Four Asian jewellers to watch

MUCH HAS BEEN said about the high jewellery houses of Place Vendôme and Bond Street as they fly to our shores with their sparkling treasures. But very little is mentioned about the Hong Kong jewellers flying west with their own masterpieces to dazzle customers in Europe and America.

In September Wallace Chan became the first Chinese jeweller to participate in the prestigious Paris Biennale des Antiquaires, where his fantastical designs inspired by nature and the dragons of Chinese culture were showcased alongside the collections of Chanel, Chaumet, Piaget and Dior.

In July Michelle Ong of Carnet in was invited to exhibit some of her complex jewels in the "Brilliant" exhibition at Masterpiece London. Like Chan, her designs appeal to connoisseurs. She's always attracted international clients but exhibiting in Britain has raised her profile.

During the summer Dickson Yewn's delicate jewelled pieces started selling at Annoushka in London. His jewels have been selling in America for five years. Michelle Obama wore his white gold and jade Wish Fulfilling lattice ring on her visit to London last year, but this is his first foray into Europe. At Annoushka's boutique in Harrods, customers respond to the fragility of his designs, particularly his delicate latticework pieces. His fan-inspired designs sold out immediately.

It is early days for Chinese jewellers, but Annoushka Ducas who also retails the plump, opulent rings of Wendy Yue, believes customers in the West are becoming increasingly fascinated by the Chinese culture, particularly areas such as Chinese furniture and contemporary art. "They are interested in what was once unattainable," she says. "I'm educating customers in something that is different, and Dickson's and Wendy's works have a feminine feeling and movement."

Carol Woolton, the jewellery writer and curator of the "Brilliant" exhibition, shares Ducas' interest: "Chinese designers have a strong influence on design at the moment," she says. "They are making ancient motifs and rituals like dragons and peonies so contemporary." It is this she believes that is appealing to western tastes.

An admirer, she likens Ong's work to that of the reclusive master jewellerJoel Arthur Rosenthal, also known as JAR. "Michelle brings a lovely new contemporary vision and delicacy to jewellery, working her stones like painting a watercolour."

Of course these are tiny steps; as Yewn points out it is not easy to find distributors overseas, but it demonstrates that in Hong Kong and the mainland there is a rich pool of creativity waiting to be tapped.

Qeelin was one of the first to venture into Europe, opening a shop in Paris in 2004, then the US and London, selling contemporary diamond jewellery inspired by Chinese motifs that are sleek and often playful. Fei Liu, the Chinese-born jeweller, established his fine jewellery business in Britain before opening a store in Beijing - his designs fuse East and West. There are other Chinese jewellers based in London as well, such as Daisy Choi who works with silicon and precious metals.

High jewellery draws the attention, but the Oriental influence is being felt on the more accessible rungs of the jewellery hierarchy such as the collaboration between Yi Zhou, a Chinese sculptor and multimedia artist based in Paris and Shanghai, and Gripoix, the French couture jewellery maison. It is the first time the artist has designed jewellery. "It shows, from China's creative point of view, that we are not just manufacturers; nor Chinese artists painting Mao Zedong, CocoCola [bottles], or laughing faces, we can actually say something and bring a new language as creative minds," Zhou says.