Helene Quan Jewellery: A Brand with Purpose
In 2017, Helene launched her fine jewellery brand, HELENE QUAN, in Singapore. Her early inspirations, combined with her professional experiences and studies in literature and art, nurtured her growth as a designer. From the beginning, Helene has been committed to merging sustainability with thoughtful design. Partnering with eco-certified workshops, she ensures that every piece is crafted with care. Each design is produced in small quantities or made-to-order, avoiding overproduction, and is created for long-term wear across various occasions. Helene encourages her customers to shop mindfully, appreciating the story behind each piece.
HELENE QUAN has grown steadily, earning international recognition. The brand’s designs have been featured in Vogue, Tatler, L’Officiel, and Elle. Her creations have even graced the red carpet, worn by Janet Yang, president of the Academy, at the Oscars and other prestigious events—all without sponsorship. This success has only reinforced Helene’s ethos of blending creativity with craftsmanship, where design is imbued with meaning, history, and balance.
Helene Quan
Founder's story
Helene Coco Quan, known to her friends as Coco, is the visionary founder and designer behind Helene Quan Jewellery. Her journey, from an early passion for art to a distinguished career in global finance, has been one of ongoing discovery.
A Shiny Seed
Helene’s creative journey began in her childhood. Her upbringing was enriched by a multicultural heritage, where an enduring appreciation for art and creativity deeply influenced her formative years. Helene studied painting from an early age, laying the foundation for her understanding of design and sparking her lifelong interest in the arts.
As a young child, some of her happiest memories were of observing the delicate artistry of her grandmother and other women as they crafted intricate floral lace, family embroidery, and silk flowers for bridal veils. Her grandmother, born in Europe and later settling in China, seamlessly blended family traditions of embroidery and lace-making with both Chinese and European styles. She even ran a small business providing handmade veils and wedding dresses. Crafting beautiful clothes and household linens became a common tradition and daily practice in their family. In the quiet corners of her grandmother’s garden, surrounded by the fragrance of flowers and ripening strawberries, Helene watched her grandmother create beautiful lace, absorbing the values of care, patience, and attention to detail. These cherished moments planted a shiny seed in her heart, one that would later shape her thoughtful approach to fine jewelry design, helping her preserve beauty for generations to come. The beautiful lace always brought a quiet sense of joy to Helene.
Cultural Threads and Creative Roots
Helene’s time in Beijing, a city rich in cultural heritage and artistic traditions, further shaped her vision. Surrounded by historic architecture and centuries-old craftsmanship, she realised that design is about more than just aesthetics—it’s about history, depth, and meaning. She learned to see design as a conversation between history and innovation. The city’s cultural depth, seen in the vibrant local art scene and the reverence for handcrafted works, instilled in her a sense of purpose in creating beauty that transcends time. Her university studies in literature further refined her understanding of narrative and symbolism in design, laying the foundation for a design philosophy that draws from the richness of her heritage while embracing the contemporary.
A Global Career, A New Perspective
Helene’s professional journey took her to Singapore, an Asian financial hub, where she thrived as a Vice President overseeing market strategies across Asia for global banks. Her role provided deep insights into high-end markets and sparked deeper reflections on the true meaning of quality and value. Living and working in Singapore also deepened her awareness of the luxury lifestyle—its quiet sophistication and timeless allure. From the lush greenery of its gardens to its towering skyline, the city’s balance of natural beauty and contemporary elegance became a new source of inspiration for Helene.
After a decade in finance, Helene transitioned into her family’s landscape architecture business. Involved in international landscape architecture projects, she gained a new dimension in design—understanding how the harmony between nature and design creates lasting elegance. At the same time, her love for beauty and craftsmanship rekindled a calling deep within her—a desire to express the inspirations from life and nature through design, creating something enduring, like a poem, or like her grandmother’s lacework. This led her to pursue further studies in high jewellery design technique and creation.
Helene’s first creation, Song of the Sea, integrated the lace structures from her childhood memories. It won first prize in an international jewellery competition and was featured in Japan Daily. This recognition not only cemented her as a designer to watch but also gave her the confidence and momentum to continue creating pieces that reflect her unique perspective and passion for design.
