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Florence Tsai

Celebrity jeweller Lorraine Schwartz has arrived in Hong Kong again – and this time with her long-time friend Pharrell Williams!

One of the first collaborators of Williams’ newly launched auction platform Joopiter, Schwartz has brought an impressive collection of jewellery and gemstones as part of their private sale, titled “A Journey Through Gems”. Online bidding runs until March 28, with a private preview having taken place at the same time as Art Basel in Hong Kong, per WWD.
Schwartz sat down with Style to discuss her decades-long relationship with the “Happy” singer, their creative journey and what makes her a celebrity favourite.
Can you tell us about your friendship with Pharrell? When he first invited you to collaborate on Joopiter, what were your thoughts?

Our friendship goes back over 20 years. He was one of my first clients when I started my brand and I met him randomly. He told me he was looking for a yellow diamond. I thought he was just some guy who came up who was super nice and smart, but that night I was watching TV and I was like, oh, was he at my office today? [Is he] in this video?
And then we started talking more about diamonds. It’s a friendship that is super close. I consider him my family. We have mutual respect and a love for what we do. When he did his Joopiter event, he started it for his collection. He started this auction platform and really talked to me and explained to me about how sharing ownership is very, very important too.
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If you’re creating, the whole point of any artist is to share [their work] with the world. Originally he was going to just sell maybe three of his pieces. And then he talked to me about really adding more collectibles, sharing the collectibles, sharing provenance, and giving it even more provenance. So that became a conversation and we really followed through – and here we are today. We have the rarest stones in the world and pieces that some of the most coveted celebrities who could have anything to wear, have worn.
Why did you choose to exhibit this in Hong Kong?

For some reason we both have a fascination with Asia and I do come to Asia, I come to the shows I have, and I store some jade here. But we both love the culture. This is where we felt like it was very important to bring this magnitude of a collection. It’s a private sale so it’s all very boutique, one-on-one and very white glove.
We want you to really experience what it’s like to work with us. The Asian client is a very sophisticated and smart buyer. They understand the importance of collecting and owning important gems.
Where do you source your rare stones from? What does the process involve?

The community is pretty small for fine gems and stones. I know a lot of the cutters themselves and we are always looking for new sources. I source every single stone myself and it has to fulfil certain criteria. For me, as a woman, I think it makes a really big difference when you source stones. You’re not just looking for the monetary value of what you can make in terms of a dealer, but you’re also looking for the beauty because when I present it I have to believe in it.
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What was it like designing with Pharrell?

He is so talented. He actually will take a pen and paper and start designing how he wants to the frame to look like and what the measurement should be. He’s very, very detail-oriented and he has a vision as to what he wants. We actually agree a lot of the time but sometimes we don’t. It’s really an experience to be around us because either we are laughing and just agreeing or we are bickering – a bit like an old married couple.
Over the years, your jewellery and designs have dominated the red carpet. What do you think makes you a celebrity favourite?

I’m a third-generation diamond dealer, so I understand diamonds, but I love to showcase them in different ways. And even though sometimes they can be big and a little over the top, they still have to feel right for the person. So I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I really care – I’m not just a brand that needs to put something on a celebrity. We’ve never paid a celebrity. They need to look beautiful, effortless and like the jewellery matches the person. I think what’s happened is the celebrities really appreciate the work and time we put into making that happen.
Tell us some of your favourite Lorraine Schwartz red carpet moments.

I loved Beyoncé in the 2005 Oscars when she wore the Mesh collection – it was long earrings and a bracelet. It was very new for that time. Actually, a lot of other brands have gone on that trend and tried to make the same, but it’s a big collection for us. It’s like fabric and she just looks so gorgeous in it.
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Another one is Angelina Jolie at the 2009 Oscars. That was so simple but very well-calculated. We worked with Angelina herself. Until then people wore very dark emeralds and so when you would go out at night, they would look [even more] dark. You’d have to surround it with diamonds, but still it was dark. Each person carries colour differently, but we were able to really find brilliant green emeralds that were just gorgeous. When she walked the Oscars with Brad Pitt, it changed the course of emeralds from that day on and we were considered heroes in Colombia.

Blake Lively is also one of my favourites – everything that woman wears is amazing.
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Celebrity jeweller Lorraine Schwartz arrived in Hong Kong this month to launch her ‘A Journey Through Gems’ private sale in collaboration with Pharrell Williams’ Joopiter platform
We sat down with the talented designer to learn more about her inspirations, decades-long friendship with the ‘Happy’ singer, and why she loves Asia and its culture


Lorraine Schwartz returned to Hong Kong in March to launch a high jewellery collection in collaboration with Pharrell Williams’ Joopiter – we chat with the designer about her muses and best moments
