ur first encounter with jewellery designer Xiao Xintong was at the GemGenève fair in May 2023. Her tiny booth was a journey into the waking dreams of an Alice in Wonderland, or rather A.win Siu – the name she has chosen as a jeweller. As our conversation progresses, she explains that her Chinese surname, Xiao, is pronounced Siu, that Xin means “faith” and Tong means “world great harmony”. Can a name determine one’s path in life? Perhaps…

A.win Siu was born in 1990 in Guangdong province. She studied graphic design and illustration at Guangzhou University, “though nothing related to jewellery design.” Her background in illustration gave her an awareness of line and colour that can be felt in the complex, futuristic forms of her kaleidoscopic jewellery.

An 11 cm long jade brooch. This kind of jadeite is called “Fu Dou” in China, which means “happiness is coming”. ©A.win Siu

After exhibiting solo as an illustrator, in 2017 A.win Siu was ready to create her own jewellery brand, producing her first pieces in 2019. “Going from the sketch to the finished piece takes time. I had no formal jewellery training and no technical knowledge, but whether it’s painting or design, creation is about an individual expressing their understanding of the world through their own language. As an illustrator, I used paper as a canvas. Now I create jewellery, which has a longer lifespan. Working with metals and minerals is simply a different form of artistic expression.”

Candy makes life sweeter

Among the pieces on show at GemGenève are brooches shaped like wrapped candies, which have the look of Murano glass but are crafted from enamel and titanium. “I designed them in 2020,” says A.win Siu. “It was the start of the pandemic and I think we all felt powerless. I wanted to make something sweet and colourful that would be like a shot of dopamine.”

“Something Sweet” collection. Candy brooch, titanium and precious stones. ©A.win Siu

“This is my latest design,” she says, holding up a candy made from ruby, plique-à-jour enamel (a technique that creates a translucency similar to stained glass) and titanium. “When a child likes something, they don’t care whether the separate parts are ‘meant’ to go together or not. A lot of adults think that rubies should be paired with diamonds. Enamel brings something far more playful to my jewellery; the enjoyment a child has without consideration of value or price. Creativity is a journey of exploration and discovery.”

A.win Siu has certain pieces produced by partner manufacturers and she also works with her own team. She supervises the entire process from start to finish, including buying the stones, which she sources at fairs and exhibitions.

Seeing the world through amber-tinted glasses

“I often say the world is a giant game and my jewels are the pieces. Most people think of jewellery as something expensive, but just because you have money, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend it on items that show off your wealth. Customers were all children who used their imagination and were curious about the world. When they want something different, something that corresponds to their deepest instincts, they find it in my jewellery.” Another of A.win Siu’s creations, a pair of glasses with amber-coloured lenses, catches our eye. “I designed them so that everything seems slightly out of focus,” she says. “You see the world differently when you wear them. I want to encourage people to think about the world they live in. Is it really what it seems? What’s real and what isn’t? What does the world really look like?”

A diamond ring inspired by the myth of Crusu. ©A.win Siu

Ultimately, A.win Siu’s jewellery wouldn’t look out of place in the fantasy worlds we stream on our TVs or watch at the cinema. As the conversation winds down, she mentions her interest in philosophy, in particular Lao Tzu, Aristotle and Hegel. We are not at all surprised!

Savage Growth emerald ring. ©A.win Siu