TRANSLATION | Eugenia Yang
推開 ANNA HU 藝術珠寶鑑賞會所的雄偉大門，映入眼簾的晶透吊燈，閃閃映照著底下的弧形珠寶展櫃，悠遊於霧金、奶白與霧黑色交織而成的恢宏展間，猶如置身低調高雅的法式私人會所。由層層大門推進，引領亞洲頂尖藏家們進一步探索 ANNA HU 精心打造的珠寶藝術殿堂。
重現華美嬌態
大自然的千嬌百態，自古便扮演著眾多藝術家的創作繆思，望詩詞繪畫，遙想旖旎風光之景，而花卉特有的爛漫姿態，總讓 Anna 傾心不已。近期新推出 Peony Heart 牡丹之心系列藍鑽戒指，熠熠閃耀下，完好展現了花中之王的雍容華貴，「牡丹是唐朝盛世的國花，以珠寶來說是一個很豐富飽滿的含義，代表著盛世下的平安，這也是我喜歡的原因。」融入牡丹花瓣的心型波狀，層層堆疊中展現心中含心的豐沛巧思，於一枚戒指中，滿溢著濃烈的愛與無限情懷。而這次選用三克拉濃彩藍鑽作為主石的靈感，Anna 透露藍鑽在國際市場上是最熱門與備受追捧的品項，也剛好是她一直所鍾愛的，便決定用一顆粉藍、粉紅與粉金來創作，悄然營造牡丹的爛漫迷人。
素有花中四君子之稱的蘭花，香雅怡情與孤芳自賞之賢達，也體現於 Enchanted Orchid 印象春蘭系列中，採用嶄新奈米鍍色科技結合 18K 金，巧妙展現光線折射下「仙綠」與「粉紫」的柔美色澤。對此，身為顏色控的 Anna 表示非常開心，可以透過最新的奈米科技，特別調製她心目中想表達的印象派色澤，「期待某天可以像愛馬仕的色版一樣，把柏金包的概念加入珠寶中，研發出各式各樣不同的色系來做這種呈現。」
匠心獨運之姿
日常所經之處，皆是 Anna 汲取靈感的來源。尤其紐約古根漢博物館內經典的螺旋階梯結構、蜂巢圓頂與坡道外牆高窗的自然光線，造就了 Modern Art Deco 新藝術系列戒指的誕生。提及館內最喜歡的角落，Anna 笑著說從小到大對光特別敏感，「每天路過，我就喜歡天花板的中窗，尤其是那半月形的櫥窗。」便將半月形精髓濃縮戒中，以螺旋階梯、主石與鋪排配磚三大元素，巧妙玩出九種變化。提起主石的挑選緣由，Anna 表示藍綠鑽是「第六感的直覺戀愛」，「這個色系除了 Tiffany 在推廣之外，亞洲市場還是比較少見，也剛好在日內瓦看到這一顆，我很喜歡，就把它收下來。」而帕拉伊巴碧璽則是她在採購時，第一眼便愛上，再根據寶石形狀用特別的樣式設計，以匠心獨運之姿呈現寶石的唯美珍稀，並融入柴可夫斯基的音韻曲線，斑斕色彩兼具華麗高雅與輕快悠揚。「高智慧、高品味。」這是 Anna 對於此系列佩戴者，腦中所產生的自然形貌。
致敬鑽石女王
憶起投入珠寶產業最重要的轉捩點，Anna 說她的人生有兩位恩師功不可沒，分別為 Maurice Galli 與 Dominque Riviere，「那時在 FIT 同時跟他們上課，之後進到 Harry Winston 一前一後當他們的資深設計師。我們在設計上有很多天馬行空的概念，沒辦法被傳統派和老闆接受，後來就沒勁，自己出來玩。」也進一步透露恩師們對她帶來的深遠影響便是「為了要當一個純粹的藝術家，我們就是一輩子築夢。」2021年，Anna 攜手珠寶界傳奇人物「鑽石女王」 Alisa Moussaieff ，推出《Moussaieff by Anna Hu》系列，不僅是史前無例的跨世代合作，也讓人得以窺見傳奇色彩下的珠寶作品。對此 Anna 表示與她相識的過程，可以出三本書，「因為兩個相差快五十歲，我的任務就是從過去式帶到未來式。」她也不斷讚嘆 Alisa Moussaieff 相當聰慧，認識一年多，便用掉了兩本筆記本，而 Alisa Moussaieff 是她唯一也是最後一個夢幻合作對象。對於未來展望，Anna 說每一個五年，是讓自己擁有更多成長空間的機會，將目光著重於往後的「五十年」，她說做一個珠寶藝術家，這個目標需要五十年才搞得定，同時也向 Alisa Moussaieff 致敬，「我只要比她工作多一年，就夠了。」
Reimagining the Beauty of Nature
Since ancient times, Mother Nature’s beautiful variety has always served as muses for artists, whether in poetry or art. The elegant, distinctive posture of the flower will always hold a special spot in Anna’s heart. One of her latest creations, the Peony Heart blue diamond ring perfectly demonstrates the splendor of the king of flowers. “Peonies were seen as the national flower of the Tang Dynasty. In terms of jewelry, it holds a very special meaning by representing peace in a prosperous world, which is why I like it.” Recreating the heart-shaped petals of peonies, the layers fully capture one’s most heartfelt emotions as the ring encapsulates the intense love and infinite affection. Choosing the three carat fancy intense blue diamond as the centerpiece, Anna points out that blue diamonds are the most popular and sought-after item in the international market. Since the gemstone also happens to be her all-time favorite, she decided to incorporate pink blue diamond, pink diamond and rose quartz into her design, cleverly creating the witty image of the “Golden Triangle.”
