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March 29, 2023

Brand Spotlight: Maison Tjoeng

M
aison Tjoeng’s designer, Yasmin Tjoeng, conveys a range of emotions, imagination and lived experiences through her work. Growing up between Australia and Papua New Guinea, of mixed European and Chinese heritage, Yasmin was influenced from an early age by the powerhouse of Melanesian art for which her hometown in Papua New Guinea is known. Her pieces combine elements of this rich, cultural heritage and ornamental art with an effortless Australian sensibility for pieces that are both wearable, and instant heirlooms

With strong themes of poetry, antiquity and nature running throughout her collections, the jewelry emphasizes the sculptural properties of gold and the inherent radiance of gemstones resulting in a bold, sensual aesthetic.

While she’s long been a lover of the art form, Yasmin took a circuitous route to her discovery of jewelry design. After earning a degree in Architectural Interior Design, she felt like there was something lacking for her in that professional path. She moved to Beijing to study Mandarin, and then Hong Kong, and it was on a trip to Paris that she met a jewelry designer and had her watershed moment; she immediately recognized that jewelry was her life’s calling. She went on to study jewelry design, gemstone setting and gemology in Singapore, and then, in 2016 she launched Maison Tjoeng.

With strong themes of poetry, antiquity and nature running throughout her collections, the jewelry emphasizes the sculptural properties of gold and the inherent radiance of gemstones resulting in a bold, sensual aesthetic. One of her most recent collections, Arcadia, is rooted in memories of the halcyon days of her childhood in Papua New Guinea.

It was in this Pacific paradise where she was able to study the island’s shells and corals, snorkeling over pristine reefs, isolated and protected from the chaos of the rest of the world. Featuring a spiral shell sculpted from gold and set with baguette diamonds, the shell represents the cycle of life, from the beginning of life to death and rebirth.

Another popular collection is Midnight Adagio, which was inspired by a famous saxophonist from the 1960’s who had become jaded with the jazz scene of the time. Eschewing the adoration of fans, he went to the Brooklyn Bridge in the dead of night to play his instrument with abandon, letting the music flow freely and naturally.

The collection’s ridged gold, featuring emeralds and baguette cut diamonds placed at irregular angles, represents the ebb and flow of the 1960’s jazz era.

Each piece of Maison Tjoeng jewelry is handcrafted using traditional techniques, a practice that reflects Yasmin’s passion for the craft. “I really believe in supporting the craft of jewelry,” she explains. “All of my designs are either hand crafted or hand finished and feature a combination of silver or gold with precious and semi-precious gems. I especially love colored precious stones such as emeralds, sapphires and turquoise.”

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