AFTER SETTING THE JEWELLERY WORLD

abuzz with designs that pay tribute to Chinese history and heritage, art and cultural specialist and jewellery designer Kai-yin Lo is moving on to a new chapter in her career. The industry legend bowed out with a farewell sale last month at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. “I’ve just decided it’s time to focus on myself. I wanted more time for the pursuits I enjoy, such as reading and writing,” Lo says. She also explained that production had become “increasingly difficult” due to older craftspeople retiring and younger generations not being skilled in the special techniques required to make her jewellery. Lo won’t be jetting off on holiday, though: she announced she would be splitting her time between lecturing at Central St Martins, where she is a professor, and at Asia Society New York and Hong Kong, and deepening her involvement with museums like M+ and London’s Tate Modern. “That should keep me busy enough,” she says.