By: Melissa Stevens
After a lifelong association with the jewellery industry in Hong Kong, it’s perhaps no surprise that Rahila Refaaq took over the reins of the family business. She then reinvented it when she established Zaha et Cetera. A qualified gemologist and passionate jewellery designer, Rahila specialises in making custom pieces for clients, as well as sharing her knowledge of precious stones and rocks through consultations and jewellery repairs.
How did Zaha et Cetera come to be?
My father moved to Hong Kong in the early 1960s from Sri Lanka and established himself as an independent diamond merchant/jeweller with his own workshop, making high-end diamond jewellery. I used to help him sort melee diamonds during my early teens! My family’s long association paved the way for me to decide on a career as a gemologist and later as a designer. I then decided to pool all my knowledge and create my own brand name. I had all the resources passed on to me by my father, as I took over his team of bench jewellers who have more than 40 years of expertise. We also had our supply chain of ethically sourced diamonds with either GIA or IGI certificates in place, so all was good to go.
What services do you provide?
We provide consultations on buying diamonds and coloured stones and handcrafting these into jewellery, within our client’s budget. We offer jewellery repair services, metal re-polishing, ring re-sizing, engraving, re-designing, recycling old jewellery, and restoration of missing stones. We also can help with gemstone identification.
How does it work?
Zaha et Cetera is based in Discovery Bay and we do consultancy there for custom-made orders. For the convenience of our clients in other parts of Hong Kong, we agree on a mutual place for meetings. All our jewellery is custom-made in HK and with strict quality control checks before and after mounting. Quality checks after mounting include verifying the diamonds against the certificates to stamping on the metals and more. Our website has an inventory of diamonds and our affordable jewellery range, which can be purchased online.
What are the current trends for engagement and wedding rings?
We’ve seen a surge in enquiries for engagement rings with brighter hues as the centre stone, such as sapphires in various blues to the hot pink of Padparadscha sapphires. Rose gold is gaining popularity due to its appealing feminine look and we also see more mixing of metal colours and stacked rings. Pear- and oval-shaped diamond cuts are gaining prominence too.
To find out more, contact Rahila by email at rahila@zahaetcetera or WhatsApp at 9656 0414 | zahaetcetera.com
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This article first appeared in the April/May 2018 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue.
