Jewel Of The New Silk Road

She’s set auction records and been recognised by the Louvre. Now Anna Hu has become the first Asian haute jeweller to have her work on permanent display at the State Historical Museum in Moscow.

- Anna Hu

Inspired by classical music and impressionist art, Anna Hu becomes first Asian haute jeweller to permanently exhibit at Russia’s State Historical Museum.

When most people recall their childhood, slow days at the park or silly play dates often shoot to mind. But Anna Hu’s upbringing was a little bit different. Raised in Taiwan and educated in the US, the haute jewellery designer recalls afternoons happily spent by her father’s side organising gemstones.

“When I was maybe four to eight years old, my favourite thing to do was to help my father [a gemstones dealer] sort diamonds by their shape, colour and size,” recalls Hu. “No TV, no play dates, no birthday parties; that was my hobby.”

Perhaps it’s only fitting, then, that Hu went on to launch Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie in 2007 at the age of 30. She made her global debut in 2012 as the first Asian jeweller to have a solo exhibition at the Louvre’s Museum of Decorative Arts. Then, in 2013, she broke the world auction record for the highest price paid for a contemporary jewellery design at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva.