Romancing the store
Qeelin CEO Christophe Artaux believes that the piece signifies taking a different approach to designing jade jewelry, which is essential for the brand's further growth in China and beyond.
Among the heavyweights in the business interested in adapting jade for a younger clientele is the Spanish luxury brand Loewe. To mark the Lunar New Year, the brand released a limited-edition series of jade pendants. The tiny, fragile and translucent pieces come in the shapes of a cabbage, an eggplant and a snail climbing up a pea pod, and proved to be a hit with Loewe's target audience — the young and fashionable.
Today, a piece of high jewelry is no longer just an accessory or a financial asset. It could also serve as a repository of tales of heritage and culture. And though the luxury market is still in the process of dealing with the setbacks caused by the pandemic, evidently that's no reason for jewelry designers — whether they are employed by major high-profile multinational luxury brands or running their own workshops — to dip into the vast pool of Chinese heritage for ideas.
