It used to be that high-purity 22- or 24-karats golds looked a little old-fashioned. They were the stuff of bridal dowries and gifts, or otherwise the kind of gold you’d buy to keep in the safe—not so much to wear. It might be time to shelf those assumptions. Heritage Chinese jewellers have been hard at work updating the designs and wearability of their high-karat jewels—and, in a serendipitous combination of being in a very Chinese time of our lives as well as gold appreciating in recent years, the very yellow style looks fresh once more.
The latest to bring something new and interesting to the table is Chow Tai Fook—established in 1929, and perhaps East Asia’s largest and most famous jeweller. What the brand is proposing is a fun twist on gold: beyond jewellery that we’re often precious and careful about, how about lifestyle accessories that offer more varied ways to live your life with a touch of gold on you?
The new Chow Tai Fook Accessories collection weaves in motifs from the brand’s Rouge and Joie collections, with auspicious elements of red, lock charms, and graphic renderings of the Chinese characters for luck and joy. The most stylish versions of these are a line of hair clips, offered in red, pink or black, with the signature ‘Fook’, or fortune, motif inscribed in 24-karat gold.
There are also medallion charms, which come on red and black check cords, which can be used as key rings or worn—in the trendy fashion—as a bag charm.
Chow Tai Fook has also connected the idea of gold, something precious and personal that’s often worn close to oneself, with another kind of modern lifestyle habit we often keep close: tech gadgets like smartwatches and earphones. To wit, one of the more interesting new accessories the jeweller has come up with is the Joie earphone case, crafted from 24-karat gold, set with diamonds and decorated with red enamel details, with a gold chain to wear it on. Ostensibly practical and wholly luxurious, it brings a whole new level of preciousness to tech gadgets.
And if not a gold earphone case to wear as a necklace, then perhaps some jewelled accents to decorate a smartwatch strap? The Hong Kong-based brand has a pair of enamel, diamond and gold accessories that slip easily over straps with either a lock charm motif or an abstract rendition of the Chinese ‘joy’ character—subtler than a full case in gold, perhaps, but no less luxurious.
