Kahn High Jewellery: The Neon Vibrations of Paraíba
Hoey Ho, Founder & Managing Director of Kahn High Jewellery, discusses the brand’s relationship with gemstones, with a focus on Paraíba, one of the most sought-after and coveted of the moment
In the ateliers of Hong Kong, where creations by Kahn High Jewellery come to life in the hands of expert craftsmen, gems are the first and essential source of inspiration. «Each stone has an energy, a personality. Our role is to listen, to create a form of precious metals and additional stones that serves as a stage for that personality. Design must amplify the voice of the stone, not compete with it,»explains Hoey Ho, Founder & Managing Director, who cultivates an idea of authentic beauty. «When I look at a stone, I'm not just assessing its appearance. I'm reading the story of its creation. Those tiny inclusions are the fingerprints of time. The specific color saturation is a map of the unique chemical composition into which it was born, under impossible pressure, over millions of years. That iswhere its authenticity lies.» Selection is just as rigorous. «Most stones are just good. Our job is to walk past a thousand “good” ones to find the one that's real. The one that makes you stop. The one where the color comes from deep inside.» As with the Paraíbatourmaline, to which Kahn dedicates designs that masterfully emphasize its brilliance. «A Paraíba with that neon glow feels alive. It’s what makes your heart jump when you see it. That’s the magic and the reason it is so rare and so expensive. It’s the first thing my eye looks for, and the last thing I’ll ever compromise on. Its color is the gift from earth. The cut is how you unwrap it. The cutter's job is to unwrap the color perfectly. To let all that light out. The math tells us how to start. But knowing when to stop is a feeling. You don't fall in love with a carat weight. You fall in love with the color and the life.»
