pair of earrings and a comb. With Nitot’s desire to preserve a copy of these ceremonial parures, he made replicas – and this tiara is one of them. It’s part of the replica of the ruby and diamond parure that belonged to Empress Marie-Louise, which was made in gold, silver and set with white sapphires, zircons and garnets.

HARRY WINSTON: FATEFUL BEAUTY

As stunning and jaw-dropping though this 45.52-carat intense dark-blue Hope Diamond is, tragedy has befallen anyone who came to its possession. Smuggled out of India in 1642 and sold to Louis XIV 26 years later – when it was called the French Blue – it was worn once by the king, who died shortly thereafter. It then went to Louis XV, who never wore it but lent it to his mistress, Countess DuBarry, who was beheaded in the French Revolution (Marie Antoinette, who shared the same fate at the guillotine, was also believed to have worn it often).

The diamond then appeared in the collection of Henry Philip Hope, the stone’s namesake, in 1824, who had it set on a brooch and sometimes lent it to Louisa Beresford, wife of his brother Henry Thomas Hope, when she hosted society balls. Henry Philip Hope died in 1839 and his three heirs fought in court for a decade until his nephew Henry Hope acquired the gems, including the Hope Diamond. It was showcased in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and the Paris Exhibition of 1855, but was usually kept in a bank vault.

By the early 1900s, the Hope changed hands once more and was cut, re-cut and re-set time and again, with tragedy never far from it. It was owned by Evalyn Walsh MacLean, whose husband was implicated in the Teapot Dome government scandal and whose son was killed in a motor accident. Harry Winston acquired the Hope in 1949, and 10 years later donated the gem to the Smithsonian, where it resides to this day.

The post Incredible Stories of 6 Heritage Jewels You Might Not Know About appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Astounding gemstones and awe-inspiring craftsmanship notwithstanding, the story of heritage jewels is what make them the stuff of legends. Here are the tales of some of the most amazing heritage pieces and of their owners.

Jewellery pieces only truly come alive when they’re worn, and as they’re often inextricably connected to a particular owner, these precious objects are transformed and take on a persona of their own. When we admire heritage pieces from behind glass in museums or exhibitions, or perhaps placed on headless busts, their stories still resonate. One can almost hear the proclamations of a hopelessly smitten lover, or the chides of an insatiable woman, if not feel the unspeakable pain brought about by loss and tragedy. There exist many such storied relics, but here are a few that will surely compel you to explore more.

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS: UN-ZIPPED

Perhaps unknown to many, Van Cleef & Arpels’ famous Zip necklace was conceived on the suggestion of the Duchess of Windsor, formerly the American socialite Wallis Simpson, a big client of the house whose controversial love story and eventual marriage to Prince Edward of Great Britain – who in 1936 abdicated to marry “the woman I love” – were the stuff of legend. So too was her jewellery collection. The couple was known to have shared an incredible passion for jewellery; story has it that the
Duke would spend hours with Van Cleef & Arpels’ designers to develop
and customise jewels for the Duchess.

In the 1930s, after the Duchess of Windsor had just purchased an Elsa Schiaparelli piece that was fastened, for the first time in haute couture, with a zipper – then relegated mainly to utilitarian wear – she encouraged, or perhaps challenged, Renée Puissant, then artistic director at Van Cleef & Arpels, to create the Zip necklace, a piece designed to be worn either open around the neck, or closed, gracing the wrist as a bracelet. Made from yellow gold and diamonds mounted in platinum, the Zip took more than a decade to make and was only completed in 1951. The Duchess is believed never actually to have owned a Zip necklace herself – pundits say the wait might have been a tad too long – but she remained a huge fan of the French house, having owned many of its pieces.

BULGARI: A LOVE SET IN STONE

It’s remiss not to include Elizabeth Taylor’s renowned emerald necklace and brooch suite by Bulgari when speaking about jewellery of incredible provenance. As the story goes, the actor Richard Burton fell in love with Taylor after filming the first scene of Cleopatra together – naturally – and the jewels just poured thereafter. Burton famously said, “the only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is Bulgari” and, unsurprisingly, Bulgari’s Via Condotti store was one of the couple’s favourite venues in Rome.

