Cultural alchemy: How Qeelin turns heritage into growth

What happened Despite its comparatively young age, Qeelin has once again created a cultural feast by weaving China’s rich heritage into new fine jewelry collections. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and pendants made from rare gemstones and featuring classic Chinese symbols, from butterflies, goldfish and pandas to bamboos and orchids, make up Qeelin’s latest expression of East Asian aesthetics. The Chinese fine jewelry brand recently opened its annual Miracle Garden exhibition in a relocated and reassembled Ming and Qing dynasty mansion amid a lush forest of camphor trees at Amanyangyun Resort on the southern outskirts of Shanghai. New collections expand Qeelin’s cultural repertoire Besides variations on its established motifs, Qeelin has expanded its creative repertoire with new collections — Wulu Diamond Lotus, which centers on a revolutionary gourd-shaped diamond cutting technique, and Wulu Yulin, which was inspired by the murals carved into the cliffs of the Yulin Caves in northwest China’s Gansu province. The Jing Take Qeelin is no stranger to fusing the archaic, sumptuous oriental culture with a modern, daring aesthetic. For the past 20 years, it has been a versed storyteller of Chinese history, exploring storied dynasties, and setting itself apart in the highly competitive world of luxury jewelry. This “neo-Chinese style” (新中式) fine jewelry house was founded in 2004 by designer Dennis Chan. In 1997, a journey along the Silk Road created the spark of inspiration to capture the quintessence of China’s luxuriant cultural heritage through jewelry craftsmanship. The brand was catapulted into the global spotlight when actress Maggie Cheung wore a Wulu diamond earring to the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and won the Best Actress gong. In 2012, it was acquired by Kering and became the youngest brand in the French luxury conglomerate’s jewelry portfolio. Over the past few years, jewelry has been the only segment that has delivered growth for Kering, which saw overall revenue decline 12% YoY in 2024. Apart from its agility in merging tradition with contemporary wearability, Qeelin’s success is also driven by shifting consumer sentiment. The rise of spirituality among young Chinese consumers Its answer to Dior’s butterfly collection and Van Cleef & Arpels’ iconic Alhambra series, Qeelin’s Wulu line is a take on the auspicious Chinese gourd — an emblem of wealth and prosperity. The collection is popular among young consumers who harbor a growing interest in “xuanxue” (玄学), known as neo-Taoism, a reinterpretation of classic Chinese philosophy. According to a 2024 survey by NetEase, over 70% of young Chinese have at least once resorted to online fortune-telling, and it’s estimated that metaphysics-related consumption in 2023 surpassed 110 billion RMB ($15.2 billion). As this consumer cohort associates charms, divination, and feng shui with fashion items as a source of consolation for uncertain times, high jewelry brands are also reinforcing these beliefs by embedding auspicious concepts in their product design and marketing. While the hashtag “Qeelin jewelry” (#Qeelin珠宝) has amassed more than 40 million views on Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) at the time of writing, posts tagged “unlocking Qeelin luck” (#解锁Qeelin福运) have amassed a staggering 31 million views. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Cultural alchemy: How Qeelin turns heritage into growth

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Published April 01, 2025

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Cultural alchemy: How Qeelin turns heritage into growth