After four years as an online-first jewellery business, Hong Kong-based Nepalese designer Kajal Naina has opened her first physical store, at Harbour City’s Ocean Gallery.  

Naina’s creations have drawn a following globally, with selected items sold online and through stores in markets including Nepal, Australia, the UK and Singapore. Flying Solo in New York City to stock the brand from March. A second standalone store is planned for Kathmandu, Nepal, late this year. 

In Hong Kong, customers of the Kajal Naina flagship can participate in the creation of their own pieces designed to tell their own stories in what the brand says is the first jewellery bar concept in the city. 

“A true statement piece connected to the wearer’s heart can only be achieved by co-creation between the brand and the customer.”

Customers can choose from pre-designed elements, such as charms and pendants to add to their pieces in what Naina describes as a unique and fun way of interacting with accessible fine jewellery. 

“Jewellery making is a way of storytelling for me,” said Naina. “As such, we will always continue in its mission to bring to life jewellery that connects the wearer with their stories, hopes, and dreams.”

Her first collection, dubbed Mangalsutra, is a traditional jewellery piece from Indian/Nepalese culture reinterpreted into what she describes as “a modern statement piece that brings positive energy and new meaning to life”. 

The brand targets an elegant and affluent predominantly female demographic aged 30 to 55, who are “modern, sophisticated, independent, passionate, and health-conscious”.