Since she launched her eponymous Yi Collection of super colorful, feminine pieces in 2015, the 42-year-old Vogue editor turned independent fine jewelry designer has won many plaudits. Today, her pieces are found in luxury international retailers including Moda Operandi and 10 Corso Como Shanghai, while her namesake boutique, which opened in Shanghai in March brings the Yi Collection universe of vibrant rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, together, all in one place.

Collections are produced by female artisans in her privately owned atelier in Bangkok. Previously, she says, she would travel to Myanmar or Sri Lanka on gemstone sourcing trips but now finds them all here in Bangkok, the “capital of colored gemstones”.

Yi was born in Shanghai and spent her formative years in the US as a fashion stylist. She returned to her native Shanghai from New York in 2010 when she was tapped for the role of Style Editor at China Vogue. Today she is ebullient about Shanghai’s fizzy female energy. “It’s a matriarchal society, women rule the city of Shanghai and it’s a place that’s incredibly supportive of female entrepreneurship.”

Launching her own fine jewelry collection was an idea that came to her when she was style editor at China Vogue. At the magazine, she was tasked with conceiving and executing editorial spreads, which honed her curated eye for color and style and helped shape her deep knowledge and understanding of the international fine jewelry market. It also revealed to her a compelling, untapped niche.

“At the time I didn't love all the very, frou-frou, complicated, traditional jewelry,” she explains. “To my mind then, nobody was making fine jewelry that was youthful in spirit that spoke to the modern woman.”

When she launched her collection, it was sought-after from the get-go. “I made several different contrasting gemstone chain rings, and my friends bought them straight off my hands. One of them was the visual merchandiser at 10 Corso Como. The head buyer, over from Milan, saw it, immediately loved it, and that’s how 10 Corso Como Shanghai became my first retail account.” Next, another friend from New York helped usher her into Moda Operandi. Then came 10 Corso Como in New York City, which has since closed. “My peers who worked in fashion had never seen pieces like mine, so they were supportive and championed my aesthetic.”

Most of her creations are made to be functional and worn every day. The way she likes to wear them herself — stacked, at the gym, in the swimming pool, the ocean, or in an urban setting.

Hero pieces include the double gemstone chain ring featuring two entirely different gemstones on a diamond cut chain band, a technique she’s perfected that makes the chain unbreakable. Then there’s the Aquamarine and Emerald Spring Ring, a cocktail ring whose “proportions are incredible,” featuring a “huge” emerald-cut three-carat aquamarine stone and a 1mm band of emeralds.

Operating everything in-house allows for competitive pricing, with $200 the entry-level retail price for a 14k gold chain ring with a very small colored gemstone. Standout high jewelry pieces perfect for dressy galas and special events such as the spectacular Emerald and Aquamarine Demeter set in platinum and 18k gold comprising a total of 28.65ct of aquamarine and 3.20ct of emeralds, retailing for $31, 250, is at the other end of the Yi Collection spectrum.

In September, Yi Collection makes its European debut at NouvelleBox in Paris. “I’m excited,” Yi concludes. “Europe has a long history of understanding fine jewelry and a discerning customer who has passion and a deep understanding of fine gemstones.