Style Edit: What Anna Hu is presenting at European’s top art fair – the leading haute jewellery designer unveils 2 signature brooches at Tefaf Maastricht

Mar 8 , 2024

Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie’s fine jewellery pieces to be displayed at Tefaf in Maastricht, the Netherlands, March 9 to 14, include Gnossienne Brooch (left) and Dance of Dunhuang High Jewellery Brooch. Photos: Handouts

Mentioned in the same breath as blockbuster brands Cartier, Piaget and Boucheron, Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie presents fine bejewelled pieces with Eastern and Western sensibilities reflecting their founder’s worldly inspirations

The European-based Asian haute jewellery designer now divides her time between her business headquarters in both Monaco and New York – one of her works was acquired by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, France, in 2022

Founding her eponymous brand in 2007, high-jewellery designer Anna Hu now stands shoulder to shoulder with luxury houses like Cartier, Piaget and Boucheron, her name often uttered in the same breath as such brands. Over a sparkling 17-year career, Hu has gained recognition within the hallowed circles of auction houses, museums and art fairs across Europe and Asia.

An East-meets-West philosophy sits squarely at the heart of Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie. This vision mirrors the Europe-based founder’s background, which is steeped in her Asian heritage. Formerly a competitive cellist, Hu also plucks inspiration from her tripartite expertise in classical music, jewellery design and art history, glimmers of which often shine through in her bespoke pieces one way or another.

The swirling form of the Dunhuang High Jewellery Brooch echoes the mythical flying apsaras of China’s Dunhuang Grotto on the Silk Road

Embellishing Hu’s East-West fusion jewellery pieces are her signature rare gemstones, and the delicate touch of prestigious French ateliers – distinctive markers of her creations, which have been donned by the likes of Madonna, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, who wore Hu’s pieces at her royal wedding and honeymoon.

This spring, the designer returns for her third appearance at the European Fine Art Foundation TEFAF in Maastricht in the Netherlands, the world’s leading fine art, antiques, and design fair running from March 9 to 14. Among the 10 curated masterpieces, she will showcase two resplendent brooches that probe novel cultural compatibilities.

Gnossienne Brooch

The crane, an animal traditionally associated with longevity in Chinese culture hold a twig in its beak in the signature Ann Hu-designed Gnossienne Brooch

The Gnossienne Brooch is a testament to Hu’s mastery in blending Eastern elegance with French craftsmanship. Set with precision using white gold, jade, ruby, and dazzling diamonds, this piece captures the revered red-crowned crane in mid-flight. The long limbs of the crane – traditionally associated with longevity in Chinese art – are said to echo those of Shou Xing, the Taoist god of long life.

Named after composer Erik Satie’s musical term for “dance-like”, the crane delicately cradles a jade twig in its beak further symbolising human fate, doubling as a magical flute and a nod to Hu’s musical background.

Gnossienne Brooch rendering artwork from Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie’s design studio

The Gnossienne Brooch takes inspiration from iconic artworks like the Coromandel Screen Depicting Cranes. Exquisitely lacquered, these folding wood panels were crafted in Yangzhou in 1691 and are known for their intricate depiction of cranes, pine trees and clouds.