Tiffany & Co. And Two Singapore Creatives' Commitment To Craftsmanship

Debuted in 2017, the HardWear collection by Tiffany & Co. has its roots in a single bracelet that was found in the brand’s archives dating back to the 1960s. Since then, it has become one of the most distinctive and popular designs from the New York‑based jeweller with its unique, industrial‑like links – extra bold, graphic and unconventional as a nod to the individualistic spirit of New York during the decade of free love. Detachable charms in the form of balls and locks add to the edge and personality. One can also describe the entire HardWear line as a labour of love: Every link is finished by hand to finesse its scale and proportions so that each piece of jewellery moves fluidly and comfortably when worn.

The 30‑year‑old ceramicist Jenevieve Woon spent some of her most formative years as an artisan in the birthplace of Tiffany & Co.: New York City. Long drawn to how knowledge is passed down through different crafts and the idea of working with her hands, she studied industrial and product design at the Rhode Island School of Design before becoming a footwear designer (shoes, she tells us, can be not unlike sculpture). Those eight years living in the Big Apple only reinforced her love and curiosity for craft and creativity. “This time abroad taught me that there’s breath and depth to be explored at the crossroads of manufacturing and design. It also pushed me to be more adventurous in my work and – in a very New York sense – to not care about what others think and pursue what excites me for the joy of it,” she says.

At Jenevieve Studio, which she founded in 2021, Woon fashions what she calls “happy objects” – the likes of misshapen yet utterly elegant vases, and cups and paperweights modelled after fruits and vegetables – out of clay through slip casting. All the moulds she uses are hand‑made by her and her team – a time‑ and labour‑intensive process – and every single piece is hand‑finished. “I think we all yearn for objects that feel human – when one can tell that something has been made by someone who loves what they do,” she says. “I’m always interested in making things through which the hand of the maker or artist is evident.” A fine example from the house of Tiffany & Co.: the paved HardWear creations, which feature diamonds hand‑set one by one by the brand’s artisans to achieve maximum brilliance. The fully paved earrings Woon wears here, for example, feature 650 diamonds and took nearly three days to complete.

Growing up watching her artist mother paint into the wee hours of the morning has instilled in Sanchia Tan a similar passion for the act of creating and giving it one’s all. At Tanchen Studio, which the 31‑year‑old co‑launched around five years ago, the medium of choice is textiles, and the motto is to continually explore and expand the vocabulary of textiles and the number of ways they can be used. “Ultimately, we research, develop and design with the intention of showcasing the beauty of materials in an honest, playful and approachable way,” says Tan.

Every object from Tanchen – as the studio is popularly referred to – begins with Tan and her co‑founder Amber Chen weaving, knotting and crafting with various fibres, beads and other materials repeatedly until they land on the perfect prototype. The super‑stylish 0/0 bag – a wine carrier composed of nylon elastic yarn knitted into a stretchable mesh bag and oakwood ring handles – took multiple experimentations with various knotting techniques and five months to accomplish, for example. Today, it’s one of the brand’s most popular products.

And while Tanchen is set to step into a new league with the opening of its first retail store soon, Tan says this craft‑first, process‑based approach to design will not change. “The celebration of craft and the idea of making with one’s hands are at the core of what we do,” she says. “The more you hone your craft, the deeper your understanding of materials and techniques. This allows you to be more creative and, in turn, design with greater intention.” It’s an ethos that’s reflected in Tiffany & Co.’s HardWear collection: Besides being meticulously hand‑finished, several pieces have been designed to be versatile, while clasps are engineered to blend in seamlessly. How’s that for craft‑meets‑innovation?