Considered as one of the Four Noble Ones in Chinese art, orchids are best known for their elegance in self-appreciation, which is fully shown in the Enchanted Orchid collection. Through the forefront color coating nanotechnology combined with 18K gold, the gems glisten with soft colors of fairy green and pink violet under the light. Passionate about colors, Anna is absolutely thrilled about this new technology, since it was able to capture and create the impressionistic shades she had in mind. “Hopefully someday we will be able to do it like the distinctive color palette Hermès has for its Birkin and come up with our own variety of colors for presentation.”
With Distinctive Ingenuity
Everywhere she goes serves as a source of inspiration for Anna. For instance, the classic spiral staircases, the honeycomb dome and the natural light through the high windows of the Guggenheim Museum in New York are what gave birth to the Modern Art Deco rings. When asked of her favorite spot in the museum, Anna chuckles and says it has to be the skylight because she has always been sensitive to light since she was a child. “Every time when I walk past the place, the skylight always catches my attention, especially the half-moon windows.” Focusing on the spiral stairs, the main stone and the paving tiles, Anna condensed the image of the half-moon window into the ring and cleverly created nine different alterations. Speaking of the reason behind her choice of centerpiece, Anna describes the green-blue diamond as “an intuitive, instinctive love.” “Besides at Tiffany & Co., this shade is rarely seen in the Asian market. I really liked it when I came across the stone in Geneva and decided to bring it in.” Meanwhile, the Paraiba tourmaline was more like love at first sight. Following the shape of the stone, Anna designed the ring to highlight the gem’s rare beauty and joyful elegance, which perfectly echo Tchaikovsky’s melodic notes. “Highly intelligent, financially capable and with impeccable taste.” This is the inherent image Anna had in mind for the wearers of this beautiful collection.
A Tribute to the Queen of Diamonds
Recalling the moment that marked the start of her jewelry career, Anna says it was thanks to her two mentors, Maurice Galli and Dominique Rivière. “I was lucky to have taken their classes when I went to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and worked alongside them at Harry Winston as well. We all had many crazily creative ideas and approaches when it comes to jewelry design, but those were hard for traditionalists to accept, so I left and started my own brand instead.” She further reveals that the influence her mentors hold on her lies in one motto— “In order to become a real artist, we can never stop building dreams.” In 2021, Anna collaborated with legendary jeweler Alisa Moussaieff, also known as the “Queen of Diamonds,” and introduced the Moussaieff by Anna Hu collection. Not only was it an unprecedented partnership between two strikingly different eras, but it also gave the world a glimpse into the legendary jewelry works. If she was ever asked to write about how the two met, Anna says it would probably take her three books to finish the story. “Because there was a fifty-year gap between me and her, so it is my mission to bridge the past with the future.” Praising the Viennese jeweler’s extraordinary wisdom, Anna is certain that Alisa Moussaieff is the only person she has ever dreamed of working with. When it comes to future aspirations, Anna tends to see her future as a collection of five-year intervals because that is how long it takes for growth and improvement to take place. In order to truly become a jewelry artist, she believes it takes fifty years to achieve, which is also a tribute to Alisa Moussaieff. “I just need to work one more year than she did and that’s enough.”
