Category: Jewellery

Asymmetrical earrings: A mismatch made in heaven

Asymmetrical earrings: A mismatch made in heaven

Move over matching earrings, mismatch is the hottest new trend!

This year, the fashion runways and streets alike have proven that asymmetrical ear candy is here to stay. Although it’s unclear where the quirky style originates from, we can guess it may have something to do with the dozens of once-couple solo earrings we are all guilty of having scattered around of homes.

While the thought of an unconventional, non matchy-matchy pairing may have you quivering, there are endless ways to pull of this seemingly bold trend.

Whether you colour-coordinate earrings from different pairs or pull together a combination of different sizes or shapes, rest assured that you can make this fashion statement as big or as small as you would like.

So go ahead ladies, make the most of those sad-single earrings. Mix and match with mismatch earrings – we knew they’d come in use one day!

If you are looking to dip your toes into a trend that is likely to forge into the year ahead, check out our roundup of some the most luxurious mismatch earrings around.

 

Have you ever wondered why you naturally gravitate towards a certain pair of earrings? Read our guide to find out what your favourite earrings say about you.

Second Harry Winston salon opens its doors in the centre of town

Last week, renowned haute joallerie brand Harry Winston unveiled its hottest new address in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Plush interiors at the new Harry Winston salon
Plush interiors at the new Harry Winston salon

To celebrate this joyous occasion, Fadi Ghalayini, Global VP of Sales, and Jennifer Liu, Regional Managing Director of Asia, were joined by Hollywood actress Kate Hudson for a special ribbon cutting ceremony.

Kate Hudson officiates ribbon cutting ceremony at new Harry Winston store
(From left) Jennifer Liu, Kate Hudson and Fadi Ghalayini officiate the ribbon cutting ceremony

Hudson was glamorously attired Harry Winston’s Ultimate Emerald Signature Timepiece and stunning items from the Secret Cluster Collection.

Kate Hudson wore these stunners to Harry Winston salon opening
Kate Hudson was spotted in these stunners at the salon opening

This prestigious location marks the luxury jewellery atelier’s second salon in our city. The plush 214-square-metre interiors blend traditional Winston heritage with contemporary flair, and is set to house the brand’s luxury timepiece and jewellery collections.

Harry Winston Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong Salon:
Unit G1-3, G/F Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong

 

What do your favourite earrings say about you?

There are so many choices when it comes to earrings. So much so, you can find a new pair to wear every day of the year! But we all have our favourite earrings, the ones we go back to time and time again and much like fashion, hair styles and anything else in life, our choices in jewellery reflect our personalities. 

Read on to see what your favourite ear earrings says about you…

Hoops

Hoop earrings have been around for decades and while it may seem that they’ve had their five minutes of fame, they always make a comeback, time and time again. If you are a loyal hoop fan who doesn’t give fashion trends a second thought, you really are an individual who loves showing off your party side. Hoop earrings always seem to make big statements. Whether it’s the disco days of the 1970’s or the hip-hop trend in the mid-2000’s, hoop earrings remain as fun and funky as they began. So, as it transpires, if your favourite earrings are hoops, you  really are the life and soul of the party!

Dangling earrings

Dangly earrings are unique and classic, all at the same time. They represent women who like more than just the average; a blend of distinctiveness and adventure, fashion and flair. Beads and colours represent your creative side while gems and handmade earrings indicate your love of nature.

Precious Gems

 

Gems are rare, precious and classy; everything of good taste. Does this sound familiar? Gems also show that you love glamour and elegance and have a taste for the finer things in life. It may also be an indication that you live your life in a more traditional way and choose stability over spur-of-the-moment decisions. One thing’s for sure, you have the perfect combination of sass and elegance. Bravo!

Studs

You are a no fuss kind of lady who enjoys the simpler things in life. If you like to wear several studs, you may be the type of person who wants to embrace it all, and why not! While pearl studs represent a classy and refined female, diamond studs are typically a symbol that you are someone who likes to feel special. Whatever the occasion, you definitely want to feel a little feminine and studs gives you that simple but effective touch!

Ear cuffs

Edgy and trendy, women who wear ear cuffs like to be unique as well as keeping up with the latest trends. Cuffs don’t always require pierced ears, if you find the right ones. So perhaps, you like to be different in trying a new style. Like your earrings, you like to make a statement. Chances are that you are also creative.

If you’ve been inspired to invest in some new earrings, check out our features on ear cuffs and violet coloured jewellery. 

