GIFT of love
The creation of a special gift for her daughter turned out to be the genesis of Rachel Wen’s jewellery brand, Chara Wen, where every piece is designed for a treasured loved one
Love is at the heart of Chara Wen, the Taipei-based jewellery brand created by Rachel Wen. For her daughter’s 18th birthday, Rachel created a beautiful piece of jewellery for her—and the idea was soon born to build a brand.
“I have been in the jewellery business for 20 years,” says Rachel. “And my daughter has worked with me from childhood to adulthood, and she has given me inspiration, which is why each piece of the collections has a heart-shaped jewel to represent love and blessings.”
Today Chara Wen represents not only familial love with its extraordinary pieces, but also romantic passion and eternal friendship. “Our jewellery is meant as a precious gift for lovers or loved ones, or as a special piece for yourself,” says Rachel.
With these intense and converging emotions, Rachel has built the brand around the theme of love and blessings. This sentiment is particularly noticeable in collections such as The Gift of Love, a series of exquisitely designed pieces where ribbons and bows represent the ultimate token of love and blessings, and the Earth collection, which elegantly interprets the relationship between nature and man.
“My inspiration comes from my daily life,” says Rachel. “From everything—from art and design to nature and fashion. The Earth collection is inspired by nature, flowers, plants and trees, and everything organic. While another collection is inspired by art decorations, sculpture and paintings.”
Rachel is referring to the Fashion Muse collection, which uses silhouettes and shapes reminiscent of designs created by the great couture houses of Europe.
And much like the doyennes of the fashion capitals, Rachel believes black is always the new black, placing inky black jade at the centre of many of her designs. “Black represents elegance and mystery, but at the same time it is very low-key,” says Rachel. “Black is the perfect colour to match with other dark colours. I believe black jade really stands out in precious jewellery.”
More than anything, though, what stands out is the love and affection that imbue these pieces. And more than the exquisite craftsmanship and superior gems, it is this heightened emotion that makes Chara Wen jewels the ideal present for anyone who makes you feel loved and cherished.