Letter From Hong Kong

Tomorrow is my last day in CIRCA’s Hong Kong office after a frenetic but exciting week. We can always count on our HK clients to bring in a wide variety of jewelry, ranging from important diamonds and colored stones to very complicated watches. Everything is always of the best quality and no wonder, the city has seen tremendous wealth creation over the last few decades.

This week began on a high note, meeting with my favorite clients - the two Mrs. C’s - for a fantastic dinner at Sup 1 (11 Gough Street), an unpretentious but “sceney” place with the best pasta and langoustine. While there, I spotted Yan Nei (diva Asian chanteuse) with her entourage. To put this in perspective, it is like being seated at an adjacent table to Mick Jagger at the Monkey Bar in NYC. You will be glad to know I kept my NY cool in both instances.

The best part about HK is, of course, the shopping! The other evening, it seems there was a party in every luxury boutique, with clients running around Central and the Prince’s Building with gift bags from Piaget, Berluti, Dunhill, etc. Of course, all the luxury brands send their most complete collections. Cases in point - Cartier just doubled the size of their flagship store in the Prince’s Building (which also happens to be home to CIRCA HK!); and Céline, one of the hottest fashion labels right now, has just one store in Manhattan but three in HK.

It’s always interesting to see how the brands tailor their collections for the Asian market. I was surprised to find that Tiffany & Co. has specially sized even their iconic Schlumberger bangles to fit the Asian ladies! And I was thrilled with my trip to Céline, which is always out of my size in NYC. Thankfully, the petite Asian ladies have left me my choice of their largest sizes.

As always at the end of a HK trip, I am left exhausted but somehow exhilarated. If not for the jetlag, I’d definitely do it more often!

Images: Hong Kong Skyline, source: Asia Chronicles, abovethelaw.com; Jean Schlumberger Enamel bracelet in 18k gold with dark blue enamel, source: www.tiffany.com

In the Loupe is authored by CIRCA’s resident trendspotter and style maven. She’s traveled the world, dabbling in high finance, haute cuisine, and fine art at one of the world’s leading auction houses, before finding her true calling in the world of priceless gems. The result is a genuine global luxury connoisseur, with a knowledge and appreciation of beauty, quality and true style. She is one of the industry’s foremost experts on the valuation of fine gems and jewelry, and is now happy to share her discerning eye and impeccable taste to help you look and feel fabulous! Print this post