Jewellery designer Anna Hu's intricate pieces connect the past and future
Known for magnificent jewellery pieces that blend Eastern and Western influences, Anna Hu brings new meaning to the phrase "time is precious".
"I try to capture the sparkle moment, or I try to freeze a certain beautiful melody feeling," says the Taiwanese-born founder of Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie. "Sometimes I feel I'm fighting with every second, and sometimes I feel, especially after I deliver a perfect piece of jewellery, as if the moment is frozen, it's timeless."
Hu, who pursued a career as a classical cellist until sidelined by an injury at the age of 20, launched her company a decade later, after earning degrees from Columbia University, the Gemological Institute of America, Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Her jadeite, emerald and diamond "Orpheus" ring - an interpretation of the ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice sold by Christie's for more than HK$20 million - recently broke the world sales record for a Chinese contemporary jewellery artist.
History and mythology are a recurring theme for Hu, who studied art history in graduate school. "I really like to connect the past to future," she says. "Jewellery is a very interesting subject. If we only stay contemporary, there's no depth. Jewellery is the oldest form of any type of art. As long as there have been human beings, we see bones around the neck as ornaments. So history is a very important element to creating any piece of jewellery."
