Worldly Treasures: Narcisa Pheres

Born in Romania and now based in Hong Kong, this well-traveled designer fuses Eastern and Western elements in her eclectic creations.

As a jewelry house that has spread its diverse mix of diamond-centric designs across four continents, PHERES owes its cross-cultural appeal to founder and creative director Narcisa Pheres, whose own journey has spanned numerous locales.

A native of Romania, she studied fashion and marketing in Milan and London. After receiving her Jewelry Design and Diamond Certification from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), she moved to Japan, where she started designing exclusive auction pieces for local collectors in 2000. She founded PHERES in 2006 and moved to Hong Kong five years later. Now she commutes between Hong Kong and Tokyo when she’s not traveling the world.

“For over the past decade, travel has been an integral part of my design journey,” Pheres says. “My exposure from living on three different continents continues to impact my designs through concoctions of art, culture and surroundings. The eclectic style of designs is a sum of who I am as a person — a combination of traditional European culture coalesced with Asian elements.”

This background enables her to maneuver easily among different cultures while promoting her products.

“Diversity has been a prominent element in the brand from the beginning — whether it’s diversity in design, diversity in our clientele, or diversity in our suppliers and manufacturers,” she says. “We bridge classic and modern aesthetics by taking inspiration from classical art, various art movements in history, nature, cultural reminiscences and worldliness matters. Since we are a modern luxury brand, we allude to contemporary style that can become heritage.”

A varied clientele
The jewelry house has two distinct brands: Narcisa Pheres Fine Jewelry and PHERES. The first caters to collectors and jewelry connoisseurs, with Pheres herself often selling the one-of-a-kind pieces through trunk shows, personal appointments and commissions. PHERES is a new and more accessible jewelry label that consists of gender-fluid, streamlined pieces. The only way to purchase the latter at present is directly through the company website, but Pheres is working with online retailers to make the brand more widely available. She recently opened a duty-free shop carrying both brands in Tokyo’s Ginza Mitsukoshi department store.

Pheres’s jewels have often appeared on internationally recognized red carpets, including at the Golden Globe Awards, Grammy Awards, Oscars, Emmy Awards and Met Gala. Former US First Lady Michelle Obama and music icons Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Madonna are among those who have worn her pieces at high-profile events.

Japanese artisan techniques and philosophies are a strong influence in her work. “I integrate the Japanese concept of wabi sabi (imperfection),” she says, explaining that her designs “don’t strive to create a picture-perfect image. It is the antithesis of the Western notion of ‘perfect’ beauty.”

Diamonds at the center
Her creations range from an elegant collection of tiaras in 18-karat white gold and diamonds for the Narcisa Pheres Fine Jewelry brand, to a contemporary line of diamond and yellow-gold jewels based on hardware tools for the PHERES label. Diamonds are an anchor for both collections.

“An extraordinary diamond has a story of its own waiting to be brought to life,” she says. “Colored diamonds have been a defining aspect in my designs for over 15 years. My exposure to other colored gems like emeralds, rubies and Paraibas was after my first trip to Jaipur, India, eight years ago. I fell in love with the vibrancy of colored gems that now have become a part of my signature styles. One of my design traits is that I only incorporate gemstones to accentuate diamonds. I have never made a piece entirely of colored stones.”

Inspiration for her designs can strike anywhere in the world, she relates, whether it’s in a café in Paris or while having tea in London. Once she develops the sketch, the designs are then finished in Hong Kong or Tokyo.

“I develop ideas from emotions and visuals that resonate with me, and then I implement them with the team,” she says, adding that the process varies depending on the brand: “When designing one-of-a-kind pieces under my eponymous brand, the stone and the collector’s vision is of the utmost importance. I am inspired by the collector who’s going to wear it, so it’s about the idea of an experience for them. Whereas PHERES ready-to-wear collections are concepts we create that people follow.”

Coronavirus-era consumerism
As an entrepreneur, Pheres recognizes that adapting to the latest consumer behaviors is key. “The shift in consumerism is fast and often uncertain, but by identifying the trend swiftly, we can cater to the needs of the client sooner.”

In that sense, she views the coronavirus pandemic situation as a time of both great peril and opportunity. She feels her consumer-focused, diverse business model will be able to withstand this uncertain environment and even prosper in it.

“With the unpredictable ups and downs in the economy and geopolitics worldwide, people are seeking real alternatives, and it is in times like this we appreciate physical commodities,” she explains. “Brands used to dictate to consumers from a position of power, but now we see a shift. Those who adapt to the changes will have a stronger chance of thriving. We have [had] a clear mission as a brand since the beginning, so the current situation has given us a coherent path because we’ve always put the collector-client first. Catering to consumer needs is the most valuable way of succeeding.”

One trend she’s noticed since the COVID-19 outbreak is that “discussions on eco-consciousness have amplified. Consumer preferences are developing around sustainability, so it’s essential [that] jewelry brands transition to methods that appeal to both environmental ethics and consumer needs.”

She also points to the potential of collaborative efforts. “The future of the luxury goods industry from our perspective is that brands and consumers will look for a different way of connecting with each other. There will be more inter-brand collaborations. Cross-branding will be important as consumers seek a holistic lifestyle experience. For instance, we have cross-collaborated with luxury car manufacturers, art galleries and renowned hospitality groups for several years.”

As a form of art, she continues, jewelry can play an important role. “In times of crisis, art has proven to be a valuable investment. Similarly, the current situation has seen a rise [in people seeking] secured and universally appreciated assets. Jewelry for a long time had been considered ‘art decoratif.’ Maybe now it’s finally the time to give jewelry and the art of making jewelry its real place in history: Art, in its true meaning.”