Interview with Mr Lieou jewellery designer to the cool crowd | The Jewellery Editor

Tea with Mr Lieou, the man putting the cool back into jewels

Meet Mr. Lieou, the accomplished young designer who left his creative role at Tiffany & Co to concentrate on his own brand.

08 July 2020

Nicholas Lieou founded his brand Mr Lieou in 2019 and from the word go, it was clear that the designer had already immersed himself in the best the world of jewellery has to offer. Born in Hong Kong, Nicholas’ international education at the German Swiss School spurred him to look further afield to jewellery studies first at Central Saint Martin’s and the Royal College of Art in London and then at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the GIA in New York. This range of both technical and conceptual skills was further enhanced by work placements with some of the top names in design including Lara Bohinc, Shaun Leane, Phillip Treacy and Alexis Bittar. Theo Fennell, the established British jeweller who has good eye for young talent, recognised his work and highly commended his Royal College of Art show.

Pearl and diamond necklace by Mr Lieou — This pendant from Mr Lieou can be worn with the central pearl or it can be swapped for a black bead and also worn as a brooch. The satin rope gives it an informal and easy to wear feel.

Under the NL Fine Jewellery label, Nicholas has worked as a consultant for Georg Jensen, Louis Vuitton and Shanghai Tang as well as establishing himself as a visiting lecturer at his alma mater Central Saint Martins. For three years between 2015 and 2018 he was Design Director at Tiffany & Co for high jewellery and custom designs. But what his impressive CV does not tell you us just how cool he is.

His sophisticated designs, based on nature and often featuring movable or interchangeable parts talk to clients who themselves may have an extravagant array of tattoos and a penchant for single pearl earrings.

Merging his Eastern sensibilities with Western know-how, Nicholas is a breath of fresh air with a touch of London edginess. His innate understanding of luxury combined with world-class skills are evident in jewels that speak to a hip and more adventurous jewellery collector. And that is a very exciting proposition in the world of fine jewellery.

Like many of Mr. Lieou's designs, these earrings can be worn with the diamond petals covering the pink tourmalines as shown or open.
Hong Kong born Mr Lieou combines an Asian sensitivity to luxury with the best of European and American disciplines to create one of a kind high end jewels like these tourmaline earrings.
This pendant from Mr Lieou can be worn with the central pearl or it can be swapped for a black bead and also worn as a brooch. The satin rope gives it an informal and easy to wear feel.
Effortlessly unisex, this necklace from Mr Lieou offers a chic combination of an antique style watch chaing mixed with pearls and a tourmaline drop that add a hint of rebellion to this sophisticated jewel.
The classic pearl ring has been reinvented by Mr Lieou with an unusual design that combines diamonds with a beautiful Tahitian pearl in starkly simple darkened gold setting.
Three plump Akoya pearls float like clouds in these earrings designed by Mr Lieou that show how something very traditional can be re-imagined with surprising results.
If you love pearls but are struggling to find edgy designs, consider these earrings by Mr Lieou in which the pearls seem to be suspended between the diamonds.
This sophisticated bracelet sets diamonds on both the outside and inside of this clever design by Mr. Lieou that transforms a jewellery classic into a cool, new, must-have jewel.
With a Chinese heritage and an international upbringing, Mr Lieou established his brand in Hong Kong in 2019 after his studies at the Royal College of Art in London and some work experiences with the design departments at Louis Vuitton, Georg Jensen, Shanghai Tang and Tiffany & Co.