Jewel of a Thought
Born into a family steeped in jewellery, Sarah Zhuang has forged her own path. The designer tells how emotions inspire the pieces she creates for her brand
Given that the family business is jewellery, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the case of Sarah Zhuang, but the entrepreneurial designer has managed to set herself apart by creating her own individual style for her eponymous brand.
Sarah attributes her design ethos to the combination of her studies at the Gemological Institute of America—which taught her the more practical elements of jewellery making—and her time at Accademia Riaci in Florence.
“I adored the time I spent in Florence,” she says. “The way they teach you there is extraordinary. I felt privileged to learn with such masters of the craft. The reason I wanted to go was that after having done a number of jewellery design courses in Hong Kong, I wanted to do something less practical. And what I loved so much about studying in Florence was the amount of time that is devoted to each idea. You are taught that the thinking is just as important as the making.”
And this thoughtful approach to design is evident in all her pieces, which are inspired by specific emotions. Her method is particularly creative in that she summons up an imaginary person in her mind and then delves deep into what that person might be thinking or feeling, and designs a piece of jewellery as a portrait of that person.
The collections all have thought-provoking names, such as Spread Your Wings: Pursue Your Dreams; Lady Rose: As Beautiful as a Rose; Mix & Match: Wear it Your Way; Enchanted Pearl: As Pure as A Pearl; and Dancing Butterfly.
“Each collection was inspired by a certain trait,” she says. “When I start a collection, I will imagine a certain type of woman and then think about which elements go with that. For the Spread Your Wings collection, I was designing for a woman who is adventurous, independent and fearless about pursuing her dreams, so I used angel wings as a motif.”
Her beautiful jewellery lives up to the evocative names she has chosen. All the pieces feature high-quality diamonds, sapphires and other precious stones and look like they were created for the red carpets of Cannes, Paris and New York.
However, Sarah, who grew up watching her mother design jewellery for the family business, is not working for the celebrities of the world; she is making pieces for you and me.
“I want to make something for women like us,” she says. “So, for me, the most important thing is aesthetics—something women actually want to wear. Second is comfort and then third is versatility. I want to accommodate visual lifestyles, as we all have different styles throughout the day.” And her brand is very much aimed at her age group. “I want my designs to be young and contemporary,” she says. “A lot of my customers are women of my age, from about 25 to 40, and every time I design, I think about what they would want to wear. I pay a lot of attention to different jewellery brands because I want to create something completely different for a younger market. More creative and with a unique style.”
Sarah’s approach to her designs has proven to be a winning formula, especially in Japan, where her brand has sold over 300 items of jewellery and watches within four months.
And like with so many designers, choosing a favourite piece is difficult for Sarah, like picking a favourite child, particularly since she has imbued each jewel with so much emotion. “If I had to choose, I would say my favourite is Long Distance Love,” she says, referring to two delicately embellished rings made with mother-of-pearl that outline the contour of a man and a woman.
“I love this piece so much because it tells a beautiful story through the design. I like its versatility and how functional it is. The two rings taken apart is really special as it actually tells the story of long-distance love. As they are worn separately, the rings resemble lovers separated from each other and longing for their next reunion.”
Sarah, who won the merit award at the 2015 International Jewellery Design Competition for this piece, clearly has a poet’s soul. Which makes her the ideal designer for any woman hoping for both visual and intellectual romance from her jewellery.