Jewellery in China: Dragons rear their heads in a celebration of tradition

Demand in China for luxury jewellery is soaring, with native or culturally significant designs proving to be particularly attractive to consumers.

Designers such as Cartier have capitalised on the appeal of traditional Asian designs for some time, and now many other luxury designers are following suit.

More jewellery collections than ever are exhibiting traditional Chinese designs, such as birds, butterflies, and flowers. Many designers are also creating pieces that incorporate the ever relevant dragon, an icon of China's traditional and historic culture, and symbolic of power, strength and good luck.

Shang Xia, the brand created by Jiang Qiong Er in collaboration with Hermes in 2008, is a significant presence in the Chinese design market. Along with furniture and graphic and interior design, Ms Jiang creates delicate, authentic jewellery, using jade and agate, and utilising time-honoured methods of hand crafting.

Shang Xia's Dragon Pearl collection is a representation of the dragon chasing a pearl, a long-time Chinese symbol of imperial power and authority. It incorporates the brand's up-and-down concept ("up and down" being the literal translation of Shang Xia), displaying continuity and always running forwards and evolving. It brings together the significance of China's heritage and continued development.

While Shang Xia started out with traditional Asian designs, other long established designers have widened their presence in China by combining newer cultural creations with their well known brands.

To commemorate the Year of the Dragon, Piaget has introduced its Dragon and Phoenix watch collection, which has sold strongly in Hong Kong and mainland China, consolidating the company's presence.

Piaget's Limelight Garden Party collections have focused on designs attractive to native Chinese consumers. The Limelight pieces feature intricate floral designs, long layered necklaces, asymmetrical cocktail rings and bold, exquisite gemstones.

The cocktail rings favour multidimensional shapes, richly coloured stones, and corner-perched flowers and fruit, including a wedge of lime. It takes the concept of "cocktail" ring to a whole new level.

"The collections are successful, as they mix flowers with a festive spirit, colourful creations and surprising interpretations," says Jean-Bernard Forot, Piaget's director of jewellery marketing.

"The concepts are very in tune with Asian tastes that favour figurative jewellery," says Mr Forot. The bold and distinctive designs make Piaget's jewellery some of the most popular in China and among Asian tourists travelling abroad.

Bulgari has become a huge presence in China, with 20 boutiques on the mainland and others in Hong Kong and Macau. Bulgari's jewellery sales in the country were up 76 per cent in 2011. The brand is to hold a retrospective exhibition to mark its 125th anniversary at the National Museum in Beijing - the exhibition's debut in Asia following shows in Rome and Paris.

Bulgari's Sapphire Flower collection is a combination of bright, colourful gemstones, pave diamonds and overstated pearls, set in 18-carat yellow gold in a simple flower shape. The style is a throwback to Bulgari's floral designs from the 1950s.

The Serpenti collection uses the theme of a serpent, a Middle Eastern symbol dating back to ancient Egypt. Since the 1960s, Bulgari has experimented with the serpent shape, incorporating the design into multiple collections that have been greatly appreciated in China.

Hilary Heard, a Bulgari representative, says: "More recently, we have revived the Serpenti collection, with contemporary styles of jewellery and watches. We anticipate our newest Serpenti designs, which feature bright, semi-precious stones, will be particularly popular in China."

The lesser known Asia-influenced jewellery of John Hardy, based in Bali, Indonesia, has gained a solid foothold in Hong Kong.

Since opening in 2008, the boutique has seen nearly 50 per cent of its customers come from mainland China. So successful has it been that the company is in the process of opening between 10 and 15 stores in China.

John Hardy's Bamboo and Naga collections are the most popular with Chinese consumers. The Bamboo pieces are delicate rings, cuffs, bracelets, necklaces and charms in sterling silver with subtly placed gemstones. Each piece is textured to resemble straws of bamboo.

The Naga collection features traditional pieces utilising the dragon figure and incorporating solid cuffs and large pendants that resemble baubles you might imagine were worn by the well-to-do of ancient China.

John Hardy is also capitalising on the dragon theme with its Year of the Dragon, a small line as part of the Naga collection that incorporates the dragon in bracelets, rings, cuffs and earrings.

The use of jade, pearl, emerald, sapphire and ruby has become much more prevalent in China, as tastes seem to be turning back towards the traditional.

With the incorporation of the ever-popular dragon, as well as other Asian symbols of culture and heritage, these collections are solidifying the presence of a luxury jewellery market in China that also values local traditions.

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