Founding her eponymous brand in 2007, high-jewellery designer Anna Hu now stands shoulder to shoulder with luxury houses like Cartier, Piaget and Boucheron, her name often uttered in the same breath as such brands. Over a sparkling 17-year career, Hu has gained recognition within the hallowed circles of auction houses, museums and art fairs across Europe and Asia.
An East-meets-West philosophy sits squarely at the heart of Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie. This vision mirrors the Europe-based founder’s background, which is steeped in her Asian heritage. Formerly a competitive cellist, Hu also plucks inspiration from her tripartite expertise in classical music, jewellery design and art history, glimmers of which often shine through in her bespoke pieces one way or another.
Embellishing Hu’s East-West fusion jewellery pieces are her signature rare gemstones, and the delicate touch of prestigious French ateliers – distinctive markers of her creations, which have been donned by the likes of Madonna, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, who wore Hu’s pieces at her royal wedding and honeymoon.
High jewellery in 2024: the trends, products and predictions you should know
High jewellery in 2024: the trends, products and predictions you should know
This spring, the designer returns for her third appearance at the European Fine Art Foundation TEFAF in Maastricht in the Netherlands, the world’s leading fine art, antiques, and design fair running from March 9 to 14. Among the 10 curated masterpieces, she will showcase two resplendent brooches that probe novel cultural compatibilities.
Gnossienne Brooch
The Gnossienne Brooch is a testament to Hu’s mastery in blending Eastern elegance with French craftsmanship. Set with precision using white gold, jade, ruby, and dazzling diamonds, this piece captures the revered red-crowned crane in mid-flight. The long limbs of the crane – traditionally associated with longevity in Chinese art – are said to echo those of Shou Xing, the Taoist god of long life.
Named after composer Erik Satie’s musical term for “dance-like”, the crane delicately cradles a jade twig in its beak further symbolising human fate, doubling as a magical flute and a nod to Hu’s musical background.
The Gnossienne Brooch takes inspiration from iconic artworks like the Coromandel Screen Depicting Cranes. Exquisitely lacquered, these folding wood panels were crafted in Yangzhou in 1691 and are known for their intricate depiction of cranes, pine trees and clouds.
Ear candy: stunning high jewellery earrings that stole the spotlight in 2023
Ear candy: stunning high jewellery earrings that stole the spotlight in 2023
Hu’s fondness for Emperor Huizong’s Auspicious Cranes from the Northern Song dynasty was another muse, with auspicious cranes amid azure skies painted on the silk handscroll signalling national harmony.
Dance of Dunhuang Brooch
Hu’s Dance of Dunhuang high jewellery brooch gathers an elegant assemblage of titanium, sapphires and diamonds, cradling a natural pearl shaped like a tulip. Native to the valleys of northwest China, the tulip motif evokes the rich history of the Silk Road, conjuring thoughts of journeys taken from East to West, and back again.
Cuffing season: high jewellery artists make bold statements with diamond cuffs
Cuffing season: high jewellery artists make bold statements with diamond cuffs
In Hu’s imagination, her tulip parallels the soaring silhouettes of the Flying Apsaras – beautiful celestial maidens whose legend she encountered though the early painted murals of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves. Sat along the Silk Road, these sacred caves bore witness to the meeting of customs, religions, and artistic expression of merchants and travellers alike.
Hu breathes new life into the tradition of cultural exchange through another self-reflecting masterpiece laden with historic symbolism – one that is certainly not to be missed.
