Unique gem-stone: Sparkling opal

As a brand jewelry designer, I have the most freedom to create my collections every year. But like any jewelry designer, sometimes I will be fascinated by some unique gem-stones, and will create a new collection out of them. One example is my New age opal collection that was inspired by a lot of faceted opals that one of my Brazilian gem-stone cutters brought to me a few years ago. "Sabina, look at these sparkling opals, do you like to create a collection out of them?" Opals are usually opaque. I was intrigued by these sparkling ones.

After negotiating a reasonable price for these stones, I start doing my designs. By the way, as a designer, I also need to put myself in the shoes of my final customers, can they afford the prices of the stones that my stone dealers ask? On the other hand, I must also make a meaningful purpose from my suppliers so that they will be glad to bring me more interesting stones in the future. Having taking account of the softness of the stones, and their rarity, I created my New Age collection, and below is one of the Opal rings that I created, set with Opal, diamonds and colored sapphires.

Green G. - New age Opal ring

The Pantone 2013 Spring Color Report in Jewelry

Most of my designs are about flora and fauna, and the former in particular. Flora is a word of Latin origin referring to Flora, the goddess of flowers, and I am inspired by her. Nature is abandoned with colors, be those of flora or those of gem stones. As a jewelry designer, I have to select the colors of gem stones to deliver the richness of flowers in nature. In order that my jewelries can touch the heart of my clients, they have to touch me first, in other words I have to be an expert in colors first!

Colors are usually analyzed by three parameters: its hue, its saturation and its brightness. There are infinite numbers of hue. Take the primary hue of red and yellow for example, there is whole spectrum of hues between them and they are different oranges. It is the same between any two primary hues of the six (red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta). For gem-stones, saturation is an important criteria, high saturation, in easily understandable terms, is the pureness of a color, like the color of a piece of new fabric. On the other hand, lower saturation is the condition of less pure, like the color of a piece of washed-out fabric. And finally, when you add black to a color, you decrease its brightness.

In choosing the color of my gem-stones, I have to match its hue, its saturation and its brightness with my project on hand. An important consideration for jewelry design is the budget or the projected price of the piece, not always the most expensive being the best, nor that another cheapest stone that can deliver similar results will be chosen (like cheaper amethyst instead of more expensive sapphires), in particular for fine jewelry where a lady may be choosing a piece for its lasting and heritable value rather than its initial monetary outlay.

Last but not least, a jewelry designer must be sensitive to the fashion trends in color and be able to spot the more lasting yet fashionable colors for her gem-stones. Pantone just published their 2013 Spring Fashion Color Report, and JCK (the organizer of the world number one jewelry show) selected my Endless Love ring set with purple sapphires (see below) to represent their Pantone 2013 Spring Color Report in Jewelry. African Violet (Pantone 16-3520), one of the ten selected Pantone colors for next Spring's fashion.

Sabina Lee - Endless Love ring

Making an old tradition alive

Good pieces of jade have always been collector items for many Chinese, in particular members of the wealthy families. Jade is also considered to be a symbol of blessing, good luck, health and longevity, the names of goodies for all Chinese, and for as long as the history of their culture.

Hong Kong has been a prominent centre of jade trading for many years, centering around the district of Jordan, near the then Jordan cross-harbour Ferry terminal, where some traders, mostly Chinese, from South East Asian countries eagerly made their bids and takes using ritualized hand signals hidden by the palm of their counterparts. Today the Government run Jade Market is still a major tourist attraction, where you will probably not be able to get the best bargain nor the best pieces, but certainly some good souvenirs at the right price.

During recent years, the jade business has been booming in Mainland China because of the prospering economy there, driving up, in particular, the prices of the more expensive pieces. And with it comes the demand for jade jewelries with good designs. A few months ago, I was invited by a national banking corporation to give talks in Hangzhou on jade appreciation and jade design. Being rooted in Chinese culture and a jade lover since childhood, I got the benefit of having become an expert in appreciating the special greenish tones that Chinese value for the stone, as well as creating jewelries that respect and enhance the traditional jade culture for my customers.

Sometimes my work, like the jade pendant below, will develop from a cultural theme that touches the heart of Chinese. And in all cases, I will put the piece of jade as the focal point, with my design enhancing the value of the stone, as well as giving it a modern look grounded in rich cultural soil. The value of the materials added (precious metals, like 18K gold, and precious gem-stones, usually point-size diamonds) will also need to match the value of the jade piece itself, so as not to overshadow or undercut the value of the centre piece. Only by respecting culture, can a designer truly make an old tradition alive.

Blessings 五福臨門 by Sabina Lee