A Letter From Yilin
Hello there!
When people ask us to describe the work we do, I often say that we are storytellers first, and jewellery designers second. Fine jewellery is the brand’s medium for sharing these important stories.
So what stories do we tell? We tell stories of Asian heritage, love, and becoming. Each piece of jewellery is a visual idiom of revered Asian legacies, icons, and love stories that are articulated through jade, diamonds, and other precious gemstones, woven with intricate gold work. I founded Choo Yilin with the belief that our heritage is profoundly moving, and that these are stories deserving to be told on a global scale.
Amongst the many stories we have told, we have immortalised the Peranakan influences of Joo Chiat - the neighbourhood Choo Yilin calls home. I have often shared that Joo Chiat’s heritage is hugely significant to our brand’s DNA because of the work that we do. Lesser known is the fact that that Joo Chiat has also always been home to me and at least four generations of my family. Joo Chiat is the culmination of family history, spanning generations; and through our contemporary jade jewellery, we hope to immortalise the essence of this culturally unique “kampong”.
But why do we do this? Because we deeply believe that our most intimate, cherished moments of “becoming” – becoming a fiancé, a wife, a parent, a grandparent – are inextricably tied with our heritage. We also believe in celebrating the milestones of the 21st century woman - of becoming a graduate, a leader, a changemaker; of pursuing our wildest dreams and achieving lifelong goals. And even if it’s a gift to yourself “just because”, we hope to create keepsakes of anything that is deeply important to you.
The jewellery that comes with celebrating these special milestones should reflect exactly how precious they are. The triumphs that come in these storied heirlooms need to be celebrated, and shared, and passed down for generations to come.
What an honour to witness these significant moments - thank you for allowing us to be a part of yours.
With all our love and good wishes,
Yilin, on behalf of the Choo Yilin team