Burton gave Taylor the spectacular Bulgari necklace mounted with 16 step-cut octagonal Colombian emeralds of 60.50 carats, each surrounded by brilliant-cut and pear-shaped diamonds, and on their engagement he presented her with this 23.44-carat step-cut Colombian emerald brooch, which she wore on their wedding day in 1964. In 2011, Christie’s held a sale of Taylor’s private collection, which set records as the most valuable jewellery in auction history. From this sale and other private transactions, the brand re-acquired nine of its pieces – one of which is this brooch.

BOUCHERON: A QUESTION OF TASTE

The Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia, a devoted client of Boucheron, is known to be the first owner of the Point d’Interrogation (or, as most of us know it, the Question Mark), an astounding emerald and diamond peacock-feather necklace. Designed by Frédéric Boucheron and the head of his workshop, Paul Legrand, the necklace was referred to, for obvious reasons, as the Question Mark: it was wrapped around the wearer’s neck without the need to be fastened.

Although this modern, asymmetrical piece formed part of the Boucheron collection that won the Gold Medal at the World’s Fair in 1889, the Grand Duke already had his eyes on it even before it was presented to the world, having seen it in a sketch in 1879. He bought it a few years later, in 1883.

CARTIER: EPIC PROPORTIONS

This extravagant necklace was made for Sir Bhupindra Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, in a special order that was placed in 1925 in Paris and completed three years later. The Maharaja brought a trove of his traditional Indian jewels to Cartier, instructing the house to modernise them. The result was a magnificent ceremonial necklace with, at its centre, the 234-carat De Beers yellow diamond, believed to be the seventh-largest diamond of all time and surrounded by another 2,900 diamonds.

In 1947, the necklace vanished and in 1998, Éric Nussbaum, the former director of the Cartier Collection, discovered it in a poor state. Its restoration took Cartier’s artisans more than two years, with zirconia, white topazes, synthetic rubies, smoky quartz and citrines replacing the original gems. Tremendous efforts went into restoring the platinum chain necklaces, specifically that of the pendant that held the De Beers diamond. The necklace, as it now appears in the Cartier Collection, was shown in public for the first time in 2002.

CHAUMET: PERFECT PARURE

In the early 1800s, Chaumet and its founder Marie-Étienne Nitot were appointed as Napoleon Bonaparte’s official jeweller. Nitot would go on to design Napoleon’s coronation crown, sword hilt and many precious gifts for his first wife, Empress Joséphine, who would be known as Chaumet’s “first great client”.

The royal court’s ties with Nitot would continue even after Napoleon’s second marriage to Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine of Austria, the grand-niece of Marie-Antoinette. They married at the Louvre Chapel in 1810, when the Empress Marie-Louise received as gifts two elaborate sets of jewels, each comprising a tiara, a necklace, a pair of earrings and a comb. With Nitot’s desire to preserve a copy of these ceremonial parures, he made replicas – and this tiara is one of them. It’s part of the replica of the ruby and diamond parure that belonged to Empress Marie-Louise, which was made in gold, silver and set with white sapphires, zircons and garnets.

HARRY WINSTON: FATEFUL BEAUTY

As stunning and jaw-dropping though this 45.52-carat intense dark-blue Hope Diamond is, tragedy has befallen anyone who came to its possession. Smuggled out of India in 1642 and sold to Louis XIV 26 years later – when it was called the French Blue – it was worn once by the king, who died shortly thereafter. It then went to Louis XV, who never wore it but lent it to his mistress, Countess DuBarry, who was beheaded in the French Revolution (Marie Antoinette, who shared the same fate at the guillotine, was also believed to have worn it often).

The diamond then appeared in the collection of Henry Philip Hope, the stone’s namesake, in 1824, who had it set on a brooch and sometimes lent it to Louisa Beresford, wife of his brother Henry Thomas Hope, when she hosted society balls. Henry Philip Hope died in 1839 and his three heirs fought in court for a decade until his nephew Henry Hope acquired the gems, including the Hope Diamond. It was showcased in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and the Paris Exhibition of 1855, but was usually kept in a bank vault.

