To mark its 50th anniversary last year, leading jeweller Beauty Gems not only created a special jewellery collection, but also published a book tracing its growth and presenting its masterpieces created over five decades.
The Royal Orchid brooches of rubies, sapphires and diamonds are inspired by Thailand’s beautiful orchid blossoms.
The coffee table book Beauty Gems: 50 Years Of Jewelry Treasures, written by Richard Werly, is testament to the company’s position as a leader in the Thai jewellery business.
It is divided into six main chapters: Heritage, Gemstones, Icons, Glamour, Excellence and Drawings, with a foreword by Pornsit Sriorathaikul, chairman and founder of Beauty Gems Group. The introduction gives the company’s present position in the worldwide industry, the secrets for its growth and success, as well as its mission for the future.
The Heritage chapter stands out because of the legendary jewellery treasures created and based on Thai history. Among these are the three gold robes for the highly revered Emerald Buddha image in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace.
Three times a year, at the start of each season, His Majesty the King — and now HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn — would change the Buddha image’s robes. Each robe is woven with real gold thread, enhanced with ornaments of gold and precious stones. Beauty Gems was entrusted with the responsibility of restoring the robes to their former glory.
Also included here is a model of The Royal Barge Narai Song Suban, one of two replicas of royal barges created by Beauty Gems to mark the 50th anniversary of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne.
In Gemstones, we are taken back in time to the 13th century when Chanthaburi became recognised as a gem market, famous for its sapphires, rubies and yellow sapphires. Thailand was transformed into an international gem and jewellery centre. The chapter is illustrated with samples of jewellery that combine coloured gemstones in various settings.
Icons is essentially a catalogue of some Beauty Gems masterpieces from past collections. The chapter Glamour highlights the company’s 50th anniversary gala event, entitled “Victorian Night”, which aimed to recreate the opulence of the Victorian aristocracy. A jewellery collection was created for the occasion.
Excellence looks behind the scenes at the technical process and craftsmanship that goes into each jewellery item, while Drawings presents the detailed artistic renderings in the design process, many by Beauty Gems’ former chief designer Bernard Maquin.
Victorian ambience at Beauty Gems’ 50th anniversary gala.
The jade cabochon Thames necklace, and the original drawing of this masterpiece.
