Maria Lau

com, 'The resulting experience is a harmony between casual and luxury' - as I love to mix the high-end with the ordinary, and soft materials with metal and mineral elements. I am drawn to the banal just as much to the beauty of semi-precious stones, and am inspired to use materials not normally associated with jewellery, allowing a more experimental approach to creating jewellery.Stories and muses are also an important part to my creative process, which brings together different elements and moods to shape each collection. My love of far-flung fiction and supersonic females originated from my British-Cantonese upbringing as a single child, who used to (and still!) watch many imported films filled with legendary stories and heroes. With a Maria Lau piece, in 'Dark Tales' you will find a story of a Japanese Samurai Princess who battles with good and evil, her mercury-like blood represented by intertwining hematine beads and in Tribal Clish-Clash, you will find a necklace to represent a futuristic tribe born out of Ethopian warriors and Amazonian hunters.A graduate from The Royal College of Art in MA Mixed Media Textiles (2003), I have created jewellery for Michiko Koshino, DKNY and Harrods. My debut collection 'A Skin Less Ordinary' was launched in June 2008 at 'Treasure', London Jewellery week and since then, my label has been internationally recognised for its design innovation and ability to transform ordinary materials into luxury crafted jewellery. Maria Lau jewellery aims to offer elegant pieces which are non-conformist, that will transcend seasons - allowing the wearer to mix and match from different collections. All jewellery is handmade, finished and packaged within my studio in the UK.