iana Zhang was born near Harbin in northeast China, 48 years ago when luxury goods were still forbidden. As a girl, the only jewellery she ever saw were the two silver bracelets her grandmother wore in secret.
The country began to open up just as Diana entered her teens. “My family were the first generation to do business in China after the cultural revolution in the 1980s, when they set up a media company. My parents, my three older brothers and I moved to Guangzhou in southern China, two hours by train from Hong Kong.” Having completed her studies, Diana Zhang spent the next eight years working for the family business. “I was in contact with imported magazines, books and films, which was quite unusual then. They introduced me to art, culture and fashion, and my passion grew from there.”
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- Diana Zhang
Supported by her husband Steven — the couple married in 2004 and had a son in 2007 —, she decided to embark on a new career making jewellery. She took classes on diamonds at the GIA in Hong Kong’s Central District then, in 2012, set up on her own. She sold most of her first designs, which she had made at a local workshop, to her friends and her friends’ friends.
International exposure at the 2014 Biennale des Antiquaires
Her life changed in 2013 when she met Cyrille de Foucaud at Baselworld. The international jewellery expert was the then CEO of the Martin du Daffoy stores, as well as the founder of Orpheo Genève, a specialist in the purchase, sale and appraisal of antique jewellery. While on a trip to Hong Kong, he had noticed Diana’s One Year in China collection, which celebrates Chinese culture through flowers representing the four seasons.
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- Undivided Love Collection bracelet, white gold, pink sapphires and diamonds.
- Photo: ©Diana Zhang
Won over by these delicately wrought jewels, Cyrille de Foucaud invited Diana to present her work on his stand at the 2014 Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris. “There were only two Chinese jewellery artists there. One was Wallace Chan, who had his own booth, and I was the other,” she says. Exhibiting in Paris gave Diana the international exposure she had thus far lacked.
A ruby-studded lotus, three years in the making
Diana Zhang designs her jewels with a complex structure so that they can be worn in multiple ways, as well as displayed as artworks. This is exemplified by the Red Lotus Under The Sun cuff which she showed at GemGenève. It took two years to design the piece and source the rubies — a mission made all the more difficult as Diana Zhang insisted that the centre of each petal be set only with unheated Burmese rubies. They are all certified by the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF).
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- The Red Lotus Under The Sun cuff
The contours of the petals are studded with 3,805 unheated stones cut from a Mozambique ruby, which Diana purchased rough, as she explains: “After searching in vain for the stones I wanted on the market, I purchased a Mozambique rough and sent it for cutting. This took eight months and we kept only the one third of the rough that met our criteria.” Diana’s jewellers then spent a further year crafting this titanium blossom to her requirements, with the result that “making this piece took three years in all.”
The Red Lotus Under The Sun cuff is inspired by The Lakeside Temple at Dawn, by the Southern Song poet Yang Wanli.
The uncommon West Lake in the midst of sixth moon; Displays a scenery to other months unknown. Green lotus leaves outspread as far as boundless sky; Pink lotus blossoms take from sunshine a new dye.
Diana sees the lotus as a metaphor: “Lotus grow in stagnant, troubled waters but, as they blossom, their pure beauty is revealed. They are symbolic flowers; a reminder that even when we find ourselves in a difficult situation, surrounded by disorder, we must find peace within ourselves.”
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- Love One’s More bangle and charms
A symbol of her career
This versatile piece can be worn as a cuff or the lotus blossom detached and worn separately, as a brooch. The underlying structure, adorned with seven cushion-cut and oval diamonds as well as 2,569 brilliants, becomes a bangle.
“My jewellery is always a reflection of an experience. The lotus is represented as we would see it at mid-day, not yet in full bloom. You could say this is where I am in my career and in my life. Half-way. It takes courage to fulfil your dreams. There are so many different paths in life and so many choices. What matters is to feel at peace with the choices you make, which isn’t always easy.”
Because she pours so much of herself into her creations, Diana Zhang is eager to find the right collector; one who will understand the piece, its story, and who will truly appreciate it “so that it can be passed from generation to generation. Jewellery isn’t something you throw away. You put it in a safe or gift it to a friend or family. Because I know my jewellery will outlive me, I make sure it is absolutely perfect.”
