Features

Hong Kong jewellery brands: All that glitters

1 Nov 2006 by ahmarshah

Shopping for bling in Hongkong has never been this much fun with the influx of a bevy of renowned international jewellery brands, reports Julian Tan.

“Hongkong jewellery is a religion,” says trend-setting artist and jewellery designer John Hardy. The transplanted Canadian, who has spent three decades in Asia, mostly in Bali, from where his unique creations find their way into top-drawer department stores, couldn’t have summed up the city’s love affair with bling more succinctly.

For decades, shopping in Hongkong has inevitably included coming home with some little “bauble”, whether purchased in a famous street bazaar such as the Jade Market in Kowloon’s Yau Ma Tei or any of the gem and jewellery shops that rival 7-Eleven convenience stores in their proliferation.

Its reputation as the leading jewellery trading hub in the region remains untarnished, boasting several large-scale exhibitions held every year at the Hongkong Convention Centre. The Hongkong Jewellery & Watch Fair, held in June and September, continues to generate attractive business. This year’s September fair (open to trade only) registered a total of 2,519 exhibitors from 47 countries, the strongest showing from Thailand and Mainland China and of course, Hongkong. The most number of visitors came from the Asia-Pacific (39.3 percent), followed by Europe (7.2 percent), North America (6.1 percent) and the Middle East (1.5 percent).

Other significant events are the Hongkong International Jewellery Show (also for trade only) in March and the Hongkong International Jewelry Manufacturers Exhibition (HKIJME) scheduled from December 7 to 10 this year, for both the trade and public.

“The Hongkong jewellery market provides the largest range of jewellery products from low end to mega brands’ merchandise,” says HKIJME general manager Wings Cheung. “To both industry practitioners and tourists, Hongkong is a ‘trustmark’ of jewellery and gemstone trading and a shopping hub.”

Backing his claim is Helen Giss, who runs Asian Cajun, a successful shopping service that charges US$150 an hour with a minimum of three hours plus transportation. She says: “Jewellery in every price range is a very good buy in Hongkong. South Sea, freshwater and Akoya pearls are also available in the territory, as are diamonds and coloured stones in every size and shape.

“Almost all of my clients (majority of whom come from the US, Australia and Europe) purchase jewellery during their visits to Hongkong and they come from all walks of life.”

Preliminary figures on the Gross Domestic Product for the second quarter of 2006 released in August show that the Hongkong economy, following an exceptionally strong growth of 8 percent in the first quarter, grew by 5.2 percent over 2005, prompting pundits to remain optimistic about the rest of the year. With such a positive outlook, it is no wonder that savvy consumers are flexing their buying power and at the same time, looking not only to local jewellers but also international brands that offer a different edge in terms of design, craftsmanship and technique.

John Hardy, who counts fans the likes of Cher, Susan Sarandon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna and Oprah Winfrey, is one of the latest names in the business to enter the Hongkong market. With the headquarters-showroom in New York’s trendy Chelsea district and workshops ensconced in a plantation beside Bali’s mystic Ayung River, he started selling at the Lane Crawford’s flagship IFC emporium in 2004, expanding to its Pacific Place branch late last year with his men’s line. “I chose Hongkong because it’s the New York of Asia,” says the self-confessed rebel and dyslexic, whose wife, business partner and muse Cynthia and their two equally photogenic daughters often appear in the promotional campaigns.

His story began in 1975 when he visited Bali as an art student. He was captivated by the island and its people. His passion for jewellery saw him staying on to learn the traditional ways of fashioning body accessories, a decision that has led to some of the most distinctive wearable art in the world today.

Hardy’s vision has translated into nature-inspired contemporary pieces for both men and women using colourful gems, silver and gold. “I believe a person wearing our jewellery is probably interested in yoga, their diet, natural fibres and natural things, craft, in how they’re feeling as well as how they’re looking,” says Hardy. “That’s my belief about our customers. Timeless, ageless, living in their own style.”

The brand’s signature collections include Palu (“hammer” in Balinese), which combines hammered 22-carat gold with silver roping for an arresting effect. Says Hardy: “What we do is more of the heart and less of the ego.”

Another top-of-the-line international jeweller is Qeelin, with boutiques at The Peninsula hotel and IFC Mall. Co-founder and CEO Guillaume Brochard, a Frenchman, left his job as head of Swiss watch manufacturer Ebel SA in 2003 to pursue “a personal project” – the birth of the first luxury Chinese jewellery brand, Qeelin, with renowned Chinese designer and friend, Dennis Chan, whom he met in Hongkong in the 1990s. “After launching the brand in France, we chose Hongkong, which boasts a unique location, at the crossroads between East and West and between tradition and modernity,” he says.

“That’s what Qeelin is all about – a contemporary jeweller whose inspiration stems from Chinese culture and art heritage, yet with influences coming from all over the world. What sets Qeelin apart from other jewellers is its flair for versatility.

