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INTERVIEW
The hustle and bustle of city life can sometimes make it difficult to juggle family and career. In times like this, it's the little things that can make all the difference. Tiffany and Jocelyn found their way out in the midst of the pandemic, leading their conscious shoppers to the path of self-love, empowerment and mental well-being—and thus, Tijo Jewellery was born.
Tijo Jewellery exudes subtle yet distinctive collections of quality jewellery, interpreting artful, carefully sourced gemstones into minimal pieces, each with its own distinct personality. We speak with the founding sisters, Tiffany and Jocelyn, on their inspiring journeys and their top recommendations to brighten up our daily life—and outfits.
What are the design aesthetics of Tijo’s collection?
We find gemstones really powerful in our personal healing journey but find the traditional crystal bracelet style unsuitable for a lot of occasions. Thus, we want to bring you stylish and well-crafted timeless gemstone jewellery suitable for daily wear. We opt for simple yet elegant designs so that the spotlight can remain on the amazing and powerful gemstones themselves. From the design ideas to colourful stone pairings, all our pieces are carefully curated with different meanings and healing properties. We make sure our pieces can be worn no matter where you are; whether you need to suit up for a 9 to 5 office job or you are going to a dinner party, you will find something that could spice up your look!
How do you bring conscious luxury to your consumers?
Designed in Hong Kong and crafted with love and care, our fine jewellery is produced in the same places as the traditional big jewellery brand names. With conscious living being one of our key brand focuses, we believe that great craftsmanship and high-quality materials can be available to most people when luxury branding is taken out of the equation. You can always expect high-quality materials and great craftsmanship at prices you can justify as we remove the extra luxury markup!
We always try our best to be as transparent to our customers as possible, we want people to start to be more aware of what is being worn to adorn their outfits. What material is it made of? Are the stones on the pieces natural or manmade? Where are the gemstones from? Are they manufactured in factories that comply with human rights and labour practices?
Why is mental health important to Tijo?
We have always been really passionate about the idea and the practice of empowering people around us. Being born and raised in Hong Kong, topics surrounding mental health are often taboo; not something discussed much in private and public conversations. Seeing a lot of people suffer mentally due to the highly stressful environment, the political situation and personal issues in recent years, we want to be a part of the movement to raise people’s awareness back in caring for our mental health, which is crucial in maintaining a healthy life/body and is just as important as our physical health. We want to open conversations about mental well-being and help people realize spending time daily for self-care is crucial and not selfish. As understood from speaking to psychologists, jewellery can be a powerful visual reminder for anyone who wants help in empowering them. Tijo is thus born out of a mission to create pieces that serve as beautiful daily reminders for you and your loved ones.
What do you think is crucial as a jeweller?
How is Tijo shaping the industry with these traits?
To insist on providing high-quality materials and craftsmanship while offering prices customers can justify is very crucial to us. We try to be as transparent to our customers as possible so that customers can make sure their dollars go to the right hands. Responsible sourcing is also very important to us. We make sure manufacturers and sources from factories comply with human rights and labour practices. We also insist on providing the best quality natural gemstones so as to merge design and functionality, especially for those who believe in the healing power of gemstones.
The traditional jewellery retail model used to be rather extreme; either you would find very cheaply priced fashion jewellery or expensive high-end fine jewellery provided by luxury brand names. Tijo wants to be a part of the movement to modernize the traditional jewellery industry, striking a balance between price and quality in a sustainable way.
How do you see the future of the jewellery business in Hong Kong?
We remain hopeful for the future of the jewellery business in Hong Kong. More people are supporting independent brands which is giving rise to more local brands. This competition is healthy in motivating us all to be better jewellers. As more retailers are promoting a conscious lifestyle, we believe more and more consumers are increasingly conscious of what they are wearing and educating themselves about different materials, which we see as a great opportunity for more people to choose well-crafted jewellery without the extra markup like ours.
What can we expect from Tijo in the coming years?
We are constantly working hard on bringing more beautiful designs and collections made with fine materials without the extra luxury markup. We just recently branched into leather goods, so you can expect more affordable beautifully crafted luxury leather basics as well. Stay tuned to our news updates by following us on social media - IG @tijojewellery, FB @tijojewellery.official!
What are the top five recommended pieces from Tijo’s collection?
Aegean Blue Aquamarine & Topaz Necklace
Born from the memories of the view standing on immaculate white sands, this piece is reminiscent of looking at blue and crystal clear waters glistening in the sunlight.
The Meta Sterling Silver Bracelet
The Metamorphosis Bracelet is inspired by Nietsche’s three stages of life. Each stage is significant, unique and beautiful in its way; while they all combine to form a beautiful complete piece called life.
Asha 18K Solid Gold Rose Quartz Earrings
These stunning earrings have been carefully crafted with matte-finished Rose Quartz stones from Brazil which have been carved into a classic teardrop shape placed into a shiny solid 18K yellow gold setting.
Briana 18K Solid Gold Ring
Briana Gold Ring features 5 faceted Topaz, Citrine, Amethyst, Tourmaline, and Garnet stones in classic Oval cuts. Briana is perfect for layering with our classic Olivia gold ring, as the two pieces complement each other perfectly.
Vintage Emerald & Agate Dangling Earrings
The mesmerizing emerald green earrings give an extra elegance and a vintage look to the wearer. It is dainty yet eyecatching, is definitely a head-turner.
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All images courtesy of Tijo Jewellery.