Designer Omnia goes for full spectrum in gemstones
Ignoring the current vogue for the 'white' look in jewellery, Omnia Jewellery is determinedly enthusiastic about colour.
Pearls, diamonds, platinum and white gold may have their place, but designer Edmond Lai Yuk-wang prefers to work with a palette of gemstones.
'At the moment we are more focused on coloured stones,' he said. 'I don't believe that just because everyone else has white jewellery, we must have it too.'
His modern, European-style jewellery is often studded with rubies, green emeralds and sapphires in traditional blue as well as green, yellow and pink hues.
Often inspired by nature, Mr Lai says dragonflies, flowers, dolphins and butterflies are popular subjects for brooches. For other types of jewellery, he employs more abstract forms.
'My ideas come from anywhere and anything. If I have an idea, I can create from it right away. If I don't have an idea, I just let my imagination wander,' he said.
Set in 18-karat gold, Mr Lai's jewellery is elegant and finely wrought.
'The pieces have a lot of detail - they're not chunky. You can recognise the shape from far away,' he said.
One of his best-selling items is a brooch featuring an arrangement of emerald, sapphire and diamond flowers set in a diamond vase, with an 18-karat yellow and white gold setting.
Another brooch shows an 18-karat gold antique lamppost made of citrine, rubies and diamonds, set against an onyx background.
Mr Lai generally limits himself to small stones of one carat or less and mounts them in yellow gold.
'Coloured stones often look more attractive when contrasted against yellow gold,' he said. But if the piece looks better for it, he uses platinum or white gold.
Mr Lai learned the jewellery business by working for 17 years as a designer before setting up Omnia Jewellery in 1989.
He said his company relies heavily on markets in the US and Europe. But the cooling US economy and last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC have clouded his hopes about sales at the fair.
'The market was slow even before the incidents in America,' he said. 'We were expecting more American customers. Now we think that more Southeast Asian buyers will come because the US dollar is down. Maybe more European buyers will also come because of the dollar situation.'
He plans to display more necklaces and brooches than other types of jewellery at the fair, reasoning that more elaborate pieces might result in a better profit margin.
'The market is competitive right now for smaller pieces. If I sell one big piece, that might be better than selling 10 rings,' he said.
Omnia pieces are designed to be worn with daywear, rather than for evening occasions. The collection appeals to women who appreciate the versatility of the pieces.
'Since we don't use large centre stones, our jewellery can be worn with more casual clothes,' Mr Lai said.
