FEATURE
ISABELLA LIU
‘‘
Her latest
collection,
‘Twilight’,
has already
successfully
launched in the
UK and is her first
dive into ethical
jewellery
‘‘
Twilight - Full Moon with Pink Diamond Couple Rings
“I think that my situation allows
me to be the bridge between the
two cultures”, explains Isabella
Liu as she prepares to launch her
latest collection in China having
secured listings with retailers in
Xian and Shanghai. Liu was born
in Wuhan, China, but is currently
based in London having first
come to the UK to study at both
Birmingham City University’s
School of Jewellery and later at
King’s College London. Since
then she has worked in the arts
and jewellery industry since
2010, with various international
renowned art galleries and
jewellery companies, including
Debut Contemporary, Babette
Wasserman and Fei Liu Fine
Jewellery. In 2014 she launched
her own design studio: Isabella
Liu jewellery.
Her latest collection, ‘Twilight’,
has already successfully launched
in the UK and is her first dive into
ethical jewellery. The collection
is made up of 25 pieces of high-
tech ceramics and eco-friendly
diamonds set in fine silver, with a
Scar is No More a Scar - Blue ring and Midi Pendant
20 JEWELLERY FOCUS
higher price-point line featuring
fair trade gold with lab-grown
diamonds also available. Liu
describes the markets as “hugely
different” with fair trade and lab-
grown a “relatively new concept”
for the Chinese market. As such,
she anticipates the fair trade
options will appeal more to her
UK and European customers;
whereas the silver with zircon
stones will suit the Chinese
market.
UNDERSTANDING A
DIFFERENCE OF TASTE
Liu says that it is vital for any
brand looking to enter the Chinese
market to fully understand the
culture and to not play on simple
marketing designs. “I never come
out with a design that has a
pure oriental element or oriental
colour. My designs are very
universal but especially for the
Chinese market my designs are
very subtle. Chinese consumers
prefer subtle features, although
this can be said for most asian
markets. In the culture people do
not like to show off with flashy
designs as it is an introverted
culture. My heritage allows me to
perfectly understand this.”
Her inspiration for the
twilight collection came when
she was travelling in Egypt,
learning about the role of the
moon in Egyptian religion and
its symbolism in the Islamic
faith - and was not particularly
designed with the Chinese
market in mind. “When I work
as a consultant with brands I
can tell straight away if they are
suited to the culture. I helped
introduce Annaaria Cammilli,
which is based in Florence, to the
Chinese market and I remember
the first time I saw their designs
at Vicenza I just knew that it
would work in China.”
She continues: “Around 99%
of brands don’t work but ones
that understand do. I worked
with the brand for two years
and I saw the success that they
February 2019 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk