Peranakan Jewelry

Peranakan Jewellery renowns for its delicate craftmanship and Intan diamonds is unqiue to the South East Asia region. Its history began in the 1800s.

In the 1826, there was a group of terrorites which came under the control of the British - the Straits Settlements. It consisted of four settlements, namely Malacca, Dinding, Penang and Singapore. Along the way, the Chinese traders came and married the ethnic Malays. Their descendants are known as Peranakans.

Peranakans have their own unique customs, culture as well as jewelry designs. Geninue antique Peranakan Jewellery is much sought after by the collectors because of its rarity, intricate craftmanship and possible appreciation potential. With the popular demand, modern reproductions are made to cater to the growing interest. Old Peranakan Gold Jewellery is usually made up of 20 - 24k gold, while Peranakan Costume Jewellery is a replica for a fraction of the price. Below is a mixture of Peranakan Costume Jewellery and Old Peranakan Gold Jewellery. Personally, I can hardly tell a difference between the two from the photos. Love it? You may click on the image to find out where you can get it. Happy browsing. :)

  

Old Peranakan Gold Humming Bird Brooch
source - The Jealous Society

Peranakan Costume Bracelet
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Flower Brooch
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Peranakan Costume Earrings
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Diamond Necklace

source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Diamond Brooch
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Peranakan Costume Earrings
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Peranakan Costume Sterling Silver Brooch
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Diamond Bracelet
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Diamond Ring
source - The Jealous Society

Snapshot Jewelry

Nowadays people take a picture of what they like and post it on Instagram, Facebook, or other social media. Two young ladies took the inspiration and created a Snapshot jewellery collection. The outcomes are innovative, appealing and kinetic. Each piece of jewellery is carefully handcrafted by Yael Serfaty and Tal Salomon, who are graduates of Shenkar Collage of Engineering and Design, Israel. Their jewellery "freezes" and "frames" the people in action, e.g. woman on a swing, couple strolling, etc. And it is kinetic as well, which means the swing moves as the wearer moves. :) If you have a triangle shaped face, choose a circle frame, if you have a round face, choose a rectangular frame. Kudos to Yael and Tal for their creativity!

Frame 6 -Swing and Pearls Earrings
source - Boticca

Gold Swing Sling Earrings
source - Boticca

My Mini Swing Silver Earrings
source - Boticca

Our Love Story Gold Necklace
source - Boticca

Sliver Jewelry with A Zen Feeling

Aileen Lampman, who created Ai Jewelry in 1997, hand-fabricated the jewellery using sterling sliver and 14k gold. Her jewellery gives one a Zen feeling - it may due to its distinct, clear, clean lines. An unique feature of her jewellery is each jewellery's basic design is shaped either in convex or concave forms. They are then pieced together to form the leaves, flowers, bamboo, etc. The polished and reflective finishing is also another feature of Aileen Lampman's silver jewellery which is different from the Daphna Simon's sliver jewellery mentioned in my previous post. Ai Jewelry also has a 'flow' element in it, maybe it is due to repeated patterns or curved shaped. I find the Pocket Necklace uncommon, different from the lockets that I have come across.  But it serves the same function, keeping what the owner's desires in its pocket.

Pocket Necklace - Opened

Bamboo Forrest Necklace

Wave Earrings

Li-Li Pearl Necklace

Silver logs and Gold Leopard Signature ring

Going back to the nature is one of the stress relievers for urban dwellers. Picnic in a park, hiking in a forest or scuba diving are some of activities that I like to do to de-stress. Hence, it is not surprising that women are drawn to jewellery that associates with the natural elements like flowers, animals, corals, etc. Daphna Simon's log jewellery reminds one of the trees in a forest, while the gold leopard reminds one of the wild animals in a jungle. The roughness and non-glossy finishing give the jewellery a nature look, which is apt to her log and animal collections. I like her Sliver and Diamond Log Ring and Gold Leopard Signature Ring, while the Large Sliver Log Ring can also be a male's accessories, i.e. if the men do not mind sharing their accessories with women. :)

Large Silver Log Ring
source : Stone & Strand 

Gold Leopard Signature Ring
source : Stone & Strand 

Sliver Log Earrings
source : Stone & Strand 

Silver and Diamond Log Ring
source: Stone and Strand

Men's accessories

Chrishabana, which debuted in 2004 is renowned for his gothic styled jewellery. The collection is named after its designer Chris Habana, who is based in Brooklyn, NY. Most of the jewellery pieces have a dark gothic element, but are also punky and non-sexist. They are suitable for men and women, though it inclines towards the masculine side. The collection featured in numerous magazines before - Sportswear International, Women's Wear Daily, Bazaar Japan, etc - was alluded for its unconventional design. Personally, I like the Boys are Girls Triple Ring Set Necklace, the Voodoo Ladder Necklace and The XX PVC Glove.

Plate Cage Square Link Necklace
source : Amazon

Voodoo Ladder Necklace
source : Amazon

Boys are Girls Triple Ring Set Necklace
source : Amazon

Cage Ring
source : Amazon

The XX PVC Glove
source : Tikka

Cage Plug Earrings
source : Tikka

Cage Spike Necklace
source : Tikka

Factual Skull Ring
source : Tikka

The Parasite Ring
source : Tikka