Text: Hira Desai 

All-round winner: Rarest white and largest round diamond goes under gavel

Gafencu takes a closer look at the world’s rarest white and largest round diamond…

largest round diamond

No matter how hard it had tried, Sotheby’s Diamonds couldn’t have found a better way of marking the first anniversary of the launch of its London salon than proudly unveiling the world’s largest-known and rarest white diamond. Valued at more than US$30 million and weighing a staggering 102.34 carats, it’s the only-known round diamond in the 100 carat plus category that’s literally flawless.

Originally unearthed in a Botswana diamond mine as part of a 425-carat rough stone, its natural beauty has been crafted into its current exquisite round form by highly-skilled artisans from Diacore, a South African gem specialist.

According to the Gemological Institute of America, the diamond is both internally and externally pristine and should be categorised as a Type IIa, D-colour diamond. As gem connoisseurs will be only too aware, a Type IIa diamond is the rarest of the rare, with only 2% of all gemstones falling into that particular category. On top of that, this white beauty is made even more unique by the fact that it’s the only D-colour round brilliant-cut diamond weighing more than 100 carats that has ever appeared at auction.

Justifiably excited, Patti Wong, Founder and Chairman of Sotheby’s Diamonds, said: “Over the course of my long career, which has brought me close to some of the greatest stones the earth has ever ceded, I have never encountered anything quite like this. With its outstanding weight, its perfect colour, its clarity and its cut, it is a masterpiece of nature brought to life by human hand.”

Fine-tune your outfit with these sparkly multi-coloured pieces

2018 is forging ahead with an all-singing, all-dancing cornucopia of multi-coloured enhancement. Whether you are looking to make a statement on a date or enhance an outfit for a work event, this colorful trend is your best bet. 

Stack multi-coloured gem and diamond rings and bracelets to bedazzle your outfit by day. When the evening comes, layer with different lengths, textures and styles of necklaces to create a show-stopping ensemble 

Need some inspiration? Check out our roundup of dazzling jewellery pieces in a beautiful kaleidoscope of colours. 

Check out our guides to layering necklaces and embellished earrings for more details on the latest jewellery trends.

 

Necks Please: A guide to layering necklaces

A guide to layering necklaces

This years fashion runways and street styles have proven that layering necklaces is one trend that the fashion world just can’t let go of.

Whether you are playing it safe with a simple layered piece worn with a pared-down blouse or going all-out with layers upon layers for an evening event, allow necklaces to be the spotlight of your outfit. New to the game? Here is our guide to layering necklaces: 

Personal jewellery

Start with the jewellery you already have and layer by length. Begin with your shortest chain and work up to the longest. Don’t shy away from charms and gems. They are your friends and layering necklaces can be fun! 

Mix it up

Once you are more comfortable with layering necklaces, step it up to the next level by mix and matching various styles. Try piling three unexpected necklaces together for one ultimate look. For example, start with a delicate choker or tighter necklace and add in some cute gems. Why not finish the look with a longer chain of pearls? Even the most random, unexpected combinations can look on-trend!

Shine

Once you have the basics down, you are ready to play with weights, textures and materials. Be bold, make a statement and mix together a selection of silver and gold necklaces, comprised of stones, chain links and sparkles. What’s more, you will find that mixing weights between thinner and thicker chains will prevent tangling. Pair this look with some statement earrings to tie the entire look together.

If you’ve been inspired to add a new piece to your jewellery collection, look no further. Here is a roundup of the top layering necklaces from luxury brands:

Text: Hira Desai 

Violet Tendencies: 2018 seems set for a purple(ish) patch…

Officially Pantone’s colour of the year, 2018 is set to be dominated by all things violet, with amethysts, sapphires and jade gems set to characterise runways and street fashions alike. Eagerly embraced by colour experts as truly replete with “ingenuity, originality and visionary thinking”, it’s hard not to wonder why Pantone’s iridescence-minded boffins took quite so long to plump for this clearly indispensable shade. It’s not as if the clues weren’t there.

Even Pantone concedes that musical icons as diverse and as chronologically-disparate as Bowie, Hendrix and Prince long ago flagged-up the varied brands of unconventional creativity associated with this particular blue-based purple hue. Hopefully incorporating the memorable expressions of individuality synonymous with these much-missed musos, we could be in for 12 months of conspicuous non-conformity, all of it – admittedly – violet-tinged.

It would be a folly most errant, however, to neglect the significance of Pantone’s decision to plump for this off-plum pastel as The Tint for Our Times. Indeed, as Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director, so sagaciously reminds us: “The Pantone Colour of the Year has come to mean so much more than just what’s trending in the world of design. In essence, it’s a reflection of what’s truly needed in our world today…”

Should it turn out, however, that the wider world fails to aptly respond to Pantone’s careful, annual consideration of all things prismatic, churning out its usual fare of mass shootings, climatic cataclysms, premature expirations and dodgy commercial dealings, then it might well have proved better all-round had the New Jersey-based pigment-pickers opted for Sprout Green instead. We may never really know for sure.

