Jewellery designer Simone Ng weaves fascinating stories rooted in culture and history through her bejewelled creations that places the spotlight on coloured gemstones.

Coloured gemstones lie at the heart of the creations of acclaimed Singapore-based jewellery designer Simone Ng. Inspired by history, architecture and culture, she shares her worldview and conveys enthralling tales of bygone eras through bejewelled marvels.

Some 15 years ago, Ng established Simone Jewels to weave thematic narratives through coloured gems. Back in 2006, women in Singapore were just starting to view jewellery as vehicles for self-expression, she recalled. The market was dominated by mass-produced, commercial pieces, most of which were diamond-centric. Ng’s bespoke creations showcasing natural coloured gemstones came as a breath of fresh air.

“Producing only a single unit of each design, our brand enabled women to own distinctive jewellery pieces that would bring out the best in them. This remains our objective to this day – creating exclusive high jewellery pieces with coloured gemstones, each with its own fascinating story,” Ng said.

Driven by the brand’s ethos, “Yesterday’s Tales. Today’s Creations. Tomorrow’s Inspiration,” designs revolve around themes curated annually, with capsule collections reinforcing the narrative. Ng leads a small team of designers in developing Simone Jewels’ collections. “Design always starts with the theme, which is curated organically. Inspiration comes from exploration, intuition and that ‘aha’ moment.’ The theme then sets the foundation for colours, style and technique. The concept, always based on history, is researched extensively and then translated into jewellery designs,” she explained.

Themed collections

Coloured gemstones are chosen for their quality and rarity so that the jewels can be passed down from generation to generation.

“We are story tellers, creating the unimagined art and bringing it to life. Intricate, whimsical and thematic, every design is perfected and intelligently engineered to create movement and transformability,” Ng remarked.

In 2017, she focused on the artistic stylings of the Georgian era in her Quintessentially British collection. Romance du Art Nouveau in 2016 melded Japanese ukiyo-e principles with Art Nouveau elements. Her 2015 collection captured the exotic whimsy of One Thousand & One Tales, also known as Arabian Nights. Jewels of the Nile in 2014 showcased stunning gems from Africa in glamorous pieces with rich tones and delicate motifs.

“The key is relating the design back to the story, with the rest left to the customer’s imagination. Each piece is intricate, detailed with impeccable craftsmanship. The one key ingredient that makes or breaks a brand is taste. Creating a lovely piece is just one challenge; ensuring it looks good when worn is another. Achieving both is essential to a successful venture,” Ng said.

To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Simone Jewels looked back to its own past to produce contemporary interpretations of a brand classic.

From Russia with Love, a collection first introduced in 2011, was refreshed with new elements including fine figurines and enamel work using guilloche techniques applied in the renowned Fabergé eggs. Highlights include the Imperial Locket in 18-karat white and rose gold, and the Fabergé Delight, a ruby- and diamond-encrusted egg-shaped pendant that opens to reveal a ballerina figurine in white enamel.

Perhaps best embodying the brand’s journey is its 2020-2021 offering, Storied Gems. Here, the spotlight is cast on the gemstones themselves, celebrating the beauty and origin of these natural wonders.

Significant inroads

Indeed, it all comes back to the gemstones. Ng noticed a marked increase in Asian markets’ appreciation of coloured gemstones in recent years. Gold jewellery along with diamonds in simple settings have traditionally been preferred by Asian consumers, mainly for their resale and investment value. The designer explained, “Asians tend to make calculated purchase decisions. More often than not, any jewellery piece that is simple and easy to auction or pawn generally moves well in the market.”

This perspective has changed drastically, thanks to greater access to information. Asian consumers now realise that coloured gemstones are rarer than diamonds and thus more likely to appreciate in value, according to Ng. Emotional significance has also become a major consideration when selecting designs and jewellery pieces, she continued.

Since the pandemic started, Ng has sold more green gemstones than in the last five years combined. She attributes this to the calming effect of the colour, which alludes to life outdoors. The availability of alternative green gemstones such as indicolite, lagoon and teal sapphires during this period also helped.

Simone Jewels is currently stocked in Singapore, London and Los Angeles, with several more points in the offing. It was the first Singapore jewellery brand to be showcased at Harrods in London. According to Ng, Simone Jewels appeals to women from a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicities. Intelligent and accomplished, they love colours and are well versed on gemstones. “Our customers appreciate the unique space of merging jewellery with art. They purchase jewellery for personal fulfillment and for investment,” she revealed.

Ng is also making her creations accessible to a wider audience. In 2019, she launched Jouer by Simone, a range of affordable, daily-wear jewellery for the modern generation. Available online, its platform allows customers to customise
their purchases.

“Jouer by Simone has been well received. Its attractive price points enable us to reach more markets virtually. We will keep growing this part of the business; it is a stepping stone to our high jewellery range,” she said.