Heavy metal: introducing Tejen, the fine jewellery label with an edge
You’re only as good as the company you keep, or so the saying goes. In the case of Tejen, a fledgling fine jewellery line founded by Isabel Encinas and fashion designer Mark Kroeker, it certainly seems to be true.
The two fashion industry veterans first met on the circuit about 20 years ago, before forming their new alliance. Encinas, who previously notched time as a designer at Boucheron, Harry Winston and Fabergé, was based in Paris, while Kroeker helmed his eponymous womenswear line in the Big Apple.
Today, Tejen funnels its founders’ dualistic backgrounds into an artistic collection. Named after the Ancient Egyptian word for an obelisk (tejen means ‘needle of stone’), the label embraces strong geometry, ancient scripts and the iconography of hieroglyphs in its inaugural collection.
Made from ethically sourced gold and precious stones, the debut Core Gold Collection V.01 is architectural and elegant. Inspired by rays of light, the pieces range from sculpted spikes and arcs to perfectly symmetrical eclipses and hoops that form earrings, rings and bangles in 18 karat gold. Glittering diamond pavé brings an added lustre without dominating the forms, while chunkier stones sitting atop rings or at the bottom of earrings in the label’s signature capstone setting (five diamonds encased in gold) bring an added totemic dimension.
A wealth of experience means that Tejen is based on how to do things right – each of the line’s pieces is carefully handmade in France, according to fine jewellery practices.
INFORMATION
Prices start from $1,215. For more details, visit Tejen’s website
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Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
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