Breguet Focus
Jewellery designer Sarah Zhuang tells how she’s carving out her own path in her own time
Sarah Zhuang is a perfect example of a modern-day scion who’s taken her family legacy and made it uniquely her own. Her family’s luxury jewellery brand, Tak Fook, has been around for more than two decades, so Sarah’s natural affinity for watches and jewellery should come as no surprise, shown by her choice of timepiece during our shoot: Breguet’s Reine de Naples.
“I found my passion in life when I started designing jewellery. It was like I’d found my destiny. I knew straight away that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” says Sarah, who studied at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and then at Accademia Riaci in Florence, Italy.
“It turned me into someone very motivated and driven. I think that mindset changes people. I’ve seen people follow a similar path, and that makes me really happy. That’s the legacy I want to leave behind—to pursue your passion and live life to the fullest.”
Following her mother’s retirement, Sarah and her sister took the reins at Tak Fook—Sarah as a designer and in marketing, while her sister ran the business side.
Despite being deeply involved in the family business, Sarah is by no means living in its shadow. In fact, she’s done the opposite by finding a way to shed new light on the world of jewellery with her minimalist pieces.
Many of her designs are inspired by nature, from butterflies crafted with yellow diamonds and pink sapphires,to delicate wings that sparkle with white gold and diamonds.
Speaking of wings, it was two years ago that Sarah spread hers and flew the family coop to establish her own brand, Sarah Zhuang Jewellery.
“The pieces I designed were quite youthful compared to those at Tak Fook. There was a bit of a mismatch, so we thought it would be better to come up with a brand specifically for my creations, that really represented my design philosophy.”