Imbue your loved ones with good luck and prosperity with these lunar new year gifts
hinese New Year will be celebrated on 1 February 2022, marking the start of a new lunar year: the Year of the Tiger. A symbol of strength and bravery, those born under the sign of the tiger are said to be smart, funny and sociable, with strongly held convictions and spontaneous, confident personalities.
Whichever year you’re born in, gifting forms a big part of Chinese New Year tradition and, for 2022, luxury brands across the globe have pulled out all the stops to create gorgeous pieces paying homage to the Year of the Tiger. Here are the best Chinese New Year gifts for 2022.
Tasaki
Hailing from Japan, fine jewellery brand Tasaki creates stunning pearl pieces that possess a distinctively Asian sensibility, making them perfect for gifting this Chinese New Year. Take, for example, the brand’s A Fine Balance collection, which sees gorgeous Akoya pearls set on flowing ribbons of yellow gold in a collection inspired by movement, lightness and natural beauty.
The full collection features a range of earrings, necklaces and rings, with highlights including a spiral ring and matching pendant from which pearls appear to float at either end. Also key to the collection is a series of earrings which put a modern and unexpected twist on the classic gold hoop. In one pair a pearl is suspended between a twist of gold, while in another a disconnect hoop creeps up the ear lobe, with two perfect pearls providing punctuation points. Possessing a clean, almost minimalist silhouette that is deployed to show-stopping effect, these are pieces guaranteed to impress during the Year of the Tiger and beyond.
A Fine Balance jewellery collection, POA, tasaki.co.uk
Dior Grand Soir Tigre watch
Limited to 88 pieces, a traditionally lucky number in Chinese culture, Dior’s elegant Grand Doir Tiger timepiece puts an understated, feminine spin on the classic colours and motifs of Chinese New Year. Housed within a stainless steel case, complete with a pink-gold bezel set with round-cut diamonds, is an intricate depiction of a tiger’s face crafted from pink gold, diamonds and feathers, framed by a dial of graduated white and gold feathers. A sapphire caseback also allows a peek at the Swiss-made automatic movement inside.
Grand Soir Tigre watch, POA, dior.com
Harvey Nichols
Knightsbridge department store Harvey Nichols is a treasure trove of all things scarlet, golden and utterly luxurious this Chinese New Year. Opt for something classic, such as Christopher Kane’s jewel-fringed cherry-red cardigan or Alexander McQueen’s chain necklace, or choose from a bevy of limited-edition lunar new year pieces. For foodies, Harvey Nichols’ Lunar New Year hamper features treats including Rose China green tea, Booja Booja chocolate truffles and caramelised cinnamon almonds, while beauty fans are well catered for with special editions of Charlotte Tilbury’s Hot Lips lipstick, Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Serum and La Mer’s Hydration Adventure collection.
Alexander McQueen gold-tone chain choker, £390, harveynichols.com; Christopher Kane embellished wool cardigan, £1,145, harveynichols.com; Lunar New Year hamper, £90, harveynichols.com; Charlotte Tilbury Hits Lips lipstick, £28, harveynichols.com; Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serums, £82, harveynichols.com; La Mer The Hydrations Adventure Collection, £370, harveynichols.com
Chopard L.U.C. Urushi Year of the Tiger
Swiss watch house Chopard has been using the occasion of Chinese New Year to showcase its mastery of the Urushi enamelling technique since 2013, with a new limited-edition timepiece released annually. Applied this year to the L.U.C. XP ultra-thin timepiece, master lacquer artist Minori Koizumi painstakingly applies gold flakes between layers of tree sap to create a scenic representation of a tiger set against a deep blue sky, shimmering lake and dramatic cliffs. The process takes around 160 hours. The collection, aptly, is limited to 88 pieces.
L.U.C. Urushi Year of the Tiger, £22,200, chopard.com
Our Place
Food also forms a huge part of Chinese New Year celebrations, so how better to treat the chef in your life than with gorgeous cookware? Since launching in 2019, LA-based brand Our Place has been giving Le Creuset a run for its money as the aesthete’s cookware of choice – and its stellar Always pan comes in an Instagram-friendly shade of red perfect for lunar new year. Plus, with every pan or pot for a limited time, Our Place will be including six lucky red envelopes designed by Chinese artist Vanilla Chi for customers to fill with gifts for their loved ones.
Always pan, £125, fromourplace.co.uk
Graff GyroGraff Endangered Species Tiger watch
While not created specifically for Chinese New Year – the collection actually debuted at Baselword in 2019 – Graff’s Endangered Species Tiger timepiece still ranks among the most technically- and artistically-complicated tiger watches on the market. Showcasing a métiers d’art technique developed by Graff known as diamond marquetry, the tiger is picked out in a stunning mosaic of black gold, diamonds and cognac sapphires. This unique piece also features a tourbillon movement, 3D moonphase indicator and discreetly-positioned power reserve at one o’clock.
GyroGraff Endangered Species Tiger watch, POA, graff.com
Loquet
London’s go-to for subtly-personalised jewellery, Loquet has unveiled two new charms in honour of the Year of the Tiger. Each is designed to be added to its gorgeous range of modern lockets, with the range including a classic gold tiger and sapphire water sign charm, which can be layered alongside the brand’s wealth, fortune and longevity emblems, diamond initials and birthstone gems for the ultimate custom gift.
Tiger charm, £175, and water sign charm, £360, loquetlondon.com
Ulysse Nardin Classico Tiger
Another Swiss watch house seizing upon Chinese New Year to flex its artistic muscles, Ulysse Nardin’s Classico Tiger showcases the historic crafts of champlevé and paillonné enamelling: two arts so intricate and masterful that they are currently only practiced by a handful of artisans worldwide. The first involves carving ‘cells’ directly onto the dial, which are then filled with enamel, while the latter sees thin strips of gold leaf used to create a motif, which is then covered in translucent enamel. Here, they combine to create a vibrant rose-gold tiger set against an engraved valley backdrop.
Classico Tiger watch, £31,900, ulysse-nardin.com
Versace
Italian fashion house Versace has pulled out all the stops of lunar new year with an entire capsule collection of ready-to-wear and accessories blending the brand’s signature Baroque style with the crimsons, golds and blacks of Chinese New Year. Among the highlights are a new red version of the classic La Greca print, which plays out across jackets, dresses, skirts and backpacks, as well as playful new iterations of the La Medusa bag, phone case and pouch. A surefire way to look the part this Chinese New Year.