By the early 1900s, the Hope changed hands once more and was cut, re-cut and re-set time and again, with tragedy never far from it. It was owned by Evalyn Walsh MacLean, whose husband was implicated in the Teapot Dome government scandal and whose son was killed in a motor accident. Harry Winston acquired the Hope in 1949, and 10 years later donated the gem to the Smithsonian, where it resides to this day.

The post Incredible Stories of 6 Heritage Jewels You Might Not Know About appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Astounding gemstones and awe-inspiring craftsmanship notwithstanding, the story of heritage jewels is what make them the stuff of legends. Here are the tales of some of the most amazing heritage pieces and of their owners.

Jewellery pieces only truly come alive when they’re worn, and as they’re often inextricably connected to a particular owner, these precious objects are transformed and take on a persona of their own. When we admire heritage pieces from behind glass in museums or exhibitions, or perhaps placed on headless busts, their stories still resonate. One can almost hear the proclamations of a hopelessly smitten lover, or the chides of an insatiable woman, if not feel the unspeakable pain brought about by loss and tragedy. There exist many such storied relics, but here are a few that will surely compel you to explore more.

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS: UN-ZIPPED

Perhaps unknown to many, Van Cleef & Arpels’ famous Zip necklace was conceived on the suggestion of the Duchess of Windsor, formerly the American socialite Wallis Simpson, a big client of the house whose controversial love story and eventual marriage to Prince Edward of Great Britain – who in 1936 abdicated to marry “the woman I love” – were the stuff of legend. So too was her jewellery collection. The couple was known to have shared an incredible passion for jewellery; story has it that the
Duke would spend hours with Van Cleef & Arpels’ designers to develop
and customise jewels for the Duchess.

In the 1930s, after the Duchess of Windsor had just purchased an Elsa Schiaparelli piece that was fastened, for the first time in haute couture, with a zipper – then relegated mainly to utilitarian wear – she encouraged, or perhaps challenged, Renée Puissant, then artistic director at Van Cleef & Arpels, to create the Zip necklace, a piece designed to be worn either open around the neck, or closed, gracing the wrist as a bracelet. Made from yellow gold and diamonds mounted in platinum, the Zip took more than a decade to make and was only completed in 1951. The Duchess is believed never actually to have owned a Zip necklace herself – pundits say the wait might have been a tad too long – but she remained a huge fan of the French house, having owned many of its pieces.

BULGARI: A LOVE SET IN STONE

It’s remiss not to include Elizabeth Taylor’s renowned emerald necklace and brooch suite by Bulgari when speaking about jewellery of incredible provenance. As the story goes, the actor Richard Burton fell in love with Taylor after filming the first scene of Cleopatra together – naturally – and the jewels just poured thereafter. Burton famously said, “the only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is Bulgari” and, unsurprisingly, Bulgari’s Via Condotti store was one of the couple’s favourite venues in Rome.

Burton gave Taylor the spectacular Bulgari necklace mounted with 16 step-cut octagonal Colombian emeralds of 60.50 carats, each surrounded by brilliant-cut and pear-shaped diamonds, and on their engagement he presented her with this 23.44-carat step-cut Colombian emerald brooch, which she wore on their wedding day in 1964. In 2011, Christie’s held a sale of Taylor’s private collection, which set records as the most valuable jewellery in auction history. From this sale and other private transactions, the brand re-acquired nine of its pieces – one of which is this brooch.

BOUCHERON: A QUESTION OF TASTE

The Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia, a devoted client of Boucheron, is known to be the first owner of the Point d’Interrogation (or, as most of us know it, the Question Mark), an astounding emerald and diamond peacock-feather necklace. Designed by Frédéric Boucheron and the head of his workshop, Paul Legrand, the necklace was referred to, for obvious reasons, as the Question Mark: it was wrapped around the wearer’s neck without the need to be fastened.

Although this modern, asymmetrical piece formed part of the Boucheron collection that won the Gold Medal at the World’s Fair in 1889, the Grand Duke already had his eyes on it even before it was presented to the world, having seen it in a sketch in 1879. He bought it a few years later, in 1883.

