Our expat community thrives on connection, and here at jingkids, we’re all about our readers, and what they need and want in order to maximize their time here in Beijing. Today, we will feature a prominent member of our expat community and get to know them a little bit better.
Antonia Sampson is an award-winning British jewelry designer based in Beijing. With a fusion of British sophistication and Chinese influences, her innovative designs have gained popularity for their elegance, craftsmanship, and ability to resonate with discerning customers from different backgrounds. Antonia lives with her husband Charlie in a traditional courtyard near the Forbidden City.
What’s On Your Mind?
I’m often thinking about how to find and discover the unusual and extraordinary materials I can use in jewelry design. My inspiration begins with stumbling on something in which I see inherent beauty in. It could be a tiny stone of luminous jade, insignificant by itself, but in a creative way, can be transformed into something spectacular. Or an irregular pearl oddly shaped – almost an ugly duckling – but with a beautiful gold chain and simple unfussy fastening becomes a stand out conversation starting piece of jewelry!
What Motivates You To Get Moving?
The relationship women have with jewelry is unique. Jewelry is all about how it makes us feel; what emotions are ignited when we look at or touch the piece, and when we put it on and that’s why jewelry can be so connected to a memory, time, place, or person. There is a symbolism to jewelry that doesn’t exist with hats or clothes. This symbolism is a powerful and motivating source of design ideas. The culture or environment we live in affects our art & imagination. In the UK, nature motifs like bumble bees, acorns, leaves abound, and here, in Beijing, I’m thinking about the perfect Gugong Red stone, the matt gray of a Hutong wall or the iconic shape of TianTan Temple and how to use those details in creating jewelry pieces that you will want to wear or keep in your jewelry collection forever.
How do you stay sane in all the madness?
All winter I swam most days outside in Dongzhimen known by the local swimmers as “the Triangle“. The warmth and welcome given by the swimmers and divers during those last few difficult months of Covid was a complete oasis of happiness and comfort. We celebrated Christmas and Chinese New Year together outside drinking mulled wine and eating jaozi. Cold water is such an antidote. Instead of contemplating your sanity, you are just focused on keeping warm in that freezing water which feels so good!
What’s your favorite thing about Beijing?
I’ve been in Beijing for more than 20 years. In other cities I’ve lived in I’ve always felt that I was just a small part of a vast city. But whether I like or not, Beijing is utterly different in that it has become a part of me.
