Diamonds are a girl's best friend and so they say...
for me it is better to have angpows with diamonds than to have none at all (✌◠▽◠) A little history of DeGem before we take a look at their glittering angpows. The Choong brothers started their business in the early 1980s as a traditional, family-run goldsmith shop. In 1984, the brothers diversified their business with the addition of a factory creating fine jewelry and later another that manufactures medals. In 1999, Diamond & Platinum (“D&P”) was launched to focus on fashionable and trendy designs, catering to the demands of younger customers who preferred white gold and platinum, rather than the traditional yellow gold. In 2003 the first showroom was opened to carry the DeGem brand. The Group’s foreign venture began in 2004, with the opening of a D&P showroom in Brunei, followed by DeGem’s showrooms in Jakarta (2005) and Singapore (2006), and finally a design and distribution centre in Hong Kong... DeGem is also very special and close to my heart as my hubby proposed with a lovely diamond ring from them and also gifted me a pair of their earrings after the birth of our first child ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ) |
Famous for their diamonds DeGem has been promoting the beautiful stones on their money packets for some years now. Since 2018 their single piece has featured the jade stone with diamond earrings in 2020, bamboo diamonds leafs in 2019 and a golden pup protecting the jade and it's diamond in 2018. 2017 is the year of the rooster hence the chosen phoenix, just like a stunning brooch filled with precious gems, this piece is a pride of its own.
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In the history of the art of the Chinese empire, this ornamental green rock has had a special significance, comparable with that of gold and diamonds in the West. The Chinese character 玉 (yù) is used to denote the several types of stone known in English as "jade". Also known as a Stone of Peace, Jade can balance the nerves and soothes the cardiac rhythm. DeGem used the beautiful jade on their 2016 angpow delivering not only luck but elegance and style with this gorgeous green amulet.
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DeGem 2015 as I remembered was like a first-love experience. Although we don't trade anymore, she was one of the first few guru who taught me the art of exchanging. As a newbie I was overjoyed with the opportunity and got a little too excited that I overlooked and mistakenly given her my one and only Berjaya Times Square mother-child pair from Hong Kong. I never told her because it was my own mistake to begin with... ouch > <
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These days trading is getting tougher as more collectors practice the rule of "same-level" exchange which is to trade normal with normal, premium with premium. Having said that sometimes there are generous collectors like this lady who willingly traded me this lovely 2014 horse piece. It is a simple design with the emphasis on the eye, the bright shining star.
Unfortunately I only have just the last four years of DeGem's red packets. There are more older ones out there waiting to be reunited one day... For more of my latest collection, please visit my facebook page or get the links to my collection by years via my facebook album here. (๑‵●‿●‵๑) |