The brand aims to develop appreciation by showing the unglamorous side of Jewelry making.
Jewelry label Madly just opened its Brand Experience Centre (BEC) along Ann Siang Road in Singapore, which describes itself as the first of its kind in the world.
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The BEC charts the journey of a bespoke jewel straight from the source. Visitors can witness gems in their rough form at the mines and watch how a rough is slowly shaped and polished into the final gem. Then, they can partake in the creative process themselves by sitting with a jewellery designer who can turn their mere musings into dream jewels.
A tour through their centre is supposed to be both educational and experiential.
When visitors pass through their doors, the first thing they’d be drawn to is the ‘Straight from the Source’ feature wall which transports them to the mines of Tanzania and Sri Lanka where MADLY has their local sourcing offices.
Reach into the niche to touch a rough specimen and the corresponding educational video is activated while all the geographical areas where that gem is mined is highlighted. Walk further in and there’s even a hologram of a Tanzanite rough being chiseled.
At the back of the store, visitors will see the ‘Virtual Lapidarist in Action’ that highlights the time and patience that each of their hand-cut, precision cut gems requires.
Filmed in real time, this is the closest that a visitor will get to a live gem-cutting demonstration. Every facet is painstakingly ground, buffed and polished; angles measured to ensure maximum light dispersion for each piece of rough material.
This brings the visitor seamlessly to the ‘Rough to Cut’ gem wall where various types of colored gemstones are displayed. From the famous ‘Big Three’ Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald, to Spinel, Tanzanite, Garnet, Topaz and Tourmaline, and even a special section of ‘Phenomenal’ gems which change color and display chatoyancy or asterism.
After leaving radio last year, ex-DJ and Madly founder Maddy Barber has been stoked for the opening of their second location.
“Exposing the ‘unglamorous’ side of fine jewelry allows us to appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature, and the hard work, creativity and artistry that Man uses to unlock each jewel’s potential,” Barber.
The Madly Brand Experience Centre is located at 13 Ann Siang Road, Singapore 069693 and is open to the public from 10.30 A.M. to 5.30 P.M. daily.
Banner Photo from @madlygems on IG
