Meet the Singaporean jewellery designer who ‘writes with diamonds’
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Encounter the Singaporean jewellery designer who 'writes with diamonds'
Sara Sze Tan, founder of An Lodge of Bling, turns handwriting into dazzling statement pieces handcrafted with diamonds. She even transforms old jewellery into new designs to laurels the memory of loved ones.
Sara Sze Tan is the founder of An Order of Bling. (Photo: Alvin Teo)
12 Mar 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 21 May 2022 eleven:54AM)
Step into An Club of Bling'south atelier on Claymore Loma and the first thing that catches your eye is a vivid neon pinkish sign with the words "Information technology'south a good kind of madness here". While some may say that 'madness' is too stiff a description of An Lodge of Bling, it only takes one await at the make'south creations to know that this is not your regular jewellery brand.
There'south a solid gilt ring that spins but like a fidget spinner, dangle earrings filled with tsavorites resembling a gem cloth, and a pair of rings shaped like pagodas. Welcome to the whimsical world of An Guild of Bling – where jewellery takes on a new life and becomes anything but conventional.
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"I don't know where I get the inspiration from. It just happens," admitted Sara Sze Tan, founder of the home-grown brand. "Simply when it does happen, I try to make the best of it and come with a slice that'south quite different."
Since launching An Guild of Bling in 2016, Tan, a former marketing communications managing director at the National Museum of Singapore and more recently, a stay-home mum, has ever pushed the boundaries of jewellery design. In 2018, she launched the Writing with Diamonds series, a drove she believes embodies the essence of An Gild of Bling.
"I was inspired by a quotation I once read that said, 'If the words you spoke appeared on your peel, would you nevertheless be beautiful?' It's a very powerful quote that fabricated me think of the importance of words. And how some words, when spoken, become etched in our hearts and minds forever," Tan quipped.
The idea is for the drove to immortalise words or phrases in diamonds, creating a slice of jewellery that tin can be passed downward from one generation to some other. "I wanted to create this series because if someone were to come to me with a word to exist fashioned in platinum, gold, or diamonds, they must have put a lot of thought into that discussion. It's going to exist captured forever," Tan explained.
"And if you recollect about jewellery itself, information technology has ever been made for, or given during, significant occasions. And then this piece of jewellery becomes a function of a person or family unit's oral history as it gets passed down through the generations."
Clients are encouraged to use their ain handwritings, but Tan laughed as she shared, "Out of 10 people, only one or two would be happy to utilize their ain handwriting. Eight volition tell me that they accept really bad handwriting and ask to use mine. Just I think there'south something very romantic in the thought of using your own handwriting to brand a piece, and then passing it on to someone."
"I was inspired by a quotation I one time read that said, 'If the words you spoke appeared on your skin, would you all the same be beautiful?' It'southward a very powerful quote that made me think of the importance of words. And how some words, when spoken, become etched in our hearts and minds forever." – Sara Sze Tan
JEWELLERY WITH A Statement
To showcase the possibilities of Writing with Diamonds, the commencement piece Tan created in the series was a necklace with the phrase Behaving Badly. The phrase, Tan shared, was chosen as a reminder to her daughters.
"With this slice, I wanted to tell my daughters that I may accept started a business in a very traditional manufacture, just I want to button for unique designs. I want my kids to know that sometimes when you want to make a change, other people will perceive that you are behaving desperately. But don't be scared about it because if you don't go confronting conventions, you lot don't invent and add to the material of what could be out there."
The necklace sits elegantly draped across a lady'southward neck, and while the diamond encrusted phrase is no dubiety the star of the slice, the necklace is also laced with akoya pearls for a dainty bear upon.
Tan too gets her inspiration from popular culture. The collection features a bangle shaped from Yippeekayay, a catchphrase used by Bruce Willis in the Dice Hard movie franchise, which Tan explained is her hubby'southward favourite serial.
"When I was thinking of a word for the bangle, I actually liked the idea of 'yippeekayay' because it reminds me of him. At the same time, it has a happy notion to it," Tan revealed. "Just if you've watched the picture, you'll know that the phrase is filled with attitude. Bruce Willis says the phrase while he'due south shooting the bad guys. People who've watched Die Hard will recognise it straightaway and know the cheeky notion behind it. So to a certain extent, it'south a real attitude statement piece."
