Lady Blue necklace with 10 Sri Lankan sapphires, weighing 100 carats, surrounded by pear and marquise diamonds
A serendipitous encounter with 22 magnificent heart-shaped Sri Lankan sapphires, weighing over 170 carats, was the impetus for the latest suite of regal jewels, Lady Blue, created by the bold and innovative Hong Kong-based fine jewellery brand, House of Dehres.
This stunning fine jewellery set perfectly embodies the ethos and attributes of the brand: the jewels underscore Dehres’ strong relationship with the world’s precious stone suppliers and the creative ingenuity of its designers. More importantly, the suite highlights the brand’s innovation and its intuitive response to consumer demand.
“There is a strong tendency among modern women to choose beautiful sapphires, so when we serendipitously ‘met’ these heart-shaped beauties, their lustrous colour and country of origin instantly reminded us of Princess Diana’s Ceylon sapphire Royal engagement ring. Hence, the inspiration to create a set that exemplifies royalty and love,” says Mr Ephraim Zion, the founder of Dehres.
Mr Ephraim Zion, Founder, House of Dehres
Mr Zion says the brand is still firmly rooted in fine white and fancy colour diamond jewellery, but “we keep creating collections that celebrate the magic of sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. More recently, we embraced Paraiba tourmaline, padparadscha sapphire, alexandrite, and spinel.”
Looking back on his decades’ long journey, Mr Zion considers his transformation from a diamond master cutter to a fine jeweller as the most significant moment in his life as a jeweller. Starting as an apprentice diamond cutter when he was just 14, he diligently mastered the art of diamond cutting. “In 1971, I arrived in HK as a diamond wholesaler, selling to dealers and jewellery manufactures. Then severe recession struck us in the early 1980s. My inventory kept piling, and I had an over-supply of diamonds. I realised I had to innovate and re-invent myself and my business model — I opted to become a creator of fine jewellery.”
Lady Blue earrings with 22ct heart-shaped sapphires and 5ct pear-shaped and marquise diamonds
Since then, his journey has been defined by serendipity. “By happy accident, I discovered a Swiss goldsmith and designer who helped set up state of the art manufacturing infrastructure and we created our first collection, which I took to a prominent HK jewellery store. While I was there, a customer fell in love with the entire set and made it her own.”
One of his first and most successful creations is the Imperial Collection, which would later become the signature look of the brand. Composed of fine setting and open, negative space, the design showcases the large, extremely high quality diamonds in a distinctive yet understated way, giving the precious stones ‘space to shine as opposed to the often bulky and clumsy form available at the time’.
Lady Blue ring with a 15ct Sri Lankan sapphire and 5ct pear-shaped diamonds
Now, as the fourth generation continues the family legacy, the brand is breaking boundaries and creating designs that appeal to a younger consumer, while staying true to its classic roots.
“For the future, Dehres will continue to innovate and re-invent, doing what it takes to remain relevant to the industry and our customers,” Mr Zion concludes.
For more information, visit www.dehres.com.
