https://www.scmp.com/rss/142268/feed Melissa is an international jewellery journalist who contributes regularly to the South China Morning Post. She enjoys covering historic topics, emerging contemporary talent, and the inspirations of the world’s most creative jewellery ateliers. The New Zealander grew up in Singapore and is based in Sydney, visiting Hong Kong annually. Melissa has also worked as a branding consultant for some of the most prestigious jewellers and gemstone suppliers. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Colourlessness in the very best white diamonds is the sought-after perennial, but coloured diamonds are also in the mix in this round-up of some of the most dynamic diamond creativity this year. Whatever the aesthetic of the jewellery atelier in question, the impact is opulent radiance. Boucheron Lierre Givré necklace Titanium is the key metal in this piece from the Nature Triomphante collection, but you would be forgiven for thinking platinum was at work because of a lustrous pale interplay of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/2164848/5-diamond-jewellery-pieces-make-dazzling-statement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/2164848/5-diamond-jewellery-pieces-make-dazzling-statement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Sep 2018 18:00:17 +0000 White diamond rings are front and centre at the world’s top jewellery studios. Bridal jewellery is the first arena to benefit from diamond creativity in 2018, with diamond ring bands drawing the eye as much as the centre stone on rings. Perth-based, Italian-trained bespoke jeweller Rohan Milne, of Rohan Jewellery, says: “I’ve seen a trend towards full diamond bands for engagement rings, particularly those that use a diversity of stone cuts and colours.” Milne completed a cocktail ring that could... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/2165064/why-white-diamond-ring-bridal-jewellerys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/article/2165064/why-white-diamond-ring-bridal-jewellerys?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Sep 2018 18:00:00 +0000 Three rising jewellery creators, from three corners of the globe, bring a distinctive flair to their studios. Feng.J nurtures extraordinary blooms from the haute joaillerie capital; Nghi Nguyen’s darkly urban eye speaks to fearless women in New York and beyond; and Bea Bongiasca applies a youthful Italian creativity to Asian pop culture. Feng.J is a young master who is reviving European craftsmanship via a grand tour of the Orient. China-born, the 32-year-old jeweller has been commuting between... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/special-reports/topics/special-report-jewellery/article/2144358/3?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/special-reports/topics/special-report-jewellery/article/2144358/3?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 May 2018 02:02:54 +0000 Circles in motion and caged enclosures are revealed as grown-up treasures that speak to childlike eyes and ears, as they throw accepted treatments and standard prongs to the wind. Interactive creations that move at a touch are proving themselves as jewellery that is both playful and exceptionally complex. The most common invitation for jewellery to move at the moment comes at the whim of the wearer, who can direct spheres by will. Thirty-something Bibi van der Velden, a peripatetic creator with... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/special-reports/topics/special-report-jewellery/article/2144310?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/special-reports/topics/special-report-jewellery/article/2144310?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 May 2018 04:00:15 +0000 Platinum had a particular allure in the early to mid 20th century in Hollywood’s golden age and many of this year’s red carpet looks, bedecked with the luxurious metal, have been paying homage to that old world of glamour. From the Venice Film Festival to Cannes and the Met Gala, finely crafted ribbons of light have held a white-hot sparkle. Facing the press on the Croisette at the premiere of The Beguiled, Liu Wen brought a modern fresh-faced demeanour to her Chopard platinum and white diamond... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/special-reports/topics/high-jewellery/article/2120242/why-platinum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/special-reports/topics/high-jewellery/article/2120242/why-platinum?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2017 08:55:09 +0000 Little covered, watch straps are jostling for attention with exotic and vibrant materials more commonly seen in bespoke shoe ateliers. The artful combination of innovating watchmakers with superlative leather craftsmanship reveals masters at work. It is an oversight to neglect the watch straps that have accompanied this year’s horological releases. The technological feats of complicated watches always command the enthusiast and media at each Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/topics/timepieces/article/2046861/watch-straps-highlight-master?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches-jewellery/topics/timepieces/article/2046861/watch-straps-highlight-master?