PANDAS IN PARIS

Qeelin creates limited edition pendants to mark launch of new Parisian boutique

panda and jewellery fans! Twenty-eight new bejewelled Bo Bo pandas have arrived but you may need to jet to the City of Light to catch a glimpse of them.

Bo Bo (which means “precious” in Chinese) is the playful panda charm and iconic mascot of high-end Chinese jewellery brand Qeelin. To celebrate the opening of its new boutique at Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris, Qeelin’s award-winning creative director Dennis Chan has created a limited edition of 28 large Paris Bo Bo pendants. The store, which opened on 18 September, is the second Qeelin boutique to open in Paris. The first is situated in Jardin du Palais-Royal.

Available only in France, Paris Bo Bo is crafted in 18K white gold and emblazoned with precious stones. As a tribute to the French tricolour flag, Paris Bo Bo’s right limbs are studded with blue sapphires, left limbs with red rubies, and body with diamonds. It also has fully functionable joints, meaning that his head and limbs are movable, a Qeelin signature.

Chan, who has always been fascinated by objects that could symbolise culture, art, architecture or society, says his Paris Bo Bo perfectly captures the classic East meets

West spirit for which the brand is famous. His first Bo Bo was a single monochromatic piece adorned with black and white diamonds. It was so popular that Chan started a whole collection of Bo Bos, which then grew into an extended family to include the Western teddy bear, all fashioned with myriad colourful gemstones.