CARTIER: EPIC PROPORTIONS

This extravagant necklace was made for Sir Bhupindra Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, in a special order that was placed in 1925 in Paris and completed three years later. The Maharaja brought a trove of his traditional Indian jewels to Cartier, instructing the house to modernise them. The result was a magnificent ceremonial necklace with, at its centre, the 234-carat De Beers yellow diamond, believed to be the seventh-largest diamond of all time and surrounded by another 2,900 diamonds.

In 1947, the necklace vanished and in 1998, Éric Nussbaum, the former director of the Cartier Collection, discovered it in a poor state. Its restoration took Cartier’s artisans more than two years, with zirconia, white topazes, synthetic rubies, smoky quartz and citrines replacing the original gems. Tremendous efforts went into restoring the platinum chain necklaces, specifically that of the pendant that held the De Beers diamond. The necklace, as it now appears in the Cartier Collection, was shown in public for the first time in 2002.

CHAUMET: PERFECT PARURE

In the early 1800s, Chaumet and its founder Marie-Étienne Nitot were appointed as Napoleon Bonaparte’s official jeweller. Nitot would go on to design Napoleon’s coronation crown, sword hilt and many precious gifts for his first wife, Empress Joséphine, who would be known as Chaumet’s “first great client”.

The royal court’s ties with Nitot would continue even after Napoleon’s second marriage to Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine of Austria, the grand-niece of Marie-Antoinette. They married at the Louvre Chapel in 1810, when the Empress Marie-Louise received as gifts two elaborate sets of jewels, each comprising a tiara, a necklace, a pair of earrings and a comb. With Nitot’s desire to preserve a copy of these ceremonial parures, he made replicas – and this tiara is one of them. It’s part of the replica of the ruby and diamond parure that belonged to Empress Marie-Louise, which was made in gold, silver and set with white sapphires, zircons and garnets.

HARRY WINSTON: FATEFUL BEAUTY

As stunning and jaw-dropping though this 45.52-carat intense dark-blue Hope Diamond is, tragedy has befallen anyone who came to its possession. Smuggled out of India in 1642 and sold to Louis XIV 26 years later – when it was called the French Blue – it was worn once by the king, who died shortly thereafter. It then went to Louis XV, who never wore it but lent it to his mistress, Countess DuBarry, who was beheaded in the French Revolution (Marie Antoinette, who shared the same fate at the guillotine, was also believed to have worn it often).

The diamond then appeared in the collection of Henry Philip Hope, the stone’s namesake, in 1824, who had it set on a brooch and sometimes lent it to Louisa Beresford, wife of his brother Henry Thomas Hope, when she hosted society balls. Henry Philip Hope died in 1839 and his three heirs fought in court for a decade until his nephew Henry Hope acquired the gems, including the Hope Diamond. It was showcased in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and the Paris Exhibition of 1855, but was usually kept in a bank vault.

By the early 1900s, the Hope changed hands once more and was cut, re-cut and re-set time and again, with tragedy never far from it. It was owned by Evalyn Walsh MacLean, whose husband was implicated in the Teapot Dome government scandal and whose son was killed in a motor accident. Harry Winston acquired the Hope in 1949, and 10 years later donated the gem to the Smithsonian, where it resides to this day.

The post Incredible Stories of 6 Heritage Jewels You Might Not Know About appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Astounding gemstones and awe-inspiring craftsmanship notwithstanding, the story of heritage jewels is what make them the stuff of legends. Here are the tales of some of the most amazing heritage pieces and of their owners.

Jewellery pieces only truly come alive when they’re worn, and as they’re often inextricably connected to a particular owner, these precious objects are transformed and take on a persona of their own. When we admire heritage pieces from behind glass in museums or exhibitions, or perhaps placed on headless busts, their stories still resonate. One can almost hear the proclamations of a hopelessly smitten lover, or the chides of an insatiable woman, if not feel the unspeakable pain brought about by loss and tragedy. There exist many such storied relics, but here are a few that will surely compel you to explore more.

