Conversations with Simone Ng
By Shania Sukamto
Simone Ng, the founder and creative director of Simone Jewels, is an award-winning jewellery designer and certified gemologist. Named Singapore’s Top 10 Designers for 3 consecutive years since 2015, Simone was awarded with the “Luxury Jewelry Brand” in 2016. She graduated with an Honours Degree in Commerce from the University of Western Australia, Masters of Business Administration Degree from Melbourne University, Diamond Gemmological Certification from HRD Antwerp and numerous certifications for coloured gemstones and jade grading. Born into a family of jewellers, Simone’s passion for jewellery from a tender age drove her to create her own label. In 2006, she launched her first collection with 20 one-of-a-kind pieces – with half the collection being sold within just 30 minutes. In addition, she was featured by Sotheby and has successfully auctioned her “Reverso Necklace” by Sotheby’s Asia in 2013. The Singapore-based designer has since reinvented many jewellery crafting techniques. Today, Simone Jewels is known amongst stylish women across Asia, Europe and United States who adore her handcrafted, one-of-a-kind transformable jewellery.
Did you always know that you wanted to make jewelry?
From the age of 12, I’ve always liked jewelry and other beautiful things. I was good at arts and crafts in school and I found that I was very skilful with my hands. Whenever I wanted something that I could not buy outside, I would make it myself. This is how I started creating simple jewelry.
How would you describe a typical workday?
There is no typical day. There are days of designing when I feel inspired to draw. There are also days I meet up with business partners and the other times taking private appointments with my clients. The other times are sitting with my team to strategize our plans.
What are some of the highlights of your job?
I love meeting people. Creating something they would love and will treasure it for the rest of their life (heirlooms) is very fulfilling for me and meaningful.
What does it really take to start a career like this?
I think the first step is self-discovery. They need to ask themselves what they really want, what their individual style is and what their true motivation in getting into this business is. What you also really need is passion. Without passion, your fire will die out very fast. It’s about how consistent you can be with your craft. If you have a strong passion, everything flows and falls into place quite easily. In fact, with passion, you will be able to identify what your style is that sets you apart from the rest. It will also guide you in communicating your ideas with people and selling your work to the clients.
In your opinion, which professional competencies would you consider most relevant for your work on a daily basis?
I would say, firstly, communication: visions, plans, and creativity need to be shared clearly so that everyone can be on board the same ship. Secondly, strategic decision-making: strategy is very important even in life. It’s like playing chess, every decision made may lead to different outcomes and learning how to manage this is very useful. Thirdly, adaptiveness: having the awareness and ability to constantly see oneself beyond their personal point of view will allow one to think outside the box and transform oneself when necessary.
