At 17, Arianna Li moved from Guangzhou to Singapore to study. For her, Singapore was more than a garden city; it also taught her that people can see the same object or experience very differently. These lessons stayed with her, and have shaped the way she thinks about jewellery.
This understanding goes back to a childhood memory. Li, who co-founded jewellery brand Ellilux, was first fascinated by jewellery as a five-year-old. While playing at her grandmother’s dressing table, she spotted a gold ring set with a heart-shaped coloured gemstone in her grandmother’s jewellery box.
“I knew nothing about its material or value,” she says, “but I could sense that it mattered to her.”
In 2019, while living in Luxembourg, Li launched Ellilux with a partner whose background was in European fine jewellery. They wanted to create pieces that women wore not just for their beauty, but also why they wore them. Li oversees brand direction, customer relationships, market development and retail operations, while her partner focuses on gemstone sourcing, procurement, the supply chain and production.
In late 2022, Li returned to Singapore, with plans to build Ellilux here. Without any experience in the local retail market, however, she had to be patient. In 2024, she introduced French costume jewellery brand Satellite Paris in various malls.
“It allowed me to better understand customers here and refine Ellilux’s products and services,” she explains. “I wanted our own boutique to open with a dependable product offering, clear brand experience, and ability to support customers over time.”
Ellilux’s own boutique opened at Raffles City Singapore in August.
What do you wish people understood more about gemstones?
I hope people look beyond price and take an interest in a gemstone’s colour, internal characteristics, treatments it has undergone, and its suitability for the way they intend to wear it. Assessing a gemstone requires knowledge, but falling in love with one is also deeply personal.
In design, I try to preserve the stone’s character, using proportion, settings and colour combinations to create a connection with the wearer. Alongside our classic fine jewellery and high jewellery collections, our 81 Formula collection offers another starting point: a life chapter, a wish or a personal intention. A customer may be drawn to a colour for what it symbolises, or choose a gemstone to commemorate someone or something important. That meaning comes from her own experience.
What did Europe teach you about designing jewellery?
I learnt to look beyond visual appeal and consider how a piece fits into a customer’s lifestyle. Someone might love a bracelet’s design but have reservations about its practicality or price. Such feedback prompted us to reconsider weight, gemstone proportions, construction and the different ways a piece could be worn. This process taught me that refining a design sometimes means making thoughtful adjustments so that someone can enjoy wearing it more often.
I began asking a question that still guides me today: what happens to this piece once it leaves the display case?
One jewellery rule you think women should ignore?
The rule that fine jewellery should be saved for special occasions. We do not have to wait for a major life event to wear something we love. A thoughtfully chosen piece can accompany you to work, out for coffee, or through an ordinary Tuesday. Of course, the material and design should suit the activity. But loving a piece is already a good reason to wear it. I like the idea that jewellery can become part of everyday life, collecting memories as it goes.
How do you balance creativity with the realities of running a business?
I start by identifying what is essential to a design and where there is room to adapt. Recently, production costs, technical considerations, pricing and changes in the market for sought-after materials prompted us to reassess our priorities.
For Singapore, I place greater emphasis on collections designed for everyday wear. I want our jewellery to become part of someone’s life, rather than spend most of its time in a safe. We still value variety and individuality, keeping quantities small—often just one or two pieces of each design—and continuing to develop new collections.
This requires balancing the desire to keep creating with the discipline needed to sustain a business. The experience reinforced my view that profitability allows us to keep creating, while creativity gives customers a reason to choose us. The important judgement is knowing which adjustments make a piece more relevant to the customer and which would compromise its character.
What has surprised you most about jewellery customers in Singapore?
I have been struck by how strongly customers respond to the individuality and variety of our designs. Some now visit every week, asking what has just arrived. Seeing that curiosity turn into an ongoing relationship has been especially rewarding.
It has also reminded me that emotional appeal and practical considerations go hand in hand. A customer may be drawn to a piece because it feels distinctive, but comfort, versatility and service influence how it becomes part of her life. Those returning visits have encouraged us to keep developing fresh designs while paying close attention to what customers enjoy wearing.
After building a brand across Europe and Asia, what does luxury mean to you now?
Building Ellilux across Europe and Asia has made me think more deeply about how luxury fits into a person’s life. My experience in Europe sharpened my appreciation of craftsmanship, materials and the time involved in making a piece. Working with customers in Asia has continued to show me how jewellery can hold relationships, wishes and moments of change.
Today, I want our pieces to deserve the care that goes into making them and to be worn and enjoyed for years. They can commemorate a defining moment or simply become a familiar companion. For me, luxury is something that, even after time has passed, still feels deeply connected to who you are.
Visit Ellilux at Raffles City Singapore, #01-39A, Singapore 179103. More details here.
