Feng Shui designer Thierry Chow has teamed up with acclaimed jeweller Samuel Kung on a collaborative capsule collection of three jade rings spotlighting the traditional gemstone under a contemporary limelight. The collaboration debuts as part of Samuel Kung’s new Minimalist collection, which is available exclusively at Lane Crawford, and is informed by Thierry’s artistic Feng Shui expertise and Samuel’s experience of more than 30 years in the jewellery business, which chronicles works with brands such as Dior, Chanel and Bvlgari, and combines inspiration from the east and the west. Forward-looking and impeccably stylish, Thierry Chow presents a new classification in the creative field as a Feng Shui designer, drawing upon the knowledge of her father Chow Hon Ming, one of Hong Kong’s most revered Feng Shui masters, and her critical eye on contemporary culture and modern design.

This collaboration marks the latest chapter of Thierry’s Go Lucky brand, which recently saw the launch of her Feng Shui homeware line and the release of her book ‘Love and Fate,’ a Feng Shui-influenced guide to love and relationships. We caught up with the dynamic duo during their Lane Crawford trunk show at IFC to talk about their new jewellery collaboration, the rarity of jade, and what’s next to come.

How did the collaboration come about?
Thierry Chow: “When I was planning for my Go Lucky brand a year ago I had the idea of doing something with jade because it’s such a traditional Chinese material and the culture is so interesting. We did a lot of research and actually went to the jade market trying to source materials but it was so much harder than we had ever expected. Someone introduced me to Samuel a little bit later and we had lunch. It was like puzzle pieces coming together. Samuel has all of the experience and he taught me so much about jade. He brought me to his office, which has an entire workshop with all of the resources and skilled artisans. My role was to bring in the Feng Shui and design perspective, so I drew some sketches and Samuel told me what worked and what didn’t work.”

What did Samuel teach you about jade?
Thierry Chow: “The rarity and beauty of jade is that you can’t find a piece that repeats. If you have a really nice piece of jade, you want to keep as much as you can and you don’t want to cut or polish too much. You don’t just throw a design onto it, but rather, you must understand the jade and work around it. Trying to find a piece that has a top grade quality, I learned that you have to look at it in the light, try to see if there are any cracks, and pay attention to the clarity and colour of the jade.”

Samuel Kung: “I brought the raw material for this collection from Burma. Jade is a kind of material that doesn’t compare with diamonds and sapphires. It can communicate with the person who wears it. What I mean by ‘communicate’ is that there is ‘Qi’ that can go into the jade, which can make the jade more transparent and the colour brighter. This is why Chinese families like to give jade pieces to their younger generations.”

What does jade represent in Feng Shui?
Thierry Chow: “There are different ways to look at it. First is the material. When we look at Feng Shui, there are five elements which are earth, metal, water, wood, fire. Jade is naturally in the earth element because it comes from stones and mines, so it has that relationship with the five elements and can be incorporated to harmonise or enhance other elements. Second is the role of the earth in the five elements. People who need more of the earth element can especially benefit from wearing more jade, but in general, most people can wear jade because the relationship between jade and the person is so intimate that it changes colours and grows with you. You feel more life with it.”