Crafting Memories: A Chat With Jeweler Antonia Sampson

Seems like you know my origins, yeah! [That was] my very beginnings in jewelry, and as a merchant too, right? But I did indeed start early, and then I could never stop. I worked for a while in the commercial department of The Guardian, and every chance I got, I’d travel to India. Jewelry there is gorgeous, so I’d bring it back with me and sell it to my colleagues. The London chapter came to an end, and then for a while it was Warsaw…eventually we came here, and that was it for us. We stayed in Beijing.

At first, there was quite a bit of traveling between China and the United Kingdom, for the sake of family connections for our young children. At the same time, I had a small gig supplying jewelry to shops in the UK. My wares came, of course, from long scouring sessions in the Silk Market and Hongqiao Pearl Market. There was an evolution bound to happen at some point, I suppose. Once I gained some knowledge about the local market and the range and quality of materials available, as well as a sense of what makes a piece stand out, I decided to try and design my own jewelry. That was in 2007, and I’ve never looked back.

For me, it is all about emotion. A piece of jewelry should speak to you about some place, some time in your life, or perhaps it should remind you of someone you love. There’s a sentiment behind it all. In my case, I very much draw upon my time in China and of course here, in Beijing. And I think I got quite a diverse range of clients—from diplomats to local Chinese customers, people passing through, even visiting members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The common denominator to them all is that they see my pieces and connect them to their own Beijing and China memories. They tap into their love for this place in this sort of metaphysical connection that is subtler than just, say, getting a “Chinese-looking” piece. Through my own personal lens, I create pieces with love from Beijing. These designs are obviously influenced by my surroundings in that sense, but I still logically bring a certain Western influence that my local clients love.

I prefer to avoid any comparison between my work and what you could call a traditional Chinese style, because I don’t think that’s the point. I can tell you that I perceive Chinese women really place an emphasis on premium workmanship and quality. They’ve usually got a great eye for luxury and regard jewelry as an investment. One of my Chinese clients kindly let me know that what both she and her mother loved about my designs was how unique and distinctive they were. And that’s such a great compliment to me.

There’s always some learning going on, for sure, but it isn’t always in conventional terms. You see, I really think that with jewelry you should be just looking at your materials first. Letting your imagination fly comes first and foremost. You have to let go of your fears before embarking on that creative process, and this can sometimes be challenging for us adults. The education system does all too often stifle our creativity.

It’s really important, I believe, to be confident and explore your hunches. I had to get comfortable with the fact that I would be pouring a significant amount of time into trying out a series of designs, and though the reward won’t always be immediate, and some of them will absolutely fail, the more you practice, the better you hopefully get.

Without a doubt! Beijing moves at such a fast pace that it becomes a great motivating factor, in the sense that you really do have to move forward rather quickly. You can’t grow complacent with your designs, your collections, your spirit. Everyone’s on the move here—your customers included. People come and leave, so you have to swim with that flow.

But to me, this alchemy is worth it every time I create a new design and it really resonates with my clients. Ideally, they are on the same page with me that this is not just a commercial transaction. Instead, there’s also this element where I created something with love, and it is received in the exact same fashion. That’s always a wonderful moment, personally speaking.

Oh, it’s so much easier here than in London! Young mothers there struggle because childcare can really be out of reach for so many of them. Meanwhile, here I found it was way easier to forge a support network for yourself. And that meant that it was also easier for me to create the space I needed to achieve my creative and entrepreneurial goals.

When it comes to WeChat and the sorts of, it’s frankly this double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s undeniably easier to communicate with my customers now. Small designers absolutely benefit from this renewed marketplace. But then there’s also the other side of the coin with platforms like Douyin, where wholesale purchasers are buying pearls in terms such that prices have simply gone up. Competition is also a whole new beast these days.

