2019-10-01 Singapore Tatler

STYLE / Jewellery

Play Factor

Simone Jewels impresses with its Bombshell collection,

which is at once wearable and whimsical

BY TERENCE LIM

“Leavingalegacyislessimportantthanbeing

rememberedfordoingmybest,”saysSimoneNg.Itmaybe

ahumblestatement,butjewelleryenthusiastsrememberthe

creativedirectorofhomegrownjewellerSimoneJewelsfor

deliveringherverybestwitheachnewcollection.

Thisyear,sheupstheanteonceagainwiththe

Bombshellcollection.Inspiredbythedocumentary,

Bombshell:TheHedyLamarrStory,Ngcreatesarangeof

bejewelledpiecesthatexudecinematicsplendourandold-

worldglamour.Thefilmchroniclesthepatentthatthe1940s

HollywoodstarHedyLamarrfiledforfrequency-hopping

technologyin1941,whicheventuallywastheprecursor

tothewifi,GPSandBluetoothtechnologiesnowusedby

billionsaroundtheworld.

“Duringthedesignprocess,Iwasfilledwithsomuch

emotion.Iwasinspiredbythisbeautifulactressand

extremelytalentedscientist,whocreatedwifiwhilejuggling

herrolesasamother,daughterandwife,”saysNgabout

thestorythatinspiredherlatestjewellerycollection,

whichconsistsof 200 one-of-a-kindcreations.Forthe

moment,onlyapartofthecollectionisavailable,with

thefullrangeexpectedtobereadyinmid-2020.“The

biggestsatisfactionis sharing this story with my audience

and showing how it inspired the designs, and why certain

gemstones were featured.”

Drawing notes from Lamarr’s pet interests such as music

and opera, Ng demonstrates her innovative jewellery design

skills and fine eye for aesthetics asshepairsornamental

stones with diamonds and colouredgemstones.

Modular and moveable parts areaddedtothedesignsto

lend an unexpected touch of whimsy—thegem-setupper

part of rings and earrings can be rotatedtorevealsecret

compartments, where more complexdesignssuchas

engravings are hidden from plainsight.Thepiecesthat

are currently available shows Ng utilisinganimpressive

supply of rubellites that come in abeautifulshadeofcherry

blossom pink, which she cleverlymixeswithsparkling

diamonds to create contrast.

“As music played a key role in theinventionofwifi,the

idea of incorporating tiny music movementsinsidesome

of our highlight pieces came to mind,”Ngexplains,adding

that creations such as the ChopinNocturnependant

“required a lot of research and planning”.Anchored

with a 3.37-carat blue spinel, the pendantisalsofitted

withaworkingminiaturewind-upmusicmovement.

Besidesgrabbingattentionwithitsintricatedesign,

themelodioustune it plays makesforanexcellent

conversation starter as well.

Fabulous designs anchored on agreatselectionof

gemstones is par for the course withanytop-notchjeweller.

But what distinguishes the best fromtherestisbeingable

to incorporate surprises that delighteventhemostprolific

connoisseurs. And Simone Ng of SimoneJewelscertainly

has plenty up her sleeves.

Simone Jewels’ Bombshell

collection features pieces

that embody old‑world

glamour accentuated with

modern touches

IMAGE: SIMONE JEWELS

148 singapore tatler. october 2019