A Connoisseur's Eye

For fine jewellery designer BAO BAO WAN, inspiration comes from very personal experiences. françois oosthuizen attends the Shanghai launch of the second piece she created for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts.

- Bao Bao Wan

In China, Bao Bao Wan is practically royalty. Born in Beijing, the “Red Princess” is the granddaughter of the legendary Wan Li, former chairman of the National People’s Congress, and she was the first Chinese debutante ever to be invited to attend the famed Bal des Debutantes in Paris. Wan is also a notable jewellery designer; since founding her eponymous jewellery brand Bao Bao Wan Fine Jewellery in 2007, her work has featured alongside industry greats such as Zaha Hadid, Stephen Webster and Patrick Mauboussin – all people whom she has rubbed shoulders with and hold in the highest regard.

Last year, Wan was appointed the first St. Regis Connoisseur in China, and was tasked to create two jewellery designs inspired by the brand. The first, an exquisite pin, debuted at the first ever St. Regis Butler Award Ceremony in Macao, to commemorate the dedication and service excellence provided by the St. Regis butlers in the Greater China region. The second design, which embodies the brand’s signature offerings, is the reason a group of media from all over Asia had been invited to the glamorous new The St. Regis Shanghai Jingan.