Having been born into a family of jewellers, Sarah Zhuang launched her own collection in 2013 with pieces specially crafted for modern women in mind. Her unique and avant-garde designs have won awards in international jewellery design competitions and have the stamp of approval from the likes of celebrities such as Naomi Scott and Cecilia Cheung, to name a few. This time, we sat down with Sarah Zhuang to discover the story behind her favourite creations and more.
Your family has been in the jewellery business for more than two decades. How did this inspire you to create your own namesake brand, and what are the parallels, differences between both?
I was in charge of marketing and design when I first joined the family business. After launching my first two collections, I realized there was a big mismatch between my designs and the brand image of our family business, which was a lot more traditional and mature. So in 2017, I finally decided to launch my own jewellery brand to really express my design philosophy, which is more versatile, young and innovative.
What’s the most rewarding part of your journey so far?
Receiving the ‘Innovative and Uniqueness in Design’ award at the International Jewellery Design Excellence competition was one of my proudest achievements. It was very special to me to showcase the creativity and craftsmanship of Hong Kong to the world.
Your designs have won awards, been worn by international celebrities, and featured on many magazines. What do you think sets your jewellery apart from others?
When it comes to my creations, there are 3 things I always put emphasis on - elegance, wearability and versatility. I want to create jewellery pieces that can be worn in multiple ways that adapt to the busy lifestyles of modern women. Since most of our customers wear our jewellery on a daily basis, we ensure that the material used can be passed on to the next generation. I believe all these factors combined make our brand stand out from others.
What’s your creative process like? How do you find inspiration, and the materials to work with?
I often find inspiration from architecture whenever I travel, and also pay a lot of attention to the latest fashion trends. When I design a new collection, the first step is always coming up with an idea, then finding elements to convey the story. Once the design is finalized, I send my design to our manufacturer, and they will make a wax model for me to review, we then source the materials together and begin production on the actual piece. We usually make a sample first, and then make alterations until the piece is perfect. Each piece is meticulously handcrafted, and the whole production process usually takes around 2-3 months.
This piece means a lot to me as it is my way of paying homage to my hometown.
What kind of women do you design your jewellery for?
My brand celebrates womanhood, and each collection personifies a unique trait of modern women. With a slogan “As versatile as women”, we combine elegance with functionality to create transformable jewellery that can be worn in multiple ways to adapt to modern women’s busy lifestyles. Women that wear our jewellery have strong and distinctive personalities - they are confident and sophisticated, but also love fashion and are comfortable to express their uniqueness.
Do you have a favourite piece of jewellery in your collection? Can you tell us more about this piece?
My favorite piece would be ‘Urban Reflection’, which has won two jewellery design competitions. This piece incorporates Hong Kong’s world-renowned skyline in the set of four rings. Whilst the rings can be worn individually or stacked, wearing two rings on the upper finger and two rings turned upside down on the lower finger creates the reflection of Hong Kong’s iconic skyline. “ This piece means a lot to me as it is my way of paying homage to my hometown.
Find your forever favourite from Sarah Zhuang’s jewellery collection below.
