Starting a New Aesthetic
Singaporean jewellery brand Carrie K.’s bespoke jewellery redesigns are becoming the talk of South East Asia’s rarefied society circles. The brand’s meticulous process that reimagines family heirlooms is just one part of the label’s business, headquartered in the island-state’s National Design Centre. The company’s notable collaborations include ones for Disney. Former advertising executive turned founder of one of Singapore’s most high profile jewellery brands, Carolyn Kan relates how she and her team reinterprets traditional South East Asian aesthetics with her jewellery pieces, how these pieces spark new conversations.
When you began the company in 2009, did you imagine it would connect so well with Singaporean culture and design? Or was it a gradual process?
Carrie K. has gradually evolved in to creating modern heirlooms that tell important stories of Singapore’s heritage and culture. When I first started Carrie K. in 2009, we were driven by a passion for storytelling through playful and provocative designs, married with artisan craftsmanship. But the designs were based on universal themes that could have been created by designers from anywhere in the world. When I was showing in at Paris Fashion Week a few years ago, someone asked me what story I would tell about Singapore. That question kept playing in my head until I came up the idea of our modern heirlooms series in 2017. It took a year of research and development to come up with our stackable designs featuring custom cut gems. And the first collection from our Modern Heirloom series called Heritage launched in January 2018.
It was inspired by the Peranakan tile. I picked the Peranakan tile because you will find them on shophouses in Chinatown, Little India and Geylang Serai. The Peranakan tile is relevant to Singaporean as well as other South East Asian cultures. As I dug a bit deeper, I learned that the families chose specific designed tiles to reflect the values they felt represented their family. As such, we chose a motif based on the Chinese ideal of having four generations harmoniously under one roof. The Heritage ring set is made of an outer ring which looks like a roof, and the finer ring which features four pillars around a central gem inserts in to the middle.
How do you balance creativity and respect for tradition in your bespoke jewellery redesigns?
The heart of all our designs starts with the story we want to tell. The designs and the way we create each piece of jewellery, from the gems that we choose, to how the material is finished, plays an integral part to the story. An example is the Heirloom Revival project we created for a couple who wanted their eternity wedding ring and diamond solitaire engagement ring to be redesigned in to one ring for their 17th wedding anniversary. I found out that the couple had met in Colorado and they loved the Grand Canyon. So we created their “milestones” ring that looks like a series of uneven boulder or rocks, composed of the two different materials from the original rings, and we sprinkled the diamonds across the “rocks”. We used 3D computer cads to accurately scale the design, and texture each rock that joined to form the ring with a unique finish. When everything fit in the 360 degree simulation, then the ring was crafted by hand.
The idea of getting a jeweller to create a one-of-a-kind piece is one that generations of women are familiar with. How has this changed with the technology we have access to these days?
We could not have created the “Milestone” ring without the aid of 3D computer cad. And the engineering required of our Modern Heirloom pieces relies heavily on 3D computer cads to ensure each piece will fit seamlessly with the present and past designs. After everything looked like it sat well together on computer, we then 3D print resin models to test the fit before the actual metal masters were made.
In addition, we receive bespoke commissions from client from around the world. In the past, custom or bespoke jewellery were only possible with your local jewellery because creating a one-of-a-kind piece that speaks to you requires intimate face-to-face discussions. But with technology like Skype and Facetime, we are no longer confined by geographic limitations. A number of our bespoke clients, both men and women, come from all over the world. And discussions can also be done real time. With technology, we are also able to create not only 360 degree digital renderings of the design, we are also able to 3D print resin samples of the design to let our clients visualise what they will get. This also helps us save time and cost and allows us to physically test the feasibility of the design.
How does one craft a piece of jewellery that creates emotional reactions?
We uncover stories that are important and meaningful to our clients. Often our clients have no idea what story they want to tell. That is why we invite them to chat over a cup of tea or if some prefer, whiskey, to get the creative juices going. We take a lot time listening to our clients’ stories from which to base our design upon. On many occasions, we’ve had more than one consultation with our clients. Often it is easier for someone from the outside to pick out key thoughts or turning points in our clients’ relationship or lives. Then that story is immortalised in to a piece of jewellery to mark that milestone. We also look at our clients’ lifestyle and personal style in order to create a suitable aesthetic that they will continue to love. Capturing their unique story that is meaningful to our clients and seeing their reaction when they see the final piece is what I enjoy most.
What is next for CarrieK.?
We will be opening our first Carrie K. retail experience in Singapore second half of 2019. We will continue to expand our fine jewellery collections to be known for versatile designs that tell meaningful stories, especially for gifting for important occasions like weddings, and anniversaries. We hope to grow our brand of bespoke storytelling internationally.
