Designer jeweller and Coco put on a sparkling show of togetherness

As a couple, jewellery designer Dickson Yewn Dik-sum and model Coco Chiang have stayed mostly under the radar of Hong Kong's gossip mill. So it was a bit of a surprise to see them out together on Friday at the China Club launch of his Yewn collection, called Cloisonne, with Chiang serving as the star model. Cloisonne is an ancient metalwork technique well-known in ancient China.

'I'm very fascinated by Chinese arts and culture,' Yewn said. 'There's so much of it, even with two collections a year I couldn't possibly draw on all its elements in one lifetime. Yewn is a higher-end line. They're more like museum pieces, whereas my other line, Life of Circle, is more casual and philosophical.'

However, most of the reporters were more interested in his social life and how much jewellery he has given Chiang. 'We've been together nine years and Dickson only once gave me a ring. It was quite a big diamond. But then I saw the movie Blood Diamonds and I started to feel uneasy wearing it. I texted him to say I wanted to return it and he called asking whether I was breaking up with him. I explained my feelings, he understood and we decided to donate the ring to a south China tiger foundation.'

That appears to be the only hiccup in their relationship. In fact, last week they celebrated Yewn's birthday in style. 'We bought a 30kg suckling pig, dug a hole in the backyard, wrapped it in banana leaves and roasted it for six hours for a party with over 20 friends,' the birthday boy said.