Beguiling box: How to proffer a proper coffer

What’s the hardest part of owning the world’s most expensive jewellery box? Perhaps it’s the task of finding items of jewellery that are lavish enough to be deemed worthy of storing inside such an extravagant receptacle. However, it’s safe to assume that anyone who would splurge US$3.5 million (HK$27.2 million) on a box would not hesitate to splash out on some truly divine gemstones.

Whatever the case, the Flower of Eternity Jewellery Coffer by Swiss diamond house Mouawad is truly for lovers of the finer things. Unveiled at the recent Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition, the 18-carat gold and silver box is encrusted with an enviable number of white and yellow diamonds, white and pink sapphires, rubies and lapis lazuli. Its delicate, heart-shaped flower petals are said to symbolise eternal love.

The coffer’s claim as the most expensive jewellery box has already been verified by The Guinness Book of World Records – and it’s not the first time Mouawad has earned such a distinction. The jeweller has previously crafted the world’s most valuable necklace, handbag and bra. Its diamond necklace modestly dubbed “L’Incomparable” features the world’s largest internally flawless diamond and costs a none-too-shabby $55 million. Similarly, its diamond-encrusted Very Sexy Fantasy Bra sports a price tag of $11 million.

PHOTOS: Stars adorned in jewellery steal the show at Hong Kong Film Awards

Crime thriller The Trivisa was the big winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards, the city’s version of the Oscars, but a number of celebrities tried their best to steal the show.

The Trivisa is based on a true story of Hong Kong mobsters and scooped awards for best film, director, actor, screenplay and film-editing.

Co-directed by Frank Hui, Jevons Au and Vicky Wong, the film is banned in mainland China due to its subtle political messages.

Gordon Lam was named best actor for his role in The Trivisa, while the best actress award went to Kara Wai for her role in Happiness.

Eric Tsang won best supporting actor and Elaine Jin won best supporting actress for their roles in Mad World.

Stars such as Zhou Dong Yu, Zhao Wei, Miriam Yeung, Wong Chun and Gordon Lam dazzled in jewellery by Bulgari, Harry Winston and Chopard, and watches from Montblanc at the awards show.

Check out how the stars looked in our slideshow above.

Spring Sale: 7 stunning pieces from Sotheby’s auction

Among collectors, Sotheby’s spring auction in Hong Kong is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. This year was particularly significant because it was the first time Western contemporary art was offered at the evening sale, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The five-day event raked in a grand total of HK$3.17 billion.

Sotheby’s President and CEO Tad Smith said of the auction’s success: “Outstanding results in our traditional categories of Chinese ceramics and paintings were joined by records across a range of collecting fields including western contemporary art and jewellery, affirming Hong Kong as an anchor of the global art market.”

Here are some of the most remarkable items sold at the spring auction.

Mao by Andy Warhol

Mao is an iconic painting of an iconic leader, rendered by an equally iconic artist in his own right – American pop art pioneer Andy Warhol. It’s little wonder, then, that all eyes were on Mao at the spring auction. A private Asian collector bought the piece for HK$98.5 million, setting a record for any Western contemporary artwork ever sold at auction in Asia. The painting was expected to fetch HK$115 million.

The painting was created in 1973, a year after the historic moment when US President Nixon visited China and Chairman Mao.

Lush Mountains in Misty Gleam by Zhang Daqian

In the Fine Chinese Paintings category, Lush Mountains in Misty Gleam by late Chinese artist Zhang Daqian was the top seller, going for more than HK$31 million. Painted in 1967, the medium is splashed ink and colour on gold paper. The artist’s distinctive splashed-colour style (pocai) can be partly attributed to eye problems he experienced later in his career when his eyesight started deteriorating.

Fancy intense blue diamond ring

Another record setter in its respective category, this fancy intense blue diamond ring was snapped up for HK$37.2 million. The ring, set in white gold, boasts an emerald-cut, 3.13-carat blue diamond flanked by two step-cut diamonds and an oval band encrusted with circular-cut diamonds.

Dry-Lacquer Head of Avalokitesvara, Tang Dynasty

This sculpture of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, an important Buddhist figure, went for HK$21.7 million. This extremely rare item was made using a dry-lacquer technique during the High Tang period, likely during the reign of Emperor Xuanzang (712-756). This particular piece is in near-pristine condition.

Explosion 64-1, Shimamoto Shozo

This colourfully chaotic oil on canvas painting by late Japanese artist Shimamoto Shozo sold for HK$20.5 million. The painting was created in 1964 using the artist’s signature ‘bottle crash’ method, in which glass bottles filled with paint are hurled at large canvases. As said best by the artist himself: “Even if my method seems shocking and violent – crushing bottles and shooting cannons at the canvas … I’m just working on creating beauty.”

