Fairina Cheng is an unconventional jewellery label for rule-breakers and story-makers. She’s changing the jewellery industry, one ring at a time, by creating ethical, locally-made designs for those who aren’t served by traditional jewellery stores. Most of the pieces Fairina creates have a home before they’re even made.

Fairina loves designing jewellery that speaks to your values about individuality, sustainability and love. Rather than big blingy diamonds, many of her pieces feature recycled Australasian gold, locally-sourced sapphires and ethically mined gems.

Just like the one-of-a-kind gemstones Fairina uses, love comes in all shapes and sizes. She works with diverse couples all over the world, because interesting stories (and the people behind them) are exactly what makes jewellery so beautiful.

When did you discover your love for jewellery making?

I was working long hours in corporate marketing and took a short jewellery course so I could leave on time one day a week. I picked up my first jewellers saw at a local community centre and fell in love. It wasn’t long before I was looking into pursuing jewellery design as a career.

While working part time in my marketing role, I studied for two years in contemporary jewellery design and three years in commercial jewellery manufacture. I’m not the kind of person to take big risks, so diving head-first into a massive career shift was out of character. It just felt right!

I had always been a person that didn’t “like” jewellery. The jewellery I saw in shops and the rules I heard about engagement rings made me cringe. You know the ones:

–   That an engagement ring always has to have a diamond

–   That a bigger stone is always better

–   That it should cost a proposer three months’ salary

None of it felt right. And fancy jewellery stores intimidated me. So I created a custom jewellery business for those who feel unheard and unrepresented by the traditional wedding industry. 

Creating these special pieces of jewellery is what lights me up. I love the collaborative process of working with customers and the excitement on their faces when they see their new pieces for the first time. Ultimately, I love that I can contribute towards challenging a traditionally male-dominated, consumerist industry. I firmly believe that the future of the jewellery industry is female, eco-conscious and values-driven and it’s businesses like mine that are leading the charge.

Where do you find inspiration for your creations?

I find my inspiration from customer stories, whether it’s a heartwarming tale about how a couple found love, or an inside joke that prompts a wry smile from those in the know. Each carefully chosen design element, whether it’s a colour, gem or hidden symbol, has a reason for being. A piece of jewellery can be beautiful, but it’s the narrative behind it that turns it from an accessory into a treasured keepsake. 

I work with rule breakers and story makers around the world who are more likely to elope or have a micro-wedding than a big traditional affair. Many of my customers, like me, don’t wear much jewellery. They are after a few statement, heirloom quality pieces, rather than lots of mass produced accessories. The jewels we create together are wild and wonderful, delightfully bold and intensely personal. Exactly the kinds of pieces I love to create.

In addition to their love for unconventional designs, my customers are all really awesome, down-to-earth people. I’m grateful every day that I have the honour of working with them and being inspired by their stories.

Which are some of the most memorable pieces that you’ve created for your clients?

One of my most memorable designs is a ring I made for a couple who love the sea – it looks like a standard ring from the top, set with a gorgeous green tourmaline. But flip it on its side and it turns into a fish with a diamond eye and gemstone tail.

I also love creating pieces from heirloom jewellery, weaving stories from the past into modern designs that will be worn and loved for life. One example is a ring I made for a customer who sadly lost her mum to cancer. Her mum was a jewellery lover, just like her. So we incorporated diamonds, gold and an emerald from 7 pieces of inherited jewellery into a statement design she wears almost daily.

Recently, I’ve been making a lot of quirky, vibrant and asymmetric sapphire pieces. I’m loving the challenge of combining these clashing shapes, colours and finishes into a single jewel. You might not expect them to, but somehow, they just work perfectly together.

Can you tell us how your background has influenced the way you are as a WoC founder?

I am originally from Singapore and attended an international school where I was surrounded by a vibrant mix of cultures. No one cared, asked or wondered where you were from. We were taught to ask questions and celebrate diversity, key teachings that I have brought into my business.

Singapore itself, however, is a little more conservative. In Singapore, you work hard, study hard, dress a certain way, go to university, find a “good” job and get married. You don’t speak out and you certainly don’t rock the boat.

Fortunately, there was no expectation for me to become a doctor, lawyer or accountant. I was free to choose any career path that led to “respectable” employment. However my love for piercings and my desire not to get married, at least until after kids or until marriage equality was achieved, were points of contention. Although the voices are getting louder, diversity around gender and sexual orientation is not something that is accepted in Singapore. Marriage equality doesn’t exist and couples are discriminated against daily.

It just wasn’t something I could stay quiet about. So I built my business for those who feel unheard and unrepresented by the mainstream wedding industry, and society at large. This is jewellery for people who don’t fit the mould and don’t do what they’re told. Because in jewellery – just as in life – there are no rules.

That said, I can’t say my family was all that traditional. My mum built her own children’s clothing business from the ground up, becoming one of the top local brands in Singapore at the time. The decision to send my sister and I to an international school was a deliberate step away from the high pressure, academically driven environment of the local school system. My mum was an entrepreneur at heart, always thinking of creative ways to achieve her goals.

Ironically though, when I decided I was going to become a jeweller, my parents weren’t quite on board. Perhaps that’s because I decided to unceremoniously blurt it out at a Sydney Airport McDonalds at 6am, right after they stepped off their 8-hour flight.

“I’m going to quit my job and become a jewellery designer!” I announced.

I could see the shock on their faces as they tried to convince me to stick with my corporate job as a predictable source of income. Spoiler alert: I didn’t (but it’s ok, they warmed up to the idea over the years).

Overall, I can see where my love for creating unconventional jewellery for rule-breakers and story-makers has come from. It’s the result of my mum paving the way before me, a mixed upbringing that sets modern influences against a backdrop of conservative values, and finally, just a hint of rebelliousness.

What is one life motto that you live and do business by?

“Nobody’s going to give you permission to be successful” – There are plenty of people out there who have succeeded in doing what they love and doing it well. I don’t believe that they necessarily got where they are by being geniuses or being luckier than anyone else. If they can do it, there’s no reason why you can’t put in place the steps to get there too.

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