THIS POST ORIGINALLY FEATURED IN JEWELLERY TIME MAGAZINE, JUNE/JULY ISSUE.
Wellington jewellery designers, The Inspired Collection, the international arm of The Village Goldsmithfounded byJWNZ member Ian Douglas, have just signed a contract with major Chinese jewellery company, Hiersun to create an exclusive collection for the Chinese market.
The collection will feature in more than 200 of Hiersun’s ‘I Do’ branded stores throughout China.
Ian says he is thrilled to be working with such a highly respected and successful Chinese company.
"Hiersun approached The Inspired Collection at the Hong Kong Jewellery Fair in September 2011. They liked our fresh and innovative designs and were keen to work with a company that pushed traditional boundaries, a philosophy we share with them. We will be creating a series of bridal jewellery designs for I Do. The Western wedding concept has grown exponentially in China in the last ten years.”
“We aim to reflect a cultural sensibility in the designs and exhibit architectural elements that aren’t overly masculine or feminine. Our jewellery features clean lines that sometimes centres around a stone, which is set in an unencumbered style, with a minimum of metal,” says Mr Douglas.
Hiersun’s contract with The Inspired Collection is the third addition to their international range. High-end French jeweller, Philippe Tournaire and Swedish jeweller Efva Attling complete the trio.
he agreement further cements the internationally award-winning company as a global jewellery design hub. The Inspired Collection is currently in negotiations with leading jewellery companies in the UK, US and Canada.
Ian: “The opportunities for us are absolutely massive but we have to prove that our designs can work outside New Zealand. The success of our range in China is very much a ‘wait and see’ game. We’re taking one step at a time.”
The Inspired Collection won the Gemological Institute of America’s George A. Schuetz Award for Men’s Jewellery in 2010 and 2011. The team are also a finalist in the Asian 2012 IU Inaugural Design Awards for coloured gem jewellery. It took the supreme award in the New Zealand Jewellery Design Awards in 2009 and 2010 and won a Bronze Pin in the 2011 The Best Awards from the Design Institute of New Zealand.
At the end of May Ian , Christine and Chris joined Wellington’s Mayoral Delegation to China.
View diamond rings by The Inspired Collection and The Village Goldsmith.
