April issue 2004

Filling the vacuum between high-end expensive jewellery and the ordinary unexciting stuff flooding jewellery stores, comes The Mandarin Collection. An eclectic range of jewellery crafted from carved jade and a vast array of semi-precious stones, set in matte, burnished gold. The concept behind the line is to create high-impact pieces at prices that don’t break the bank.

And high-impact they are. Strings of huge chunky faceted amethysts, carved rose-quartz and cornelian, chunks of coral, turquoise and fluorite are fashioned into dramatic, striking necklaces combined with intricately carved centre-pieces in jade, cornelian and coral. All the pieces are accented by finely worked matte gold, reminiscent of the ancient Greek style, while many center-pieces are studded with emeralds, rubies and tourmalines adding yet another dimension of enhancement.

Every necklace is an exclusive one-of-a kind creation and ranges from the very delicate to the very chunky. Most pendants depict finely carved images of Chinese and Far Eastern symbols of good fortune and power: dragons, phoenixes, fish and flowers. Among the most striking are the massive antique brown and black jade carved dragons, embellished with tourmalines and hung from thick twisted silk cords.

In just one sell-out exhibition, The Mandarin Collection was snapped up by women as diverse as the jewellery itself. Young students, glamorous models, designers, stylists, home-makers, journalists et al — everyone found a piece that expressed their own personality.

Though the stunning neckpieces are the focal point of the collection, there is also a range of earrings: from pretty sparkling pieces to long striking shoulder-sweepers. With two exhibitions in Lahore and London in the pipeline, The Mandarin Collection has already established itself as an innovative and affordable jewellery source.