Cover Twomorrow Jewellery is the only jewellery brand in Singapore to offer salt-and-pepper diamonds (Photo: Twomorrow Jewellery)
Twomorrow Jewellery is the only jewellery brand in Singapore to offer salt-and-pepper diamonds (Photo: Twomorrow Jewellery)
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Three home‐grown businesses share how they are maximising the value of resources by adopting a circular economy approach to sustainability. Here, Singapore jewellery designer Evelyn Chung wants people to embrace salt‐and‐pepper diamonds—flaws and all
In the jewellery world, where perfection is prized, clarity is exalted and symmetry rules, salt‐and‐pepper diamonds are an odd bunch. Within these mysterious gems, you will find natural imperfections such as tiny cracks, or clusters of pinpoints known as “clouds”.
“[Salt‐and‐pepper diamonds] are also called galaxy diamonds,” explains Evelyn Chung, the founder and designer of Twomorrow Jewellery, adding that her jewellery brand is the only one in Singapore to offer these overlooked and often discarded stones. “Sometimes, we call them rustic diamonds or alternative diamonds.”
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Above Evelyn Chung founded Twomorrow Jewellery after discovering salt and pepper diamonds, which feature imperfections known as inclusions
Evelyn Chung founded Twomorrow Jewellery after discovering salt and pepper diamonds, which feature imperfections known as inclusions
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The 33‐year‐old’s discovery of these gems happened, as with most recent revelations, during the pandemic. Under confinement after giving birth to her son, the former finance professional had been scrolling through Instagram when she chanced upon the stones, which immediately struck her as special. While they are trendy in the West, Chung could not find them in Singapore—or Southeast Asia, for that matter.
Still, she had to see them for herself. Travel was out of the question, so Chung took a leap of faith and purchased her first batch of salt‐and‐pepper diamonds from a reputable supplier she had sourced. When the stones arrived, she was mesmerised. “I can just keep looking at them,” she says as she unveils her current collection of the diamonds in her atelier on Duxton Hill. No two stones are the same: some of them are smoky, others are icy, and a handful even have rust shades or tints of yellow.
Above Twomorrow Jewellery’s diamonds vary in colour as well as cuts, including unconventional styles like the kite cut, the half-moon cut, and the hexagon cut (Photo: Twomorrow Jewellery)
Twomorrow Jewellery’s diamonds vary in colour as well as cuts, including unconventional styles like the kite cut, the half-moon cut, and the hexagon cut (Photo: Twomorrow Jewellery)
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The stones come from the same mining hotspots where flawless diamonds are found: Botswana, Canada and Australia, which is the home of champagne diamonds (and their honey‐hued “imperfect” counterparts). “Salt‐and‐pepper diamonds are mined just like normal diamonds, but in the past, they were considered waste or simply discarded,” explains Chung, whose curiosity had led her to pursue a gemmologist programme at the Gemological Institute of America, the jewellery world’s authority on all things diamond.
Instead of flaws, what Chung sees in the inclusions of salt‐and‐pepper diamonds are strains of personality. “I connect them to how we are as people,” she reveals. “We’re all different and unique. It’s the same thing with these diamonds, which don’t conform to our idea of diamonds. They fall outside of the diamond grading system. Likewise, as people, instead of trying to fit in, we can embrace our own imperfections.”
Twomorrow Jewellery, which Chung launched last November, is built on that message of self‐acceptance. The name nods to the idea of creating an inclusive future, one that offers “a second perspective”, as Chung puts it, and where “the unconventional can take centre stage”. By virtue of the brand using diamonds that are otherwise scrapped by the jewellery industry, it is also a sustainable business.
Above Like the rest of the business, Twomorrow Jewellery’s packaging is designed with sustainability in mind (Photo: Mike Pickles)
Above Photo: Twomorrow Jewellery
Like the rest of the business, Twomorrow Jewellery’s packaging is designed with sustainability in mind (Photo: Mike Pickles)
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At Twomorrow Jewellery, clients can customise their own bespoke jewellery revolving around salt‐and‐pepper diamonds. Chung designs rings, necklaces, bracelets and charms with different personalities in mind. She might add a flourish of pavé diamonds for the fancier types, or dial down the drama if a customer wants something dainty. Just as intriguing as the diamonds offered at Twomorrow Jewellery are their cuts.
Besides the conventional round and pear cuts, for example, there are lesser‐known options such as the heart cut and the coffin cut (which, unsurprisingly, is popular with goths). Chung’s favourites are the kite cut, showcased in the brand’s Free Will diamond collection, and the half‐moon cut used in the Luna collection, which results in rounded gems with a striking straight edge on one side. To her, the latter cut symbolises the rhythm of life and reflects the moon’s own cyclical phases.
Above At Twomorrow Jewellery’s stylish atelier on Duxton Hill, customers can view Chung’s unique diamonds in soft and natural light—just as they would see them when worn (Photo: Twomorrow Jewellery)
At Twomorrow Jewellery’s stylish atelier on Duxton Hill, customers can view Chung’s unique diamonds in soft and natural light—just as they would see them when worn (Photo: Twomorrow Jewellery)
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To say that Chung’s jewellery creations are thoughtfully crafted is an understatement. Her diamonds are sourced from conflict‐free suppliers certified by the Kimberley Process’s internationally recognised standards of ethical diamond mining. In her atelier, the stones are set in 18K gold from Italy, where artisans still use time‐honoured goldsmithing techniques. All of Twomorrow Jewellery’s creations also come in beautiful packaging made with recyclable paper, featuring water‐based inks, a plastic‐free finish and a timeless, pale purple tint that Chung loves, as evident in her choice of nail polish.
“I didn’t want to just start a business, but a meaningful one,” the entrepreneur expounds. “At Twomorrow Jewellery, I want customers to feel like they’re enough, that they can be themselves and love themselves for who they are.” While less than a year old, the brand already has a devoted clientele of jewellery lovers who pride themselves on their individuality, some of whom have been looking for salt‐and‐pepper diamonds for a long time. Still, it is a niche interest as far as gems go.
“In Singapore, a lot of people don’t know what salt‐and‐pepper diamonds are yet, so I can educate them first,” says Chung. Future customers are likely to stumble upon Twomorrow Jewellery on Instagram, where the brand’s unique gems are showcased in all their grey‐tinged glory. Chung also plans to launch ready‐to‐wear collections of earrings and rings with mini diamonds, which will appeal to anyone who is mildly curious about the wonderfully strange stones. And maybe, they will discover that perfection is not everything after all.
Credits
Photography: Frenchescar Lim
Hair: Benedict Choo
Make-Up: Benedict Choo
Topics
Pameyla Cambe is the Assistant Digital Editor of Tatler Singapore. She handles the Fashion section of the website, where she reports on trends, the hottest fashion launches and what your favourite Asian celebrities are wearing.
