The first week of October brought a mix of big business and fine craftsmanship to the jewellery world: one of the largest jewellery makers opened a huge new workshop in South-East Asia, De Beers London completed a high jewellery collection inspired by water, and a New York brand added fresh designs to a collection built around Victorian love letters.
Pandora opens a giant workshop in Vietnam
As Reuters reported (via The Business of Fashion), the Danish jeweller Pandora opened a factory near Ho Chi Minh City on 1 October. The plant cost about $150 million, sits on a 7.5-hectare site and is the company’s first production base outside Thailand. Pandora describes it as the world’s largest fine jewellery crafting facility, able to make up to 60 million pieces a year, and expects it to employ around 7,000 people once it is fully running. CNBC and Nikkei Asia add that the site lifts the group’s manufacturing capacity by roughly half. Chief executive Berta de Pablos-Barbier told Reuters that Vietnam will start at about 15 per cent of global capacity and should reach a third by 2030. For lovers of everyday silver, it is a reminder of how popular charm and link bracelets remain.
De Beers London finishes its “Vibrations” collection
National Jeweler reports that De Beers London has released three new suites, called Cascade, Shimmer and Undulation, completing its 2026 high jewellery collection “Vibrations”, which began with the Echo suite in January. Each suite is linked to water near the places where diamonds begin their journey: Tugela Falls in South Africa, the fjords of Canada’s Ellesmere Island and the Okavango Delta in Botswana. The house says it is the first time it has used chalcedony and artisanally mined diamonds, sourced through its GemFair programme in Sierra Leone, in its high jewellery, along with domed cabochon-cut diamonds developed over five years. The Echo necklace can be turned into six different jewels, including a tiara and earrings.
Love letters in gold
In New York, Sorellina has added four pieces to its “Postscript” collection, according to National Jeweler. The line takes its ideas from Victorian letters and hidden messages, with pendants that open to reveal engravings. The originals paired yellow gold with diamonds, emerald, pink sapphire, Mali garnet and purple spinel, including a necklace centred on a 3.57-carat spinel. If that rich violet tone appeals, our spinel rings and gemstone pendant necklaces are a good place to start.
Sources: Reuters via The Business of Fashion, “Pandora Opens World’s Largest Jewellery Factory in Vietnam” (1 October 2026); CNBC (2 October 2026); Nikkei Asia (1 October 2026); The Business Times; National Jeweler, “De Beers London Drops Water-Inspired High Jewelry Collection” (28 September 2026) and “Sorellina Writes Another Love Letter for ‘Postscript’ Collection” (5 October 2026).
