London-based designer Sarah Ho, who was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Macau, infuses her designs with memories of her childhood as well as a host of compelling inspirations, from the defining motifs of the Art Deco period to Wiener Werkstätte furniture by Josef Hoffman and Otto Wagner.
The natural world, and the designer’s innate connection to it, is frequently revealed in Ho’s work and is beautifully showcased in key pieces from Hidden Garden, the collection she debuted last week at VicenzaOro.
The centerpiece of the collection is the Persica Suite, a quartet of jewels inspired by botanical illustrations of peach blossoms (aka Prunus persica) that unites tawny, blush-colored conch pearls with luminous South Sea pearls and diamond petals.
Persica necklace in 18k white gold with 10.3 cts. t.w. brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds, 13 conch pearls, and 13 South Sea pearls, 136,000 pounds ($171,515)
Peonies, ornamental leaves, floating lily pads, and lilies filtered through an Art Deco lens also occupy a patch of Ho’s garden oasis. “The lily holds a special place in my heart, as it reminds me of my time growing up in Macau,” says the designer.
Lily Rose ring in 18k white gold with a 3.84 ct. pear-shape rubellite center stone surrounded by 1.08 cts. t.w. brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds and 1.36 cts. t.w. emeralds, 27,200 pounds
Ho also invokes the hallmarks of traditional Chinese decorative arts in her work, including a new pendant-earring suite that incorporates jade and references moon-shape fans from the Ming Dynasty. “I used rare conch pearls as an accent to redefine the traditional setting for jade, a stone that has brought me great pleasure in my pursuit for modernity and timelessness,” says the designer, who spent over a year sourcing the highest-quality green and white jade to bring the pieces to life.
Jade Fan earrings in 18k white gold with 2.77 cts. t.w. brilliant cut diamonds, 4 conch pearls, and green and white jade, 43,000 pounds
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