Room at the top

A jewelry brand with a Chinese CEO, Fred Samuel set up his namesake jewelry brand in 1936 at the age of 28, with the aim of making women around the globe feel even more beautiful.

But now this ambition has grown and since wearing jewelry is no longer a woman's prerogative, the company specializes in offering unisex products.

Appointed chief executive officer of the company last November, Hong Kong-born Charles Leung reveals that almost 40 percent of the brand's customers are male.

"Jewelry is not something that you buy once in your life anymore, it's a precious object to show your love, affection, beliefs and personality. It's for both men and women to enjoy," he says.

Born into a jeweler's family in Argentina, Samuel was obsessed with cultured pearls and won recognition as one of the top experts in his field.

This passion was joined by a quest for sunlight and love of the sea that illuminated his childhood. Both of these aspects provided him with endless inspirations for his later creations.

He arrived in Paris in 1920 and opened his first shop on the Rue Royale a few years later.

In the early 1950s, the King and Queen of Nepal asked him to create jewels that could be paired with royal sari. Colored gemstones have continued to prove an inspiration for the brand.

In 1995, Samuel joined the LVMH group and opened the second chapter of the brand ever since.

Having lived by the sea the whole life, Samuel shared his passion for sailing with his sons. In 1966, his eldest son tried to weave together ocean cables and attach them to a buckle at each end to make a bracelet. From this, Force 10 was born, a collection that epitomized Samuel's style through its blend of energy and creative freedom.

It remains the brand's most iconic product to this day, and is also Leung's favorite collection.

Leung explains that Force 10 originally was a reference to the strongest speed on the wind scale, which presented the biggest challenges to sailors.

Born in Hong Kong, Leung graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the ESSEC Business School in France.

And he didn't become the first Chinese CEO of a Western jewelry brand overnight - he was already a senior figure in the industry.

He was formerly in charge of Cartier's jewelry business for Hong Kong, and then later for the entire country. He joined Chaumet, the luxury jewelry brand based in Paris in 2006, where he handled their international business from 2012.

Despite his many years of experience in the industry, Leung says it still feels special to be the first Chinese person to head up a Western jewelry brand - and certainly not the last.

Leung finds the different preferences between people from the East and West quite fascinating.

"People have their own personal tastes for sure, but it's still true that in the West, customers prefer more chunky and bold designs, while in the East - not only China but also South Korea and Japan - people prefer something more delicate and refined," he continues. "When it comes to gold, yellow gold is more popular in the West and pink gold is bigger in the East, especially for Chinese customers. It's true that Chinese people favor red for the color of their gemstones.

"It's understandable that people in China want the color red to bring them luck getting into a good university or finding a good job."

In July, the brand opened up a second store in Beijing's China World Shopping Mall.

The shop has several new features, including an interactive wall, which have been set up in all 40 of their stores worldwide for the first time.