With a fierce passion for beautiful gemstones of all kinds and a remarkable curation of expressive and poetic designs, B.P. de Silva’s vast jewellery portfolio defies easy definition. For its countless bespoke creations, the heritage fine jeweller frequently works with custom-cut diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires which are known as the Big Three in coloured gemstones, and even the rare, sunset-hued stones called padparadscha sapphires. This year, it channelled all that love, creativity, and expertise into its first-ever high jewellery collection.
Dedicated to B.P. de Silva’s unique journey which spans five generations, the collection is intimate but heritage-rich, and commemorates the jeweller’s 150th anniversary. Rarely do local jewellers step into the high jewellery world, given the inordinate amounts of research and technical finesse involved in this endeavour. So the collection comprises five one-of-a-kind designs, one for each generation, to tell the B.P. de Silva story through masterful design and craftsmanship.
For this reason, the first high jewellery piece in the collection, designed by its creative director and fifth generation family member, Shanya Amarasuriya, is the Duchess Sapphire ring.
An homage to the brand’s royal patronage—the first royal commission being from the Duke of Connaught in 1890—this mesmerising jewel took inspiration from a brooch made then for the Duchess of Connaught. Echoing the brooch’s use of a magnificent blue sapphire, framed by cascading diamonds, here, B.P. de Silva lavished a rare, unheated 4.95-carat cushion-cut blue sapphire and over two carats of round diamonds, all set in gold. In contrast, the rest of the collection is crafted in platinum, which heralds an era of modernity for B.P. de Silva’s second generation and beyond.
Indeed, if it were not for the company’s second generation, there might not be a B.P. de Silva today. Per its historical records, chaos raged through Singapore during the second world war and looting was rife. Titus de Silva, a distant relative of founder Balage Porolis de Silva, had the integrity to retrieve as many jewels as he could from the company’s safe, and buried everything under a nearby tree. When the war was over, he returned to the site and uncovered the hidden valuables, affording B.P. de Silva Jewellers a second lease of life.
That antique safe is well over 100 years old today and continues to stand guard at B.P. de Silva’s newly opened flagship boutique. Commemorating this beautiful chapter in its history is the Grand Plush Sapphire high jewellery necklace, with a glorious 10.50-carat unheated emerald-cut yellow sapphire embraced by 1,944 pavé round diamonds. Forming a plush halo around its centre stone, this necklace’s rounded form which embraces its core portrays ideals of protection, inner strength, and love, thus relaying Titus’s story.
Meanwhile, B.P. de Silva pays tribute to its third generation with the Deco Empire Morganite earrings. Amarasuriya sought to embody the empowerment of women in the post-war era, which gave us some of the iconic women of all time, such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. The muse for this design is her very own star: her late grandmother.
“She had fire, and she had grace; my grandmother exuded this quiet, secure confidence—much like many of our clients today,” Amarasuriya says. “She was always firm but she would deliver even the hard truths with a kindness—a balance that she so naturally had. I wanted to tell her story through design, and that’s why she became the muse for our 3rd Generation jewel.”
Oppositional forces unite in this pair of high jewellery drop earrings: the linear Art Deco form in diamonds, also the hardest material on Earth, contrasts with sweet pink oval-cut morganites. “This juxtaposition is a metaphor of my grandmother. A strong woman ahead of her time, and armed with a generous and youthful heart that made her such a beacon of light,” she reminisces.
Next comes the fourth generation creation and Amarasuriya honours her father, Sunil Amarasuriya, with the Horizon Royal Diamond earrings. Crafted in full platinum and set with a total of 3.57-carats of custom-cut diamonds, they perfectly embody the values most deeply associated with the man.
“I had originally thought to create something with a teal sapphire, and I still can see that for him and his story. But for all the clarity he has brought to the company, and to me as his daughter, it just had to be a design with step-cut diamonds,”Amarasuriya explains.
As a result, she specifically chose to work with one-carat lozenge-cut diamonds because the diamond-shaped geometric outline of this cut resonated with the values of honesty and integrity, two of her father’s most definitive traits.
Finally, taking us into B.P. de Silva’s fifth generation is the Monument Legacy Sapphire ring which was jointly created by Shanya and her father, both of whom are certified gemmologists with a passion for jewels and gemstones. This ring is based on one of B.P. de Silva’s best-selling engagement ring designs to date, the Jazz Age Monument ring. But this time, it features a spectacular 7.55-carat unheated royal blue sapphire that’s one of the finest ever seen in B.P. de Silva’s legendary gem library.
“We wanted to create something that would also resonate with our clients today. This design is so requested for, it’s our way of also having their voice distinctly applied in our creative process. Because they’re a part of the B.P. de Silva story too.” says Amarasuriya.
B.P. de Silva’s high jewellery collection is now available for discovery and purchase exclusively at the B.P. de Silva flagship boutique at 14C Dempsey Road. Prices available upon request.
