The Bold and Beautiful Jade Jewelry : RetroJade

RetroJade was born out of the love of design and family. Founded by a mother-daughter team, the store features creations made with great attention to detail. Based in Singapore, the team is comprised of Kathy who is the designer cum artist and Rosa (mom), who co-creates distinctive one-of-a-kind jade jewelry. This is their story as told by Kathy.

Kathy and Rosa

"As a mother and daughter team, making jewelry is creative therapy for us. After sitting long hours at the computer or painting , we meet up regularly for a chat and create jewelry with special jade pendants and semi precious beads that we have collected from our world travels. By mixing up both western and eastern elements, we create jewelry with it's own unique identity. It’s like putting the different pieces of the world together".

Rosa at work

Rosa has wealth of knowledge about jade jewels and Chinese culture and is keen to pass on her knowledge down the generations. Combined with Kathy's innovative design ideas and fashion marketing background, they created a range of jade jewelry that is modern and bold yet distinctly Chinese.

Golden Butterfly Jade Necklace

"Whenever we wear our jade masterpieces, we always get compliments about how distinctive and elegant they look. Many of our friends love the history and symbolic meanings of the jade necklaces and bracelets. The centre jade pendants depict ancient Chinese Neolithic art forms from the Hong Shan culture. Many of these jade pendants represent mythical animals and designs that held a significant place in the Ancient Chinese civilazations".

                Soo Chow Double Fish Jade Pendant 

"Whether we showcase the symbolic and historical significance of a jade from the Shang dynasty or more of a the glamour flapper style reminiscent of Shanghai in the roaring 20's, we make it relevant to today's world. That is where we feel we stand out from the crowd. We are strong and proud of our Chinese culture and present these in a our own modern way".

Each piece of jade jewelry is handmade with love. Their unique jade jewelry has a bold retro style that would definitely draw attention. Browse Kathy's and Rosa's amazing Jade jewelry at their Etsy store RetroJade. Please feel free to comment, and contact them for a custom piece as unique as yourself.

Travel Inspiration - Claire's trip to Tibet

Claire was recently fortunate enough to tick one more thing off her ‘bucket list’- a trip to the Land of Snows, Tibet. "It was an amazing trip, beginning with the train trip that brought us higher and higher until we reached the 16,000 foot high plateau that Tibet is located on. Breathtaking doesn't do it justice - in more ways than one- altitude sickness strikes hard here" she said and laughed.

Two things struck her from this trip and inspired her long after she returned home, the dedication of the Tibetan people to their religion - Buddhism, and the innate style that Tibetans have.

"For a week we hung out in the main square and watched pilgrims from all over Tibet arrive and complete their prayers and journeys. Young and old, man and woman, all united in their beliefs and dedication. The women in particular were amazing to look at, cowboy-style hats, coral and turquoise jewelry (sometimes even woven through their hair), and beautiful belts with dangling amulets. I took photo after photo trying to capture every facet and I still go back to them for new details and to help remind me of what I saw" she said.

This trip gave her so many ideas and images that she was inspired to incorporate them in her designs for DanuJewelry. From her Tibet trip she got the idea to create the Tibet Amulet Charm Pendant Necklace and the Tibetan Buddhist Charm Bracelet, amongst many others.

Tibetan Buddhist Charm Bracelet

The creative process is the one she has repeated over many years of travel to far off lands. "I use pieces of stone, charms, objects and amulets that I find on my trips and build new creations around each one. Each has its own story and, more often than not, I don’t even know where it’s been. Each piece is one-of-a-kind because of this process and because I can never track down the raw materials again once they’re gone" Claire explained.

Tibet Amulet Charm Pendant Necklace

DanuJewelry is new to Etsy. It opened this month after her daughter encouraged her to try an online shop. "I hope whoever buys these pieces of jewelry can travel vicariously and experience more of this amazing world we live in" she said with a smile.

I hope you enjoyed reading how Claire was deeply inspired to incorporate her travel experiences and cultural influences in her creations. Stay tuned for more such stories by amazing artists and global travelers right here on the 'Global chic blog'.