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS: UN-ZIPPED

Perhaps unknown to many, Van Cleef & Arpels’ famous Zip necklace was conceived on the suggestion of the Duchess of Windsor, formerly the American socialite Wallis Simpson, a big client of the house whose controversial love story and eventual marriage to Prince Edward of Great Britain – who in 1936 abdicated to marry “the woman I love” – were the stuff of legend. So too was her jewellery collection. The couple was known to have shared an incredible passion for jewellery; story has it that the
Duke would spend hours with Van Cleef & Arpels’ designers to develop
and customise jewels for the Duchess.

In the 1930s, after the Duchess of Windsor had just purchased an Elsa Schiaparelli piece that was fastened, for the first time in haute couture, with a zipper – then relegated mainly to utilitarian wear – she encouraged, or perhaps challenged, Renée Puissant, then artistic director at Van Cleef & Arpels, to create the Zip necklace, a piece designed to be worn either open around the neck, or closed, gracing the wrist as a bracelet. Made from yellow gold and diamonds mounted in platinum, the Zip took more than a decade to make and was only completed in 1951. The Duchess is believed never actually to have owned a Zip necklace herself – pundits say the wait might have been a tad too long – but she remained a huge fan of the French house, having owned many of its pieces.

BULGARI: A LOVE SET IN STONE

It’s remiss not to include Elizabeth Taylor’s renowned emerald necklace and brooch suite by Bulgari when speaking about jewellery of incredible provenance. As the story goes, the actor Richard Burton fell in love with Taylor after filming the first scene of Cleopatra together – naturally – and the jewels just poured thereafter. Burton famously said, “the only word Elizabeth knows in Italian is Bulgari” and, unsurprisingly, Bulgari’s Via Condotti store was one of the couple’s favourite venues in Rome.

Burton gave Taylor the spectacular Bulgari necklace mounted with 16 step-cut octagonal Colombian emeralds of 60.50 carats, each surrounded by brilliant-cut and pear-shaped diamonds, and on their engagement he presented her with this 23.44-carat step-cut Colombian emerald brooch, which she wore on their wedding day in 1964. In 2011, Christie’s held a sale of Taylor’s private collection, which set records as the most valuable jewellery in auction history. From this sale and other private transactions, the brand re-acquired nine of its pieces – one of which is this brooch.

BOUCHERON: A QUESTION OF TASTE

The Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia, a devoted client of Boucheron, is known to be the first owner of the Point d’Interrogation (or, as most of us know it, the Question Mark), an astounding emerald and diamond peacock-feather necklace. Designed by Frédéric Boucheron and the head of his workshop, Paul Legrand, the necklace was referred to, for obvious reasons, as the Question Mark: it was wrapped around the wearer’s neck without the need to be fastened.

Although this modern, asymmetrical piece formed part of the Boucheron collection that won the Gold Medal at the World’s Fair in 1889, the Grand Duke already had his eyes on it even before it was presented to the world, having seen it in a sketch in 1879. He bought it a few years later, in 1883.

CARTIER: EPIC PROPORTIONS

This extravagant necklace was made for Sir Bhupindra Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala, in a special order that was placed in 1925 in Paris and completed three years later. The Maharaja brought a trove of his traditional Indian jewels to Cartier, instructing the house to modernise them. The result was a magnificent ceremonial necklace with, at its centre, the 234-carat De Beers yellow diamond, believed to be the seventh-largest diamond of all time and surrounded by another 2,900 diamonds.

In 1947, the necklace vanished and in 1998, Éric Nussbaum, the former director of the Cartier Collection, discovered it in a poor state. Its restoration took Cartier’s artisans more than two years, with zirconia, white topazes, synthetic rubies, smoky quartz and citrines replacing the original gems. Tremendous efforts went into restoring the platinum chain necklaces, specifically that of the pendant that held the De Beers diamond. The necklace, as it now appears in the Cartier Collection, was shown in public for the first time in 2002.

CHAUMET: PERFECT PARURE

In the early 1800s, Chaumet and its founder Marie-Étienne Nitot were appointed as Napoleon Bonaparte’s official jeweller. Nitot would go on to design Napoleon’s coronation crown, sword hilt and many precious gifts for his first wife, Empress Joséphine, who would be known as Chaumet’s “first great client”.