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Having already defended creations in the collection to her husband and daughters, the adjacent piece is the drove is one Tan designed for herself. Information technology'south a pair of earrings with one spelling Quixotic, and the other spelling Disco. The earrings are symbolic of the journey she's been on with An Order of Bling.
"When I offset started the business, I wanted perfection in everything that I did. It's a slightly quixotic pursuit for perfection. But this is a very traditional industry and I faced a lot of difficulties. For example, craftsmen didn't want to make the kind of jewellery I wanted," she recalled. "The pursuit of perfection tin can be quite painful, but because I've found the right partners to piece of work with, it has now get a disco and I'm really having fun."
Finally, the terminal piece in the collection is a statement ring bearing the words Information technology'south kismet. "All the other pieces had a certain kind of attitude or are slightly cheeky, simply for this piece, I wanted to bring it back to the notion of dear," Tan shared.
The band is meant to be worn on the pinkie finger, she revealed. "In that location's something that I do, or I've noticed other people exercise. When you're out on a date, you tend to lean a bit closer, support your head with your hand," Tan said, equally she slipped the band on her little finger finger and demonstrated the pose by resting her chin on her palm.
"Yous look intently at the person and listen to what he or she has to say. To me, this pose, sitting across the table from someone you lot are very attracted to, is a very romantic i. Immediately I thought the words should exist 'it'south kismet', which means you're meant to be," she continued.
Tan revealed that she hopes to expand the collection with a brooch and a headband. "One give-and-take that I currently accept on file is 'razzmatazz'. I'k still figuring out how to do it, but as I go inspired by words, I volition make the pieces," she said.
At the same fourth dimension, she encourages clients to come with their own words. She'due south currently working on a piece for a customer, who wanted to give her sis a pair of earrings with the words mei mei, which translates to little sis, as a wedding gift.
"What I'm trying to say with the Writing with Diamonds series is that there'southward a whole universe of words out there. And if you pick the right give-and-take, it will hold meaning for yous as you tell your stories in the future. Information technology will never get old and it will always be special," she said.
"What I'm trying to say with the Writing with Diamonds series is that there's a whole universe of words out there. And if y'all option the right discussion, it will hold meaning for you every bit y'all tell your stories in the future." – Sara Sze Tan
A SURPRISE Chemical element
While Tan's creations at An Social club of Bling are undoubtedly anarchistic, she hesitates to label them every bit quirky. "I'g not so much driven to make my pieces quirky," she antiseptic. "There are too some very classic pieces. At the cease of the day, it'southward really most what inspired me at that moment."
Just even for the more classic pieces, Tan incorporates a surprise element to the design. She picks up a beautiful unheated yellow sapphire ring, shaped similar a daisy. And because daisies are known equally the bloom that girls would recite 'he loves me, he loves me not' to, one of the petals on the ring is spring loaded and can exist plucked out. "I try to put in these unusual concepts into the jewellery because I think that information technology makes it more fun for whoever who owns it," Tan shared.
Then at that place are pieces with emotional value. A client in one case came to Tan with 20 pieces of jade, all of dissimilar shapes and sizes. She wanted to commission a slice of jewellery that would remind her of her tardily begetter.
"At first, the client wanted me to make a necklace with all the different pieces of jade," Tan shared. "Only I said no, let's try a flake harder and dig a little deeper. So she started telling me about her childhood and a story came upwardly about how he used to beloved his garden, growing bonsai and orchids. On weekends, people would come to his house to buy them from him."
Tan came up with the thought of a bonsai tree, using the disparate pieces of jade to form the leaves. She then added yellow gold to form the tree trunk, forth with several diamonds dangling among the leaves, a few of which movement as if swaying in the breeze. At the client's asking, she added a bird resting at the top of the tree, a symbol alluding to a Chinese idiom that translates to 'the tired bird has returned home'.
Tan describes this slice as the virtually emotional one she's ever created. "It was really quite special. Every bit a designer, it'southward the kind of piece that makes me feel that if I were to close my business concern, I wouldn't regret it. Because I've already put something like this out into the earth."
"I desire my kids to know that sometimes when y'all desire to brand a alter, other people will perceive that you are behaving badly. But don't be scared nigh it because if you don't get against conventions, you don't invent and add to the material of what could exist out in that location." – Sara Sze Tan
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