Tasaki reframes the pearl in a fresh visual identity

Tasaki is ready for its next chapter. Reframed with a new visual expression, the heritage brand homes in further on its rare position as an important voice in contemporary jewellery design, and one that is at one with the organic gem that it is so closely linked to.

The pearl has long sat at the very heart of creation at Tasaki. The Japanese luxury maison was founded in Kobe in 1954, and its founding family’s expertise in cultivating pearls dates back further. In particular, Akoya pearls, a variety well suited to the cold, saltwater environment of the Ninety-Nine Islands of Nagasaki, the prefecture’s archipelago. Perfectly round in shape, with a mirror-like gloss and predominantly in a white tone that can include subtle hints of green, blue and pink, Akoya pearls have remained a calling card for Tasaki. “My grandparents come from a seaside town in Japan where pearls are cultivated, so I feel a personal connection,’ says Aika Sawai, global chief brand officer.

Cue the ‘Balance’ and ‘Danger’ collections, which were authored by artistic advisor Thakoon Panichgul and which frame pearls in shapes cast from gold and set with diamonds and other gems. Economy of line and a stylistic restraint allows the focus to remain on the pearl. A pair of Tasaki ‘Danger’ earrings see pearls pierced with pointy yellow gold studs; in a Tasaki ‘Balance’ pendant necklace, a line of five pearls appears to float along a yellow gold bar, the organic spherical gem set free.

A design-led approach has long been fostered at Tasaki. The company’s archives shine a light on a past that has always sat at the avant-garde of jewellery-making. It’s a heritage that inspires creation today, including the brand’s image-making. In a newly refreshed visual identity, pearls meet Japanese lacquerware, Edo Kiriko glass – a 19th-century cut-glass technique that originated in Tokyo – and washi paper.

‘Tasaki possesses a world of exceptional craftsmanship, rooted in the sea, nature and Japanese culture,’ says global CEO Richard Collasse. ‘Our mission is to build a bridge between that remarkable heritage and the people who will discover it – through a powerful narrative, a distinctive visual language and a bold creative vision that goes beyond the conventions of our industry.’

tasaki.co.uk