“For example, in the Yin Yang Wulu collection, the use of entwined superb leather cords, white gold chains and removable diamond clasps spurs creative ways of adornment and permits much versatility, allowing a single pendant to be worn as a necklace, earring or bracelet.”

Specialising in contemporary creations motivated by the Chinese culture, Qeelin caters to the “contemporary and confident with a flair for style and a palate for luxury and indulgence”. Its signature Wulu collection features the gourd – the symbol of good fortune – in the shape of the digit eight. Made of gold and platinum, enhanced with colourful diamonds, sapphires and rubies, Wulu was worn by actress Maggie Cheung at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival where she was named Best Actress.

Recent years have also seen the entry of Italian jeweller Pianegonda, which unveiled its first boutique in December 2005 at The Landmark in Central. This was followed by its Pacific Place boutique opened four months ago and another next year in the soon-to-open Element mall in Kowloon. Hongkong is one of only four cities in the Asia-Pacific region – the other three being Beijing, Seoul and Dubai – where this 12-year-old jeweller has a presence. The boutiques are centred in Italy – 11 at last count.

Launched in Vicenza in 1994 by Franco Pianegonda and sister Maria Luisa, Pianegonda experiments leather or natural stones with silver or gold, and diamonds with gold, silver or leather. It has a huge celebrity following with the likes of Alicia Keys, Hilary Duff, Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson.

Another well-known luxury jeweller from Italy is Damiani, which launched in July this year at IFC Mall and plans to open more retail shops in Hongkong, including a flagship next year.

The influx of international jewellery brands in Hongkong has not only exposed the consumer market to world standards in terms of quality and product, but also encouraged jewellers to experiment with the materials on hand and present more sophisticated, unique collections.

“They design (collections in) silver, gold and semi-precious stones and mix these materials with the colours of the fashion season, so they’re much more dynamic and different (from some of the local traditional jewellers),” says retail specialist and author Ellen McNally, who has lived in Hongkong for 19 years and written shopping guides for Hongkong and Shenzhen.

Besides benefiting from being a cosmopolitan city, what puts Hongkong on the jewellers’ radar is the low labour and rental cost, duty free trade and its strategic accessibility to Mainland China. “Most Hongkong jewellery manufacturers own the world-class production base in China’s Pearl River Delta. The low labour and rental cost has also supported the boom of the Hongkong jewellery industry,” exhibition organiser Wings Cheung explains.

Prominent Hongkong jeweller Edward Chiu adds: “Hongkong is duty free for luxury goods and … has an incomparable convenience and linkage to China; it’s a win-win situation for retailing, wholesaling and manufacturing.” Chiu, who specialises in one-of-a-kind nature-inspired and geometric-shaped jewellery pieces made from black jade and different coloured jade, says he is looking forward to hit the China market and plans are under way.

When asked about his plans for the Mainland market, Qeelin’s Brochard says: “Being the first luxury Chinese jeweller, there is definitely intention to step into the China market and we plan to do so via promotions and setting up a boutique in Beijing and/or Shanghai in the near future.” John Hardy also remains confident of the vibrant Chinese consumer market, saying: “I visited China recently, and I can see that as much as the Chinese seem to be fascinated by luxury, I think they will soon burst through luxury and start looking for quality and authenticity.

“The differentiation here is between the heart and the ego. Luxury primarily appeals to the ego, ‘I’ve got one, it’s blacker and shinier than yours’, whereas authenticity is more like a hand-stitched saddle or a hand-hammered chain.”

As China becomes more affluent along with increasing consumption and consumers’ changing tastes, the jewellery industry looks to nearby Hongkong to capitalise on the territory’s growing affluence – which, as Chiu notes, has urged the man (and woman) on the street to buy jewellery as a way of conveying their personality rather than an investment. “Buying jewellery nowadays is no longer only for investment. People are becoming wealthier and want a higher quality of life. That means they are more style and fashion conscious. Jewellery is an important way of expressing personal taste and individuality,” says Chiu.

SHOP, DROP, SHOP

In a bid to enrich the experiences of visitors to Hongkong, whether for shopping, dining or sightseeing, Hongkong Tourism Board recently launched the Hongkong Mobile Host – a collaboration with local mobile network operators (3 Hongkong, CSL, New World Mobility, PEOPLES and SUNDAY) and over 300 overseas mobile phone operators. Accessible via mobile phone and available in both voice and text via WAP format, visitors can get hold of up-to-date, tailor-made information like on-the-spot commentaries on key attractions, hot shopping offers, dining recommendations and major events. Prices start from HK$60 (US$7.71) for a three-day pass with unlimited audio access to the service using a roaming SIM card without incurring any additional charges, or dial up on a call-by-call basis at prevailing airtime rates. It is offered in three languages, English, Putonghua and Cantonese.