During July’s Couture Week in Paris, when high jewellers present their newest creations, one maison’s collection had a distinctly Chinese vibe. Geneva-based jeweller Chopard teamed up with Chinese couturier Guo Pei to create 43 one-off dresses matched with 18 unique gems. The collection, perhaps predictably titled Silk Road, was themed around “a dreamy vision of Asia”, the house said.

Silk Road is part of a wave of partnerships being forged between western jewellery houses and Asian companies, whether in the form of designer collaborations or corporate acquisitions.

Market research provider Euromonitor predicts that China’s $90bn jewellery retail market will grow 22 per cent over the next five years, which is a bright spot compared with a 15 per cent decline for the $59bn US market and a 4 per cent increase for western Europe’s $27bn market over the same period.