Xuande Fish Pond lobed bowl

This fine china set a new auction record for early Ming porcelain when it sold for HK$229 million. It’s safe to bet that the buyer probably won’t be using it to serve up fried noodles. The tranquil scene depicts four fish swimming past lotus flowers: a carp, mandarin fish and two kinds of bream, all set in a beautiful cobalt blue.

The Macallan in Lalique – The Legacy Collection

For whisky collectors, The Lalique Legacy Collection is highly coveted. The collection features a set of six crystal decanters filled with The Macallan’s rarest single malts, aged 50 to 65 years old, plus six rare miniature bottles and six pairs of Lalique Macallan glasses. This exclusive, limited edition collection went for HK$7.7 million, setting a record for any lot of whisky ever sold at auction.

Text: Emily Petsko

Meet Andre Morkel, the gemmologist who doesn’t mince his words

Andre Morkel is chairman and CEO of Morkel & Sons Fine Jewellery and Consultants. He is also a founding partner and chairman of ADAMAS Fine Jewellers’ Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Did you grow up in Hong Kong?

Yes, I’m a fourth-generation Hong Konger. So that makes my kids the fifth generation. I have an elder son who is 15 and a younger son who is turning five. From the get-go, my great-grandfather was involved in stockbroking in Hong Kong. He was chairman of the stock exchange, and the majority of my family worked in broking. A lot of them were lawyers in the finance industry and worked in hedge funds. I wanted to do something different and branch out, which I guess makes me the black sheep.

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How did you break into the jewellery industry?

I went to a luncheon about 10 years ago with a very good friend, and it was there that I met the owner and chairman of Ryder Diamonds, Sally Ryder. The minute I met her we just clicked and she said, ‘Why don’t you come in?’ and I thought, ‘Why not? It looks interesting,’ so I dropped everything to take up gemstone training. From my first day, she threw me into the deep end. I had knowledge of gems and diamonds but not like this. She gave me all these stones and said, ‘Sort them.’ I said, ‘Sort what? There are hundreds of stones here. What do you want me to do?’ I eventually caught on, and the training was phenomenal. I began to understand how the guys in the workshop twisted the gold, how they did the moulding and how long it took. I used to – and still do – come back with cuts and bruises and burns.

Ever since we started ADAMAS, my partner and I have received a lot of enquiries for jobs because people think it’s a luxurious industry. But it’s also hugely hard work. Now, it’s getting harder and harder to convince clients to buy because the market is so saturated, and the majority of our clients are uber high-end and high net-worth, so they already have so much stock and don’t need anymore. We hit a roadblock with that last year, but we took a different marketing approach and the interest started sparking again.

“This ring was designed for our younger son – it’s dubbed the Avrae Dragon Ring, which means eternal fire”

Have you been hit by the recent downturn in the jewellery market?

It has been difficult at times. Last year, people were calling it the ‘death market.’ I don’t agree with that, but it was tough, absolutely. Every industry took a hit, not just the jewellery industry. In my mind, though, we just had to find a loophole. There’s always a way to manoeuver back into a market that’s in a slump to recapture some of your clients. There’s always cash somewhere.

I listen to (life success coach) Tony Robbins a lot – he’s one of my biggest mentors – and one thing he says is, ‘If you want to take the island, then burn the boat.’ And that’s what we did. We don’t compete against the ‘big guys’ – the large jewellery brands – but we find ways of supplying clients with products that are more attainable to their budget. A lot of people want that 5-carat gemstone and they’re adamant it must be Cartier branded, but we can supply something of equal calibre at a fraction of the cost. We started small but gradually grew over time to what we are now, and we’re doing considerably well given the current market. We have a small following of private clients, which is growing nicely.

What sets ADAMAS apart from other jewellers?

My passion is the stones themselves, the designs. A lot of retailers have nice stones, but the salesmen don’t understand what they’re selling half the time. I have suppliers globally, and I have a very good supplier based in Hamburg who flies to South Africa and sources stones from mines around the country. He sends me the most unique paraibas and the rarest tanzanites. That’s one of our selling points because I can send those rare stones to high net-worth clients – and not just the ladies, but also the guys. A lot of the guys want ruby and sapphire rings. They want Sri Lankan blues, Burmese blues and Muzo emeralds. The Muzo mines (in Colombia) are drying up now, so people are after Muzo emeralds.

“For my morning meditation, I have what I call my Bruce Willis Die Hard breakfast of cigarettes and two coffees”

The design is also key. I recently designed a piece for a high net-worth client using a rare paraibas that you will never find again. I designed it and we crafted it, which takes up to two months. It’s a one-off ring that’s never going to clash. That is crucial in Hong Kong, where ‘tai tai syndrome’ is a real concern. If you’re sitting at a big banquet and, God forbid, three tai tais are wearing the same ring, there’s going to be a big fight. So we ensure that we never make more than one. Everything is bespoke and customised to the client.