Bejewelled beauties: Our top 5 picks ahead of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction is taking place in Hong Kong on 3 April. Whether an avid jewellery collector or a gem connoisseur, this one’s a bidding war that you can’t afford to miss. Here we spotlight on five exquisite pieces that – in our opinion – are worth fighting for.

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction

Ruby, Diamond and Emerald Brooch, Van Cleef & Arpels
Lot 1778

A classic bejewelled brooch in Van Cleef & Arpels’ signature extravagant style, the piece is estimated to fetch between HK$2,200,000-2,800,000. A beautiful swan in 18-carat gold, it features brilliant-cut diamonds with ruby feathers and an emerald eye, all brought to life by Van Cleef & Arpels’ exquisite craftsmanship, and is signed by the haute joaillerie maison.

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction

Fancy Blue Diamond and Diamond Ring
Lot 1776

As gem connoisseurs would be only too aware, blue diamonds happen to be the most-sought after diamond category after red diamonds. So it should come as no surprise that this beautiful ring starring a fancy blue diamond worth 14.18 carats is estimated to go under the gavel at anywhere between HK$46,200,000 and HK$60,000,000. The surrounding bezel of pink diamonds mounted in platinum and 18-carat pink gold adds to the supreme value of the piece.

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction

Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond and Diamond Ring
Lot 1621

With the craze for yellow diamonds on the rise, this exquisite ring – which boasts a brilliant-cut fancy vivid yellow diamond weighing 15.69 carats as its centrepiece – will probably be snapped up only after a closely contested battle. Add to that the two heart-shaped GIA-certified D-colour diamonds each weighing 1.01 carats, and the platinum and 18-carat yellow gold real estate of the ring, and we have a big scorer that’s estimated to fetch between HK$5,500,000-6,500,000.

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction

Diamond and Emerald Bracelet, Cartier
Lot 1505

Featuring six prancing diamond horses created out of pavé-set brilliant-cut diamonds, with emerald eyes, this Cartier bracelet is expected to fetch anything between HK$320,000-480,000. Set in 18-carat white gold and 165mm long, this one’s sure to gallop to glory in the auction ring.

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction

Diamond and Gem Set Necklace, Dior
Lot 1628

With a sizeable pear-shaped diamond worth 5.82 carats as its central anchor, this link chain necklace is a floral affair with coloured gemstones including rubies, sapphires, yellow sapphires, pink sapphires and emeralds and brilliant-cut diamonds, mounted on 18-carat white gold. Signed and case-stamped by Dior, this fetching piece is estimated to bring around HK$950,000-1,800,000.

To check out the full catalogue of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction, click here.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Natural Beauty: Gafencu’s top 8 picks of brooches inspired by Mother Nature

Despite technology cocooning all aspects of modern life, Mother Nature is an inevitable presence. Time and again, art has borrowed from nature, with artists singing paeans of praise to all aspects of nature through diverse art forms. Jewellery too has come a long way, from actual elements of nature adorning the human body (think seashell jewellery by Neanderthals) to jewellery designers mimicking natural elements in their designs. 

Here, we’ve put the spotlight on eight such high joaillerie brooches that have captured some of the most striking feats of nature. Elaborate, intricate and exquisitely beautiful, these brooches are only second to nature’s originals. 

Shine bright: 910-carat diamond unearthed from Letšeng Mine

Although 2018 has just started, Gem Diamonds already has the gemology world buzzing by the first quarter of the year. The cause? Its announcement of the discovery of a staggering 910-carat D colour Type IIa diamond in Lesotho’s Letšeng Mine.

Gem Diamonds CEO Clifford Elphick commented, “This is a landmark recovery for all of [our] stakeholders, including our employees, shareholders and the Government of Lesotho, our partner in the Letšeng Mine.”

Elphick’s pride is well justified. The rough diamond has already been heralded as the fifth-largest gem-quality diamond ever found. It is also just the latest in a string of mammoth rough gemstones found at the Letšeng Mine.

Letšeng has grown to become one of the most prolific open-pit diamond mines in the world. Since 2006, it has produced five other gem-grade diamonds weighing above 300 carats, including the 603-carat Lesotho Promise. The stone was purchased by Graff and cut into 26 D-grade flawless white diamonds, the largest of which is a 76.41-carat pear cut diamond. The resulting Lesotho Promise necklace has an estimated price tag of US$60 million.

There’s no word yet on what final form, or forms, the hitherto-unnamed rough-cut 910-carat diamond will eventually take – but we all wait with bated breath.