By: Emily McCabe
Have you ever looked across at that on-trend boho-fashionista, confidently ticking all the style boxes with her earthy, modern glamour, and wondered how she looks so effortless? How can you emulate it easily? A key part of a bohemian look is jewellery and the ability to layer necklaces and bracelets.
Sometimes the most relaxed looks are the hardest styles to put together – layer upon layer of beading, precious gems, and long exotic necklaces can be a headache to find. But with a little help from Zen Sisters, you’ll be halfway there!
Zen Sisters is a jewellery company based in Phuket. It takes a playful, effortless but very chic approach to jewellery design, and uses specifically sourced materials such as Holy Rudraksha beads from the mountains of Nepal, Balinese lava stones, precious emeralds, jade, aquamarine, smoky quartz, and luminous labradorite. The company’s local craftsmen in Phuket then help to realise the designs.
Christa Den Boogert, Zen Sisters sales director for Hong Kong/Asia, says: “We are great advocates of creating your own Zen. We educate ourselves on the meanings behind a large range of stones and symbols, and we encourage our clients to choose the elements that are meaningful to them.”
The designers first started by creating pieces for themselves, close friends and loved ones in their home office. With growing demand, they expanded from their “tropical island base” startup, to being stocked in a few top-tier hotels and boutiques on Phuket Island, and then to an international brand. The brand is all about being connected, sharing something personal and working together.
All of the exotic pieces have been thoughtfully designed with the intention of layering, giving you that effortless look easily; I like anything that makes styling easy these days! But if layering is not your thing, they are just as gorgeous individually worn; they’re bold and can hold their own as standalone items. Also, all of the pieces have been designed to be versatile and “worn from boardroom to beach”. They have a very adaptable wearability, which is a great combo when you love a sentimental piece of jewellery and want to wear it always.
The Zen Sisters’ jewellery ethos is about reflecting the inner you, so the designs have a very spiritual side, acting as modern talismans, and a grounding influence. It’s a nice message, especially when you’re trying to find something for the person who has everything – you can’t go wrong with gifting something sentimental. Having a piece custom-made is also an option – and, you never know, your design could end up in the Zen Sisters collection.
Christa explains: “Sometimes, we love our custom-made designs so much that we decide to include them in our own collection, such as the Indian Desire Tassel necklace that was created for a charity Bollywood evening, the Smokey Quartz Circle of Life necklace that was designed for a customer attending a Formula One event in Singapore, and the spectacular Happy Buddha with black onyx Buddha head wrap with semiprecious stones (pictured).”
If you’re looking for a meaningful gift or just want to know more, check out the full collection at zensisters.com.
This article first appeared in Expat Living magazine’s Feb/Mar 2017 edition. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
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