The problem with a lot of clients is they can’t visualise what a loose stone would look like as a piece of jewellery. If I give a client a loose ruby, she cannot visualise how it would look, and I can immediately see in my head what the jewellery should look like by the way she’s dressed, the way she looks, her smile or non-smile, whatever it may be. They say you can judge someone within 10 seconds of meeting them – I can look at a stone and straight away say that it needs to be set in rose gold, for example.

You’ve said that you don’t want a customer, you want a client. Can you elaborate on that?

A customer is someone who comes once. Whether they spend $2,000 or $5 million, I don’t care. I want them to be happy, and I want that phone call from them later on. A lot of businesses will ask, “How are the kids?” and they’ll call to wish you a happy birthday, and then – bam! – they suddenly ask if you want another ring. It’s typical, and you know it’s phony. With a client, there has to be sincerity and honesty, and that’s what we do. A lot of our clients know that my family has been through hell, so there are no false happy birthdays because they know I don’t have time for that. If I say it, I mean it.

What’s one of your favourite pieces of jewellery that you’ve designed?

This ring was designed for our younger son – It’s dubbed the Avrae Dragon Ring, which means eternal fire. It’s a tribute to his battle with cancer because he was born in the year of the dragon. I own lots of dragon-related items – my shoes, my belt, my keyring, my watch. The stone featured is a rubellite, which is said to bring good health and prosperity.

You’ve recently gotten more involved in raising awareness about cancer. How has your son’s diagnosis changed your life?

He’s doing chemotherapy, which certainly takes a toll. He started on 4 November last year, and his treatment was extended until November 2018. It’s pretty draining, especially because he is so energetic. He doesn’t take many breaks, which means no one in our house gets a break. We also have to be extra cautious when we go out because his immune system is shot, and he can easily pick up a virus.

At one point, I shaved my head to support him. We want to create more awareness about cancer because that conversation is lacking in Hong Kong. My wife joined a support network, but it’s based in the US. Why don’t we have one here? It’s a tough and stressful experience, and that’s why we want to set up a support network to help parents who are going through this so that they have something to fall back on.

When you have free time, what do you do to unwind?

I like to build RC (remote control) racing cars, which have now overloaded my son’s room. Fish are another fascination of mine. I have a big carp collection, and I find them very relaxing to watch. I have 12 now, so I’ll have to build a proper pond to accommodate them in the summer. We also have piranhas, which is a little bit crazy.

Music is another big release for me. For my morning meditation, I go upstairs and have what I call my Bruce Willis Die Hard breakfast of cigarettes and two coffees, and I listen to music and try to relax for 10 minutes before I start the day.

I also collect a lot of memorabilia, which drives my wife insane. I have a samurai sword, a sabre tooth skull and Sylvester Stallone’s boxing boot from Rocky, which faces my desk. I look at that, and it’s a constant reminder to never give up.

So when I buy these things, they’re not just random pieces – they’re reminders not to drop the ball. I try not to absorb negative energy. Most people nowadays are on so many drugs and antidepressants because they’re listening to everyone else, but if you listen to people like Tony Robbins you’re already on a high. I listen to him every morning, just a snippet of whatever he’s got. It doesn’t matter if you don’t make a sale for the day – don’t worry about it. Don’t think about it. Just live for today.

Thank you.

Text: Emily Petsko

Meet the designer behind Philippe V, Hong Kong’s most rebellious brand

Philippe Vergez is co-founder of Philippe V, a Hong Kong-based jewellery, eyewear and accessories brand.

With its edgy style and rebellious motifs, the brand embraces ‘anarchist values.’

Items are available for both men and women, and the collection includes skull-shaped rings, rebellious t-shirts and studded sunglasses, to name but a few.

Vergez, originally from France, teamed up with long-time friend Thierry Halbroth to create the brand in Hong Kong.

In their own words: “Philippe V values individuality and encourages it through stylish rock’n’roll and rebellious icons, designed for the 21st century. Similar to a members-only club, the brand aims to unite like-minded individuals by giving them a sense of belonging and letting them express their nonconforming entity through historical iconography – like the skull or the fleur de lys.”

Gafencu met with Vergez at his Hung Hom studio to discuss his work and latest eyewear collection.

The brand you previously designed for, Jee Vice, was quite popular among celebrities. Is Philippe V experiencing similar success among A-listers?

This brand is pretty new so we are working on product placement in movies, and some celebrities like Amber Heard are already wearing our products. Brad Pitt has just received his order.

In the past, the brand I was designing for, Jee Vice, was very popular in Hollywood. It was the most popular brand at that time so we were featured in a lot of movies, and a lot of stars were wearing our glasses, like Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Anne Hathaway, Katherine Heigl, Amber Heard and many more.

