STRIKING STATEMENTS

We chat to the glamorous co-founders of new luxe jewellery business T&C Gemstones and Jewellery, and take a closer look at their striking collection.

For CAROLINE CHIN GEYLER, founder of interior styling firm Arete Culture, and her close friend TIFFANY COOK, founding a gemstone and jewellery brand was a natural process. Their combined passion for fine jewellery means they have a shared vision for their collection and a symbiotic business relationship; here, they talk about their inspiration and what to expect from the range.

How did you fir t meet?

Caroline: Tiffany and I met five and a half years ago, when she was looking for an interior stylist to set up her home. What started out as a smaller project resulted in a gradual collaboration that spanned four floors.

Through this journey, we spent a lot of time together and became fast friends. Tiffany opened her heart and home to me, and we discovered we have a lot in common, including our immense and undulating love affair with beautiful interiors, fashion and jewellery.

How did you end up going into business together?

Caroline: Because of our infinite love affair with fine jewellery, we have always talked about establishing and creating our own jewellery brand. With COVID-19 and lockdown, we had a little more time on our hands. Both Tiffany and I are super-fast workers – once we’ve both decided on something, it has to be done or completed yesterday; so we started to put the wheels in motion.

One of our aims was to change the way people shop for jewellery. It’s about creating an unforgettable experience in how both women and men look for these stunning rocks created by nature, and empowering them to select something special to celebrate and mark a momentous occasion in their lives or their loved ones’ lives.

How do you work together?

Tiffany: Carol does the majority of the sourcing, curating and buying. I cover the organisation, coordination, communication, negotiating and follow-up. We both design the jewellery together; it has been an incredible experience and journey as we’re both in sync and work so well together to complement each other’s strengths.

What inspires the T&C Gemstones and Jewellery collection, and how would you describe your pieces?

Tiffany: Our inspiration comes from our travels and everyday life, but we’re mostly inspired by the beauty of these stunning rocks that took millions of years to form. Our goal is to give each piece a voice by making it shine in jewellery, but also to offer our clients the ability to select a stone that they love and set it into a stunning piece of jewellery that tells a story, without breaking the bank.

We carry exquisite pieces that can easily take you from day to night, to more glamorous pieces from our bespoke and statement collection. Our custom-set jewellery pieces, including rings, pendants and earrings, are set with a speedy turnaround time of two to three weeks – quite rare here in Singapore.

What price point can readers expect?

Tiffany: Our collection runs the gamut, with loose natural semiprecious gemstones costing $250, set jewellery costing $3,000 for a ring set in diamonds and 18k gold, to over $25,000 for a beautifully designed statement bespoke 16ct emerald and diamond ring, which we created for our client to mark her 20th wedding anniversary. That was a very special moment for us.

What are your own personal favourites from the collection?

Caroline: That’s a hard question to answer, as we love everything on display! I have an affinity for emeralds and diamonds, and Tiffany loves her morganites, aquamarines and diamonds. For me, it’s something to do with the colour and how it contrasts with my skin tone; combined with sparkly white diamonds, it just makes me shine and feel happy.

For Tiff, it’s the love of the lighter stones and, of course, the sparkle that comes from diamonds. Tiffany’s Grandpa told her when she was little that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, and that quote has stuck with her. Our personal collection is dominated by these precious beauties.

Any future plans you can tell us about?

Tiffany: We’re already in the midst of creating and designing a stunning collection of rings, pendants and earrings inspired by the water, so look out for our La Mer collection. This includes our elegant, timeless white and silver South Sea pearl earrings, pendants and rings that are just so precious, exquisite and beautiful.

We’re also working on a “red carpet” collection with glamorous statement cocktail rings, earrings set in morganites, emeralds and sapphires, and green amethyst.

How can people shop for your pieces?

Caroline: We do invites and private appointments, and we also have an active Instagram account. We plan to host a few jewellery parties in 2021, as well as two jewellery trunk shows. We hope to have our pieces in some hotel boutiques around Singapore, too – so stay tuned for exciting developments to come!

Email t.c.gemstonesandjewellery@gmail.com or call 9824 0595 for more information. To view more sparkle, check out their Instagram (@tandcgemstonesandjewellery)!