The royal court’s ties with Nitot would continue even after Napoleon’s second marriage to Marie-Louise of Habsburg-Lorraine of Austria, the grand-niece of Marie-Antoinette. They married at the Louvre Chapel in 1810, when the Empress Marie-Louise received as gifts two elaborate sets of jewels, each comprising a tiara, a necklace, a pair of earrings and a comb. With Nitot’s desire to preserve a copy of these ceremonial parures, he made replicas – and this tiara is one of them. It’s part of the replica of the ruby and diamond parure that belonged to Empress Marie-Louise, which was made in gold, silver and set with white sapphires, zircons and garnets.

HARRY WINSTON: FATEFUL BEAUTY

As stunning and jaw-dropping though this 45.52-carat intense dark-blue Hope Diamond is, tragedy has befallen anyone who came to its possession. Smuggled out of India in 1642 and sold to Louis XIV 26 years later – when it was called the French Blue – it was worn once by the king, who died shortly thereafter. It then went to Louis XV, who never wore it but lent it to his mistress, Countess DuBarry, who was beheaded in the French Revolution (Marie Antoinette, who shared the same fate at the guillotine, was also believed to have worn it often).

The diamond then appeared in the collection of Henry Philip Hope, the stone’s namesake, in 1824, who had it set on a brooch and sometimes lent it to Louisa Beresford, wife of his brother Henry Thomas Hope, when she hosted society balls. Henry Philip Hope died in 1839 and his three heirs fought in court for a decade until his nephew Henry Hope acquired the gems, including the Hope Diamond. It was showcased in the Great Exhibition of London in 1851 and the Paris Exhibition of 1855, but was usually kept in a bank vault.

By the early 1900s, the Hope changed hands once more and was cut, re-cut and re-set time and again, with tragedy never far from it. It was owned by Evalyn Walsh MacLean, whose husband was implicated in the Teapot Dome government scandal and whose son was killed in a motor accident. Harry Winston acquired the Hope in 1949, and 10 years later donated the gem to the Smithsonian, where it resides to this day.

The post Incredible Stories of 6 Heritage Jewels You Might Not Know About appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

'Tis the season to be jolly with Bvlgari classics.

The post A His and Hers Merry Bvlgari Christmas featuring Bvlgari Classics: Roma, Serpenti, Lvcea and Diva appeared first on LUXUO.

Retail therapy has always solved all of life's problems. If you've had a bad day, there's nothing a new pair of shoes or a new accessory can't fix. Well then, what if it's been a shockingly bad, downright terrible year all around?

Maybe gifting yourself (and friends) some jewellery — the sparkle of diamonds and the gleam of gold — can provide the necessary distraction til the new year rolls around.

Here are our favourite Christmas gifts for the jewellery lover in your life. 

You can also find gift guides, giveaways and more over on The Prestige Christmas Edit here. 

The post Best Christmas Gifts for the Jewellery Lover appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Retail therapy has always solved all of life's problems. If you've had a bad day, there's nothing a new pair of shoes or a new accessory can't fix. Well then, what if it's been a shockingly bad, downright terrible year all around?

Maybe gifting yourself (and friends) some jewellery — the sparkle of diamonds and the gleam of gold — can provide the necessary distraction til the new year rolls around.

Here are our favourite Christmas gifts for the jewellery lover in your life. 

You can also find gift guides, giveaways and more over on The Prestige Christmas Edit here. 

The post Best Christmas Gifts for the Jewellery Lover appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Retail therapy has always solved all of life's problems. If you've had a bad day, there's nothing a new pair of shoes or a new accessory can't fix. Well then, what if it's been a shockingly bad, downright terrible year all around?

Maybe gifting yourself (and friends) some jewellery — the sparkle of diamonds and the gleam of gold — can provide the necessary distraction til the new year rolls around.

Here are our favourite Christmas gifts for the jewellery lover in your life. 

You can also find gift guides, giveaways and more over on The Prestige Christmas Edit here. 

The post Best Christmas Gifts for the Jewellery Lover appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.