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Diamonds are beautiful but coloured gemstones open up a whole new dimension. Local jeweller Madly demonstrates its potential with its vibrantly hued creations
Ask any jewellery enthusiast about the best places to go to for fine jewels in Singapore, and you’re sure to hear Madly mentioned among other top names. The jeweller, which has a creative studio in the quaint neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, is not particularly aggressive on the marketing and advertising front. Instead, it lets its work do the talking. And that is how Madly, under the stewardship of founder Maddy Barber, built its reputation for being an expert in coloured gemstones.
Word of mouth is also the best form of advertising for the brand—impressed by the work of its designers and artisans, clients have continually sent their friends its way. In just five years since its establishment, Madly has grown its clientele base by leaps and bounds.
What is its formula for success? There’s no secret—the folks at Madly share a genuine passion for gemstones and, of course, the expert knowledge and knack for working with vibrantly coloured jewels.
“Coloured gemstones allow us to go big—[the price of] a top-quality 1-carat diamond allows me to get a 3 to 5-carat gemstone, which is often rarer than white diamonds, of a similar quality,” says Maddy. It’s a fact that many clients found hard to believe—in fact, five years ago, her team had to try very hard to convince them that coloured gems can be an excellent choice. That the brand sources many of its gems, including sapphires, garnets, spinels and tourmalines, from the same tradesmen that supply major international jewellers and its insistence on acquiring stones of the utmost quality has greatly helped in changing the mindsets of its customers, too.
While Madly used to source for diamonds for its customers, the demand for coloured stones has increased so spectacularly that Maddy knew that a new strategy had to be put in place. That is why sometime last year, she decided to stop sourcing for diamonds and fully concentrate on searching for the best-coloured gemstones in the world. (Madly still, however, continues to work with diamonds and produce diamond‑encrusted creations.)
