Picking jewels

Shanghai-born Chinese designer Octavia Yang draws inspiration from her Chinese cultural background in jewelry design, combining and contrasting between the traditional and the modern. Photo provided to China Daily

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"I don't like pure things. Instead, I love the visual effects that come from the contrast of two different things. I love combination and contrast between the traditional and the modern, the complex and the simple. That is usually where my inspiration comes from."

Her first collection Joinery in Jewels, which is also her graduate work for the master's course, is inspired by the joinery wood. Yang reinvented the intricate craftsmanship with a mix of materials including metal, crystals, leather, resin and wood to show the balance between yin and yang.

In 2012, the collection earned her the ITS award, along with an opportunity to work for Swarovski for about a year, during which time she continued to develop her own collections with support from the brand.

While Yang decided to operate out of London at least for now for its "openness", she keeps a close eye on China for potential manufacturers and retailers as the country remains a major jewelry production base and is growing into a more diverse market.

"If fashion design is the red sea, then jewelry design is the blue sea. Fashion design in China has matured during the past decade and it is now time for jewelry design. It is our turn."