Chow Tai Fook Celebrates Chinese Couture With Latest High Jewelry Collection
SHANGHAI — To home in on the idea of high jewelry via Chinese expressions, Chow Tai Fook looked to historical garments for inspiration — the result was a nuanced interpretation anchored by rhythmic geometry and refined textures.
The collection was unveiled in an intimate presentation in Shanghai on Wednesday, meant to honor the city’s fashion history, and was a follow-up to the line’s inaugural presentation that explored Chinese traditional architecture, dubbed “Timeless Harmony,” in Hangzhou last year.
Featuring more than 100 pieces, this year’s “Chinese Couture” collection unfolded across five themes that each drew from a defining material, motif or construction detail in Chinese couture.
Rather than referencing specific dynasties, the collection was anchored in the continuity of Chinese craft traditions across five millennia.
In “Jade Ombre,” the chromatic nature of jadeite, one of the most prized gemstones in China, was granted a sense of organic movement, complemented by diamonds and emeralds; “Cord” recreated silk cord in diamond formation that shined from every angle; rethinking the “Ribbon,” a significant motif from the Han and Tang dynasties, architecturally layered Chinese bows in 22-karat gold were combined with stately pearls to add a modern twist; “Button knot,” the iconic dress closure system, was filtered through the lens of a geometric language via Burmese jadeite and minimal gold lines; “Yun” reinterpreted the curved edges of an auspicious cloud, a symbol of longevity, in pieces in gold, jadeite and colored gemstones that relayed an harmonious ideal.
A signature piece in the collection was a jadeite necklace in the “Jade Ombre” chapter that took almost three years to create. To emulate the gemstone’s natural gradient, cabochon jadeite and colored gems were placed to create a fade with an ink-like quality, creating an organic movement across the neckline.
Another significant piece came from the “Button Knot” line, which consisted of oval natural emeralds set with natural diamonds that curved across the neckline in a gradual fashion. The piece, paired with a matching bangle and ring, was seen on Carine Lau during a Shanghai International Film Festival red carpet moment, which wrapped up June 21.
The collection’s most geometrically composed piece came in the form of a gold knot from the “Ribbon” collection, which came with two gold ribbons layered on top of each other, linked together by a tiny architectural structure. The piece was the first time that Nicholas Lieou, creative director of high jewelry at Chow Tai Fook, had designed with 22-karat gold, a notoriously tricky material to work with due to its softness.
One of the brand’s bestsellers is the gold jewelry box, which came in a square shape and a twisted round one to emulate the profile of a silk thread. Both come with sparkly green enamel that adorns the base of the box, done with a precise technique that involves a diamond drill.
For Lieou, the collection was meant to honor tradition while speaking to the present via the “simplicity in complexity” philosophy.
“Clients come to us because we are a Chinese brand, all our pieces have a certain energy that comes from Chinese culture, whereas Western brands look at Chinese iconography at a very surface level, taking Chinese mountains and the pagodas at face value. But we try to communicate Chinese culture on a deeper level in a more emotional way, expressed through the way we set the stones or the materials we use,” Lieou said.
“It’s very difficult to distill all of China’s history into one collection, and harder to focus on one particular dynasty, which would mitigate the rules and regulations of the other dynasties. So what we focused on was the craft, because craft is what has stayed the same throughout history,” Lieou explained.
“For example, China is the birthplace of silk, invented thousands of years ago, so to pay homage to this, we created a diamond silk thread,” Lieou continued.
For Lieou, a Hong Kong native, delving into the utilitarian side of Chinese garment design informed the creative process — one that began with a research trip to the storied Palace Museum in Beijing.
“Take the ‘pankou,’ or Chinese button, which started out more as ties, but as the fashion needs evolved and changed, there was a requirement for more structured clothes. That’s where buttons came into play — the fabric button, in particular, was always a utility-first and decoration second element, which we used in a very minimal way. That’s why diamonds and gemstones are set in a very simple way that can almost be unfastened with one hand,” Lieou said of a diamond brooch design, which he distilled into a “one button and two lines” coordination that paid homage to the masterful engineering of the original dress element. The brooch, when placed sideways on a T-shirt, could promptly transform the wearer’s top into a Chinese-style garment, Lieou said.
The collection will be available for purchase for key clients during private viewings and displayed at selected stores.
The launch also reaffirmed Chow Tai Fook’s commitment to its brand transformation strategy, set in motion by company vice chairman and executive director Sonia Cheng.
“Chow Tai Fook seeks to redefine Chinese luxury globally, showcasing its contemporary Chinese culture, innovation and exquisite craftsmanship to the world,” Cheng said during a recent flagship opening in Hong Kong.
As the company approaches its centenary celebration in 2029, Chow Tai Fook has mapped out a series of Chinese culture–themed high jewelry collections, beginning with last year’s “Timeless Harmony,” which drew on traditional architectural motifs and ancient philosophical thoughts.
For Catherine Yu, general manager of high jewelry at Chow Tai Fook, the overarching vision is to champion Eastern aesthetics through culturally rooted, world-class craftsmanship and to expand the brand’s presence in the global high jewelry segment. Chow Tai Fook is aiming for “above market” revenue growth and to “sustain a high return on equity of above 25 percent” by fiscal 2030, according to its most recent fiscal 2026 financial report.
“We want the world to see the beauty of China, one spoken through the language of high jewelry; that’s why our creative process is always tied to Chinese elements,” Yu said.
Despite recent market fervor around “ancient gold,” Chow Tai Fook remains steadfastly focused on crafting desirable pieces with a “East meets West” sensibility, supported by its 200-plus in-house master craftsmen, filigree artisans, and enamelers in its Hong Kong and Shunde, Guangdong province ateliers.
“Chinese clients began buying high jewelry around 2010, they’ve quickly grown into serious collectors and connoisseurs,” Yu said. “What they care about now is the wearability aspect. They don’t want to keep the prized item in a safe box anymore.”
“For a Chinese luxury brand, it’s filling in the gap where traditional Western labels miss. We are entering the high jewelry universe with a personal touch, our clients can communicate with our creative director face-to-face. They are naturally more relaxed, as they can communicate in Chinese, English and Cantonese freely — that brings about an effortless exchange unheard of with Western brands,” claimed Yu.
“I’m always trying to explain why a certain piece can fetch exorbitant price tags in my previous jobs, but here, clients often ask, ‘Why is Chow Tai Fook high jewelry not as expensive?'” said Yu, who used to work at Van Cleef & Arpels. “We are willing to return more value to our collectors, especially the initial supporters of the high jewelry collection, as they continue collecting with us, they will see an increasing appreciation in value year after year.”
This year, Chow Tai Fook has expanded its Chinese culture-oriented framework across categories, extending into adjacent lifestyle ventures, including home decor with Chow Tai Fook Home.
To complement its in-house creations, the group also collaborated with the French porcelain brand Bernardaud on two tableware collections.
To fete the launch, Cheng hosted a gala dinner on Wednesday night at Shanghai’s U-Show, a boxy architecture punctuated by a diamond grid that echoes the collection’s geometric obsession.
The event featured guests including its global brand ambassador Yang Yang and legendary Hong Kong stars Sally Yeh and George Lam.