We were the only brand of sunglasses that Anna Wintour wore, apart from Chanel. But that was another life, another brand. I’m starting a new story, but we are looking to do something similar to what we did in the past.

Your jewellery and eyewear designs often feature two symbols – the fleur de lys and skulls. What’s the significance of these symbols?

Our logo is the fleur de lys (lily flower), which has been in my family since the 13th century – not because of nobility or royalty or whatever. The story is even nicer than that.

My family came from a small village in the Pyrenees, the mountains between France and Spain, called Aspin en Lavedan. From that plateau you could see if someone was coming, maybe three hours before they physically arrived. So they warned the next valley, and from valley to valley everybody knew that someone was coming.

My last name is Vergez, and there were about 53 families named Vergez in that area, so to differentiate them they attached the name of the closest mountain, valley or river. Since my family was looking towards France, we were called Vergez-France, and since we were surveying the Kingdom of France and the lily was the kingdom’s symbol, that’s why I chose it as the company’s logo.

It’s also an important symbol worldwide because it’s the symbol of the holy trinity. The lily flower is to the Occident what the lotus is to the Orient.

As for the skull, I’ve always liked skulls but I wanted to make it different. The lily is a little different from a normal lis because the three petals are free; normally there’s a ring holding the three petals, but I wanted it to symbolise freedom. With the skull, I wanted it to have a modern twist, so the skull is multi-faceted. Skulls remind us of the past and the people who have left us and the lessons we learnt from them.

What type of client do you market your products towards?

We don’t market based on demographics. It’s more about a sense of belonging – people who like what we do and the values that we promote. We don’t really sell the product. We sell those values. I like to make a design that has a story behind it. I don’t make things just for people to buy. I design to touch people’s hearts.

Where are you from, and what brought you to Hong Kong?

I’m from a small city in the Basque country called Biarritz on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean and at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains. Nowadays, we’re not Spanish, we’re not French – we are Basque. That’s very much a strong identity for us, and it’s part of my heritage. It’s a very nice city with beautiful waves. It’s like a European California, and it’s a surf city.

After the Jee Vice adventure, I lived in the US for some time, then came back to France before moving to Hong Kong to develop the design centre of a French company. I worked shortly after that for a Danish fashion brand and soon decided to launch my own venture together with long-time friend Thierry Halbroth. I worked three years on the development and design, and Thierry supported the efforts and wrote the story and marketing strategy.

We could have based the brand in France but the economy there is pretty dramatic at the moment. The French tax and social system makes it difficult to run a business and launch a brand, It is easier to make things happen in Hong Kong. And the second reason is that I like it here – except in the summer! Too hot and humid.

What are some of the highlights of your newest collection of eyewear and sunglasses?

Apart from the design, the highlights would be the fit and the quality – both the quality of the manufacturing and the quality of the lenses that are developed together with Essilor, which is the number one company in the world in terms of optical quality.

And once again, I don’t design to make a product. I design for people. I want people to feel good, look good and take pride in wearing the product. When they try these sunglasses, they say, ‘Wow, it fits well. It’s light and it’s comfortable.’ That really makes a difference.

For more information on Philippe V, visit www.philippev.com

Text Emily Petsko

Lively Affair: Anything but off the cuff

Few events on the Hollywood calendar get more coverage than the Golden Globes. The 2017 extravaganza was no different, particularly when actress Blake Lively arrived and stole the show in a svelte Atelier Versace gown and a dazzling set of emerald green Lorraine Schwartz cuffs. The cuffs – set in gold and adorned with brilliant-cut white diamonds – totalled 300 carats, with each emerald weighing in at a staggering 150 carats. The impossible-to-miss bracelets were the standout piece of Lively’s accessories, although the matching diamond earrings, also by the US-founded jewellery designer, rounded off the red-carpet ensemble with a touch of panache. The total cost of the starlet’s jewels was US$7 million (HK$54.3 million).

Schwartz was also the brand of choice for other actresses during the award show, including Bollywood siren Priyanka Chopra and Olivia Culpo. Other fans of the New York-based jewellery house are Beyoncé, Heidi Klum and Pharrell Williams, who have all donned various exquisite pieces in the past. Despite the hefty price tag, Lively’s look was unable to wrest bragging rights from actress Carrie Underwood, who attended the 2013 Grammys wearing a Jonathan Arndt diamond necklace. Comprising of 381 carats of diamonds, it was priced at an ice cool US$31 million.

Female entrepreneurs attend Maret Fine Jewelry event

A VIP event was held in Kowloon recently, hosted by luxury design house Maret Fine Jewelry. A total of 24 female entrepreneurs from the Golden Bauhinia Association and guests perused the glittering collections. Ten percent of the proceeds from sales went to the Golden Bauhinia Women Entrepreneurship Charity Foundation.