Jewellery takes on special meaning when it is more than just adornment. Love, sentimentality, and marking occasions are some common emotions imbued in these precious creations. Increasingly, though, jewellery is becoming a way of wearing and expressing our culture. Perhaps it’s to do with the lasting nature of precious gold and gems, and how these can transform over time from things we wear to heirlooms we gift to the future.
This idea of heritage is never far from the minds at POH HENG, one of Singapore’s most recognised jeweller names since its founding in 1948. Crucially, the brand is not stuck in the past. In its designs, one sees a jeweller keeping traditional symbols and motifs updated, and moving in step with jewellery trends of the moment. An heirloom is a cherished thing—but an heirloom you can wear even more so.
This year, POH HENG is introducing a range of new designs to its Legacy® collection. The collection is an interpretation of Peranakan design motifs: the look and feel of historical opulence seen through an elegant, contemporary lens. The star of the latest designs is this Legacy® Phoenix necklace. Crafted from 18-carat yellow and white gold, it features a phoenix in dramatic flight aside a spray of peonies in bloom. The necklace is decorated with diamonds, the phoenix’s eyes are set with rubies, and the peonies are coloured with pink and yellow sapphires. Designed as a centrepiece, it’s as much a collectible piece of jewellery art as a wearable style statement.
One other statement style is a Legacy® Peony pendant, with an open-worked floral medallion design. The peony motif is rendered through lace-like detailing set entirely with diamonds. The open frame allows light to both pass through and sparkle on the diamonds—a gentle blend of brilliance with an airy, easy-to-wear sensibility.
It’s entirely contemporary as a standalone piece, but can be amped up with a matching parure in the form of the Legacy® Peony Si Dian Zuan Set. Conceived as a modern white gold and diamond take on the si dian jin trousseau, it’s joined by a matching ring, bracelet and earrings. For a more heritage-infused look, POH HENG offers a similar Legacy® Peony Si Dian Jin Set with the same styles crafted from 22-carat gold and without diamonds.
As we trot into the Year of the Horse, it’s as good a time as any as well to think about gold as an investment. The last year has seen the value of this precious metal rise and rise, and high-carat gold jewels have, as a result, become a trending form of wearable investment.
The rich, opulent colour of gold has taken on a new shine today, and its many associations in Asian cultures—prosperity, longevity and good fortune—make it meaningful to wear. To mark the Year of the Horse, POH HENG has a range of 22- and 24-carat gold horse motif pendants in a range of silhouettes and styles. A medallion style has the time-honoured look of a lucky totem, while something like the Verso Horse design with a silhouette in profile has a look of graphic modernity.
Jewellery aside, gold itself is a fine piece of heritage that has never lost its shine. It has traditionally made a lovely gift and keepsake, and a timeless investment. POH HENG crafts its finely detailed bars from 999.9 purity, 24-carat gold—as close as it gets to gold in a pure, unadulterated form. This year’s Horse editions feature a variety of designs of the Zodiac animal: dynamic, powerful, energetic and determined—all good traits, surely, to welcome for the year ahead.
Experience wearable luxury with POH HENG’s Legacy® and Horse-themed collections online or at a boutique.
