Asprey and Silvia Furmanovich: jadeite jewels with bamboo, rare woods and Shibayama
Asprey invited the Brazilian designer Silvia Furmanovich to build a collection around the house’s rare, colourful jadeite. She pairs the stone with carved bamboo, rare woods and Japanese inlay.
Carved leaves and green jadeite: a cuff and earrings from the collection. Photo: Asprey
At Asprey, is more than one gemstone among many. The London house keeps a collection of Imperial Jadeite that can only be seen by private appointment at its Bruton Street flagship. For an exclusive new jewellery collection, Asprey turned to a designer it knows well: the Brazilian jeweller Silvia Furmanovich, a longstanding collaborator, was invited to create a collection around the house’s rare, colourful jadeite.
Each stone sets the theme
Furmanovich takes her lead from the individuality of each jadeite stone. Around it she brings together materials from very different traditions: hand-carved Japanese bamboo, reclaimed woods from the Amazon and , an intricate Japanese technique of decorative inlay. The collection is built on that meeting of natural elements and human artistry.
Rare woods and floral motifs run through the pieces. In the campaign images, carved leaves frame cabochons of green jadeite, while other earrings gather small flowers into clusters of colour. The theme she sets herself is the relationship between permanence and nature.
When craftsmanship is authentic and materials are extraordinary, they speak a universal language that transcends geography.
Why jadeite is different
Jade is a name shared by two minerals. is the more common one. Jadeite is rarer, and its finest quality, known as Imperial Jadeite, combines a vivid green with high translucency. Only a small fraction of jadeite reaches that standard.
History explains part of the fascination. In imperial China nephrite stood for virtue, eternity and authority. When jadeite began to reach China from Myanmar in the 18th century, carried along new trade routes, it soon took the place of nephrite at the Qing court.
Asprey’s specialists judge fine jadeite less by carat weight than by texture and light. Good jadeite glows softly, a little like candle wax, and yet it is so tough that steel will not easily scratch it. That is why the material can be set as a in a jewel or carved into a sculpture.
A house of many materials
The collaboration suits a house that has always worked across materials. Since 1781 Asprey has created heirlooms in silver, crystal, china and leather, and its studio and headquarters stand on London’s Bruton Street. Its own Imperial Jadeite collection ranges from bracelets, bangles, pendants, rings, brooches and necklaces to elaborately carved sculptures.
With Silvia Furmanovich that tradition gains a new accent. Bamboo from Japan, wood from the Amazon and jadeite from the house’s own stock meet in jewels in which every stone keeps its own character.
Glossary
- Jadeite
- The rarer of the two minerals sold as jade, prized for intense green colours and translucency.
- Nephrite
- The more common jade mineral, long the jade of imperial China.
- Shibayama
- An intricate Japanese decorative inlay technique in which small carved elements are set into a surface to form pictures.
- Cabochon
- A gemstone polished into a smooth, domed shape without facets.
Questions readers ask
Who is Silvia Furmanovich?
Silvia Furmanovich is a Brazilian jewellery designer and a longstanding collaborator of Asprey. For this collection the house invited her to work with its rare, colourful jadeite, which she combines with hand-carved Japanese bamboo, reclaimed Amazonian woods and the Japanese inlay technique Shibayama.
What is the difference between jadeite and nephrite?
Both are sold as jade, but they are different minerals. Nephrite is the more common one and was long the jade of imperial China. Jadeite is rarer; its finest quality, Imperial Jadeite, shows a vivid green with high translucency. Jadeite reached the Qing court from Myanmar in the 18th century.
Where can Asprey’s Imperial Jadeite be seen?
Asprey shows its Imperial Jadeite collection only by private appointment at its flagship boutique on Bruton Street in London, arranged through the house’s concierge team. The collection includes bracelets, bangles, pendants, rings, brooches, necklaces and elaborately carved sculptures.
