A jeweller from Singapore spreads her wings to this side of the Causeway to showcase modern jade jewellery, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup
WHEN I met Choo Yilin in Kuala Lumpur recently, the Singaporean jeweller with her eponymous brand gifted me several treats. One of them was Gula Jawa Almond Brittle from a company called Provisions.
Provisions is an artisanal maker of snacks and condiments in the city state, offering items such as cakes, chutneys and sambal. These are all very traditional and familiar but the products are raised to a new level with new and quality ingredients, as well as modern packaging.
“The brittle was their signature product but they’ve since closed down and you can’t find this anywhere anymore,” says Choo wistfully.
Food and fine jewellery are not similar things but like Provisions, Choo Yilin is partial to heritage products — jade in her case.
But Choo doesn’t feel beholden to the feng shui or auspicious aspects of jade, neither does she love the precious mineral purely for its aesthetic properties.
“The last thing we want is for people to say we specialise in type-A jadeite and diamonds. It’s not inaccurate but it doesn’t tell the whole story,” says Choo.
“I know older Chinese wear jade because of feng shui — to earn more money or be lucky. But for myself and everyone in my team, we don’t connect with that.”
Instead, Choo makes jade jewellery that is modern, beautiful and unencumbered by any supposed mythical powers.
At the same time, she doesn’t want cherished traditions to be forgotten or disappear, so her jade pieces are complemented with certain cultural elements that make them more meaningful.
“What we do is a modern and inclusive take on what jade can be to people. The second we brought it back in this form, everyone started to connect with it because it was familiar, yet not familiar.
“The designs we create have themes of cherry blossom, bamboo, Peranakan tiles and shophouses. These are historical motifs that are culturally significant. That plays an equally important part in our brand DNA,” says Choo.
MILESTONES OF LIFE
Last year, Choo worked with Singapore store En Pointe for its Hari Raya promotional film.
Models wearing Raya outfits by Malaysian labels such as Petra, Syomirizwa Gupta and AfiqM that En Pointe carries were accessorised with Choo Yilin’s jade bangles, earrings and necklaces.
Some were from the Peranakan collection, which has filigree inspired by the needlework of Nyonya kebaya. These are set off by coloured gemstones including green amethyst, rose quartz and sky blue topaz.
“We have a lot of Malay and Muslim clients. They don’t have that cultural reference with jade but they buy it because they like the aesthetics and they connect with the stories,” she says.
Choo also has a standalone Kebaya collection. The filigree on the necklace and earrings in the collection is reminiscent of the garment’s angled hems while the bangles are more similar to embroidery.
She highlighted the collection in a recent promotional campaign, which was also a collaboration with En Pointe. Called Heritage at the Heart, the campaign showcases her jewellery in weddings.
Shot in Malaysia with Malaysian talents, it featured the likes of TV presenter Ain Edruce, beauty queen Jane Teoh and model Rita Suraya, wearing outfits from Nurita Harith, Fizi Woo and Innai Red.
The series included a nikah event, a tea ceremony as well as an intimate look at two sisters before one of them gets married.
“We wanted to highlight familial love, not just romantic ones,” says Choo. “Jewellery is tied to love and celebrations of life. It’s one of the things that defines Choo Yilin as a brand — stories, celebrating families and showing traditions in a new light.”