Much like how parisian chic has permeated the membrane of fashion, there is a soupcon of French nonchalance in how women wear jewellery nowadays. You will find rows of baubles, regardless of whether they’re costume or real, jostling for space on bare skins as they are stacked and layered. Precious stones such as emeralds and rubies are worn during the day to add texture and whimsy to an outfit, and are offset by less conventional stones such as topaz or tourmaline, elegantly eschewing the dictums that had previously ruled the way jewellery was worn. 

It is exactly this brand of contemporary insouciance that Alexandra Yeo embodies with her jewellery line, Alexandra Alberta. Her portfolio is varied in its inspirations: on the one hand, you have the raw, organic body of a scaly snake nestling a coloured stone in the Naga collection. Then, there is the latest geometric Metropolis line with hints of art deco that pays homage to cityscapes. There is also Baroque, its nomenclature a hint to the bold and dramatic aesthetic it personifies. For daily wear, Bourgeoisie pieces proclaim the wearer’s state of mind with statements such as “love” or “om” crafted in gold.  
Yeo also offers a bespoke service for one-of-a-kind designs. For her, the sourcing of the stones goes beyond just colour, clarity, carat, weight and cut. She believes that each gem has a certain power and its beauty lies in its talismanic properties.

The London-based, Singapore-born jeweller whose brand retails at Manifesto in Capitol Piazza this year, says, “These mineral crystals formed over thousands of years have the power to intrigue, fascinate, energise and inspire the mind. I enjoy working with gemstones as they balance me out and provide me with energy. In fact, lately I have been wearing a lot of pretty pastel-coloured gemstones such as lavender jade, white jade and aquamarines, and have observed that they lend a calming energy. They are almost like a good luck charm or talisman.”

Yeo’s affinity with jewellery began as a young girl, when she would dress up in her mum’s jewels and ask her family members to take pictures of her. Following a stint in the fashion world where she worked with Lanvin and Rag & Bone in the US, she decided to pursue her passion for gems.

“While studying at the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) in New York, I decided to collect gemstones and used many of these stones in my early designs,” says Yeo. “I received many enquiries through word of mouth about these early works, and the possibility to develop collections and one-of-a-kind pieces. As a result, my philosophy has remained simply to work with special and colourful gemstones and to create well-crafted designs that are inspired by and respond to the modern woman.”

Highlights from Alexandra Yeo’s designs