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Nov 2016 04:34:57 +0000 All jewellery is a miniature sculpture worn on the body, but a raft of young contemporary designers are directly expressing artistic approaches gleaned from famous names in sculpture. Playing with form, their focus is less on material value than a creation’s shape-shifting allure and activation by the wearer. Sculptural aesthetics often treat jewellery as an extension of the self or physicality of its owner and, less so, pronounced style statements. Charlotte Chesnais is only 31, but has an... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/topics/jewellery/article/2043587/young-jewellery-designers-now-look-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/topics/jewellery/article/2043587/young-jewellery-designers-now-look-past?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Nov 2016 02:15:00 +0000 Rio Tinto unveiled one of the largest diamonds ever found in Canada in late 2015, the exceptional 187.7ct Diavik Foxfire diamond. The gem-quality rough appeared at a private preview in Kensington Palace, but it was discovered a world away in the remote Northwest Territories of Canada, 220km south of the Arctic Circle. The find is now with Excellent Facets – a New York-based company that was the successful bidder at Rio Tinto’s Specials Tender – and will likely yield at least one very large... https://www.scmp.com/specialreports/business/topics/diamonds-investment/article/2018925/rough-diamonds-are-exerting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/specialreports/business/topics/diamonds-investment/article/2018925/rough-diamonds-are-exerting?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Sep 2016 05:36:48 +0000 Not only do Argyle pink diamonds offer an intensity and range of colour that is unmatched by any other pink diamond, these diminutive diamonds, found in a remote desert landscape, are Australian treasures that command millions per carat. The gemstone contains a miniature world, with hues that evoke its place of origin – the East Kimberley outback, more than 3,000km from Perth in Western Australia. The Argyle Diamond Mine accounts for around 90 per cent of the world’s pink diamond supply. Of the... https://www.scmp.com/specialreports/business/topics/diamonds-investment/article/2018922/priceless-perfection-argyle-pink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/specialreports/business/topics/diamonds-investment/article/2018922/priceless-perfection-argyle-pink?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Sep 2016 05:24:41 +0000 THE MUSIC BOX most often evokes the childhood memory of a beautiful dancer confined for eternity within the walls of her mechanical instrument home. You can only catch a glimpse of her graceful spinning and twirling when the secret treasures of the box's compartments are briefly revealed. But what, as Royal Insignia proposes, if the music box's exterior were the jewels themselves, and nature's motifs and horology were centre stage? "As the 19th-century naturalist philosopher, poet and author... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1600340/super-deluxe-music-box-fit-royalty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1600340/super-deluxe-music-box-fit-royalty?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2014 14:45:00 +0000 The most exquisite and exclusive jewellery show of its kind, the Biennale des Antiquaires, will open its doors in Paris next week for its 27th edition. The star- and diamond-studded event spans arts, antiques and jewels, but the latter component has been growing every edition. In 2012, Chanel and Cartier doubled the size of their stands, and this year a large number of jewellers have created collections especially to be showcased at the Biennale, underlining the importance that the great maisons... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1581195/jewellery-houses-create-special-collections-paris-biennale?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1581195/jewellery-houses-create-special-collections-paris-biennale?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2014 13:30:30 +0000 It's film festival season again, and Hollywood starlets are sparkling all the more brightly as they mince down the red carpet toting gem-studded accessories. What these celebrities may not know, however, is that their tiny, precious purses - often too small to hold anything bulkier than a lipstick and possibly a phone - actually pay tribute to the early days of cinema in the 1920s and 1930s, when a unique vanity case was the A-list accoutrement, whether at the side of social luminaries, fashion... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1226793/name-vanity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/article/1226793/name-vanity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 1. Dia de la Tradicion (San Antonio de Areco, Argentina; www.pagosdeareco.com.ar) Any occasion is a good excuse for a barbecue in Argentina, which boasts the world's highest consumption rate of beef, at 68kg a year per capita. Head two hours south by bus from Buenos Aires to San Antonio de Areco for the meat-eating orgy that takes place on Dia de la Tradicion. The Day of Tradition is a national holiday and a celebration of the gaucho (cowboy). The week-long festivities culminate with... https://www.scmp.com/article/649406/food-festivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/649406/food-festivals?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000