It goes back to materials. I try to source the rarest and most interesting that I can find. Pearls, for example—I will absolutely go for the very unusual ones that I will then incorporate in my designs for a final product that will stand out from mass-produced pieces. I really try to think about the best way to extract the full potential of these beautiful pearls, which means scouring through loads of materials that aren’t so exclusive. But remember, I’ve told you about wholesale buyers on social media, right? So I try to really cultivate my face-to-face relationships with pearl sellers and other merchants in venues such as the Hong Kong Jewelry Market, one of the biggest in the world. Because that does make a difference.

Not at all, and in fact let me mention pearls again. Small pearl farmers really took a hit during the pandemic because of transportation, supply chain and essential labor shortages. In both Japan and China, technicians couldn’t get to the shells for essential farming tasks, and so for the first time in 2023, pearl demand has outstripped supply. Cue in an increase in prices, as well as big farm operations taking over, and that’s not good news.

At the end of the day, the difference lies in the small details. My real passion, my whole creative spark is ignited by the materials I find. Any kind of component—an amazing stone, a gorgeous pearl, a lovely chain, a beautiful clasp— can become the starting point for my designs. They’re my foundations in this approach where attention to detail prevails over everything. Think of a simple black dress. It’s a canvas that you elevate, transform and customize with none other than accessories. To me, this is art.

Here, I must say, my mind goes to my mother. I owe much of my motivation to her, as well. She was unabashedly passionate about dressing up, and of course, this included jewelry. She always gave great importance to everyday aesthetics, in that sense.

…And it shouldn’t be that way! I say, have confidence. Draw power from your wardrobe and your palette of accessories. Experiment, enjoy, have fun. Get to be your own artist in your day-to-day life! When my customers and I get to work in this wonderful alchemy together, it’s nothing short of therapeutic, really. Communication is crucial to me in my interactions with my clientele, because it’s in those one-to-one relationships that I think the VIP element comes into play.

Nowadays, no matter how fleeting seasons are in Beijing, I try to always have an autumn/winter collection and a spring/summer collection. Those play with the colors that are dominant for each season, each year. Not that we should be excessively preoccupied with current trends and fashion, you know? But it is true that keeping an eye on them is a way to ensure that your aesthetics remain fresh, lively and updated. And then all year round I have my East-West collection, where I am all about helping forge this connection between my work and the customer’s own bonds to China. This one is really popular at Christmas, as well as for farewell presents and so on. People love to have a piece that reminds them of their time here to wear at home.

Gratitude. That’s the first word that comes to mind. Gratitude and sheer admiration towards the industriousness and hard work of Chinese people. They’ve created some truly astonishing industries where there’s still handmade stuff nonetheless, and there’s some really hard work behind that.

The same goes for the network that makes my business possible, and I really can’t stress this enough—from Zhejiang to Beijing, all across China, it’s teamwork that allows me to survive and thrive. I am truly grateful to my incredible Chinese partners, and I find it’s really reflective of life in Beijing, where communities play such a relevant role in our daily lives.

It’s going to depend on a series of factors; budget is for sure one of them. But also, again, materials, as well as your own circumstances. Think of your color palette and your needs for a certain party or a certain occasion. Think of the season. Particularly nowadays, people draw a sense of security from gold. I do understand, but I would like to remind you that not everything has to be gold nor an heirloom piece that you’ll want to pass on to your children and so on. You should also have pieces in materials that bring variety to your collection, as well as some peace of mind. If you do lose a bracelet or a necklace, it won’t be always devastating. Fun pieces in a more affordable range mean that you get to experiment with your taste, and you don’t have to be so precious about them.

The next events I'll be at are the WAB Christmas Market on Nov 23, the Makers' Market at Beersmith on Nov 24, the German Embassy Christmas Market from 30 Nov to Dec 1 and the British Embassy Christmas Market from Dec 7-8. And even if you can’t make it to either of those, you can always find me on WeChat (WeChat ID: AntoSamp or scan the QR code below).

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