A Hong Kong jeweller draws inspiration from Cambodia and the ancient Khmer Empire for its latest collection, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup
WHEN Chow Tai Fook held its high jewellery auction four years ago, the Hong Kong-based company looked to its own history to create one-of-a-kind pieces.
The resulting collection was inspired by the Ching Dynasty, combining both modern and traditional Chinese jewellery design and materials.
For the second year, it looked to France for inspiration, creating pieces that were heavily influenced by French ballet. Meanwhile, Italian art and architecture, particularly in Milan, was the theme for the following year.
This year’s collection Reflections Of Siem is inspired by Cambodia and the ancient Khmer civilisation. It features 14 sets of one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces — the pinnacle of Chow Tai Fook’s creative vision and expert craftsmanship.
One of the pieces called Flamingo Rouge is a tribute to the organic shapes and man-made structures in Angkor Wat. It has a 36-carat tourmaline stone at its centre, embraced by a pink sapphire and diamond-studded bird and surrounded by wings of red tourmalines and white diamonds.
Another outstanding piece, Halcyon, is inspired by floating houses on Tonle Sap. The necklace and earring set is made of rectangular gems of clear crystals, sapphires, aquamarines, tourmalines and lapis lazuli, with yellow diamonds for contrast.
Chow Tai Fook presented Reflections Of Siem at a recent preview in Singapore, the first time the collection was unveiled in this part of the world. The auction took place in Hong Kong last month.
RARE SIGHT
The decision to look to Cambodia as inspiration is in tune with changes in Chinese high society, said managing director Kent Wong Siu Kee. Chow Tai Fook has tapped into Europe, and it wants something rare and mysterious.
“Cambodia has spiritual heritage, particularly Buddhist, which our customers like very much,” said Wong.”We’ve had six rounds of preview in Chinese cities before coming to Singapore, and we received very positive response.”
The process of creating the pieces from idea to finished product takes about 1½ years. This includes sketching the designs, sourcing gems from different parts of the world and creating the final product.
Auspicious red is popular, while jade and gold are also a hit. But pure white diamond pieces are a tough sell for Chinese customers.
The pieces in Reflections Of Siem are colourful, with precious stones in shades of blue, green andred. The Reflections Of Angkor necklace with white diamonds is dotted with pink and yellow diamonds to make it pop.
HIGHEST BIDDER
The pieces were only sold at an auction. “A tycoon in Beijing offered US$1 million (RM3.2 million) for one of the pieces but we turned him down because itwas not fair to other customers,” added Wong.
“Auctions are an important venue to buy jewellery, similar to antiques and art. But an auction doesn’t guarantee higher prices. It is, however, fair to customers. They decide the price, not us.”
Auctions guarantee that the pieces only go to the people who truly appreciate the beauty and value of a rare article.
“We sell our one-of-a-kind piece of jewellery to someone who also loves it very much. The purchaser will take care of it and pass it on to the next generation.”
Group Branding department director Alan Chen said that an individual must meet certain requirements before he can take part in the auction. For a start, he has to be invited to the auction dinner.
“You need to have spent at least HK$1 million (RM420,000) at Chow Tai Fook to get an invite. And you will compete with 400 people for the pieces.
“However, they are not under any pressure to bid, and they are taken care of by their relationship manager.
“The auction is like an annual gathering. We have wine tasting and go for a cruise in Hong Kong Harbour. We even have professional hairdressers and stylists for our customers who are VVIPs.”
WEALTH OF TRUST
CHOW TAI FOOK began as a goldsmith shop in Guangzhou, China in 1929, before expanding its business to Hong Kong and Macau in the 1950s. It is currently based in Hong Kong and operates around 2,100 outlets in Greater China. Its Malaysian store is in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.
Its core business is the manufacturing and selling of mass and high-end jewellery. It is one of the few jewellery companies that gets its diamonds directly from mining companies, and it runs four diamond-cutting factories in China, Botswana and South Africa.
It has nine jewellery manufacturing facilities, mostly in mainland China. “Production, marketing, sales and service are done in-house,” said managing director Kent Wong Siu Kee. “It’s a rare model, only a few companies do this.”
Chow Tai Fook is one of the regional pioneers in the jewellery industry. In the 1960s, it became the first company in Hong Kong to use 99.99 per cent pure gold to make its 24-carat gold jewellery.
It was also the first among Chinese jewellers to stop the practice of bargaining. Instead, it began offering only fixed prices at its shops from 1990.
The company’s success is built on the trust and confidence of its customers. “In Chinese people’s minds, trust is likened to wealth accumulation. It’s a gift to pass on to the next generation.”
DIGITAL GOLDMINE
And the 85-year-old brand has embraced business in the digital age. It is the top jewellery retailer on Tmall, the Chinese-language platform for e-commerce operated by the Alibaba Group. It is also active on social media.
Group Branding department director Alan Chan said: “On social media, you don’t have to pay huge amounts of money for advertising. There’s the viral effect — customers spread the news themselves.”
Chow Tai Fook makes it fun to shop online. An example of this is the G-Dragon jewellery collection, which includes charms based on the South Korean superstars‘ tattoos. It comes in eight styles and three types of gold, resulting in 24 variations.
“We sell it in a box of three random pieces. So you won’t get everything unless you buy a lot or you trade. So there’s a lot of interaction among people looking to swap pieces. And we only sell seven of the eight styles online. But if you can get that seventh piece in the same colour, we will give you the eighth.”