Last June while in Hong Kong I got the chance to meet yet another talented jeweler: Dede Marconato Jewellery. Dede is a Canadian jeweler living in Hong Kong, that just started her own business and was finishing her new collection while I was shooting her studio.
Dede has been moving around the world most of her life. She was born in Canada, brought up in Singapore and Europe and is currently living in Hong Kong. She is a GG (for you you don’t know the lingo, that means she’s a certified gemologist) and she received her GG diploma after training in Bangkok, Hong Kong and California. Her goldsmith training was done in Vancouver.
Dede’s new collection is inspired by lava. She has these beautiful patterns and textures in her pieces, that are very intricate. What I really like about Dede’s jewelry is that new enthusiasm one has when you start a project. When I got the change to visit her studio, that she shares at the Hatton Studios, she was in the mist of the creation process. Dede was finishing pieces and giving the final touches to everything that goes into the process of making a jewelry line work: the business and the manufacturing sides. And even though she was stressed, she had this huge smile on her face just for being able to do what she loves the most: creating jewelry!
We had some good laughs while trying to get some photos of her working. I know that she doesn’t like to have her photo taken so that was a fun challenge and a delightful thing to do. I look forward to see Dede’s finished collection next time I’m in Hong Kong and I foresee a lot of wonderful, new beautiful pieces and collections in the making.
Thank you for such a delightful studio visit and all the luck with the new collection!
Dede Marconato Jewellery
site: http://www.dedemarconato.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dedemarconato
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dedemarconato/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/dedemarconatojewellery
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DedeMarconato
What attracts you to jewelry?
“Texture, form, color, contrast. The creativity is endless.”
What’s the first thing you do when you get to the studio?
“Catch up with the other designers.”
What do you love and hate doing at the bench?
“Love all of it. Perhaps like sawing the least as the RSI starts to flare.”
What’s your favorite spot in the studio?
“My bench or Nathalie’s mood board – brings me back to design basics”
Piece of jewelry you’re most proud of?
“My grandmother’s ring. There is a lot of history behind that ring.”
What makes you procrastinate at the bench?
“Technical chalenges and questioning my confidence to complete successfully”
What piece of jewelry do you always wear?
“My grandmother’s ring.”
Weirdest or funniest story at the studio or with clients?
“I set my hair on fire! And lost my eyebrows and that annoying whisker by my mouth – all because I didn’t turn the torch off properly before fillling with butane. Well, I won’t do that again!”
Your dream jewelry piece?
“I’ve got too many in my head and not enough time.”
What’s on your desk right now?
“Files, saws, emery boards, carbon burrs”
What makes your studio unique?
“5 western women in Hong Kong. 2 brits, a swede, a belgian and a Canadian.”
Any pets in the studio?
“Yes, 3 of us have dogs:Marco, Boris, Ginger and George”
The best thing a client ever told you?
“That people ask her all the time where she got her ring.”
How would you describe your studio?
“Creative, collaborative, supportive when the dogs are in: chaotic!”