Qeelin: Playful new panda accessories added to Bo Bo collection
Jan 19, 2022
Qeelin highlights the innocence of youth and the precious rarity of pandas with new additions to its Bo Bo collection
Named after an auspicious Chinese mythical animal and icon of love, Qeelin brings a touch of playfulness and surprise into the world of fine jewellery. And perhaps nowhere more so than with Bo Bo, the iconic panda inspired in part by the cherished teddy bears of our childhood.
First introduced in 2006, Bo Bo was born out of Qeelin founder and creative director Dennis Chan’s fondness for teddy bears. As a collector of antique teddy bears, Chan understood the toy’s emotional significance as that special companion who night after night would lend its ears to countless secrets and become the first confidant for many a dreamer. He then combined it with a symbol that deeply captures Chinese hearts, the panda, to pay homage to both Eastern and Western cultures.
The name Bo Bo is derived from the Chinese word “bao”, meaning “precious”, and highlights both the precious rarity of pandas and the priceless value of childhood innocence and curiosity. Bo Bo’s ingenious design, meanwhile, draws at the eyes and tugs at the heart with its endearing expression, fully articulated limbs and range of distinctive characters.
The delightful collection sees Bo Bo engaged in a variety of activities from skiing and snowboarding to kung fu and hip-hop. But its latest additions are the first to feature the panda at play. The two new designs are an ode to the ongoing success of the Qeelin Panda Conservation Initiative with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to restore and protect ravaged bamboo forests and give pandas room to return to play.
The fully articulated pieces, crafted in rose gold with diamonds, black diamonds, rubies and green garnets, capture the joie de vivre of a panda on a swing. They reflect the Qeelin x WWF Panda Conservation Initiative’s efforts to improve the quality of the pandas’ fragile habitat, engaging local communities and forest farms to help provide better management and protection, channelling funds into field studies, bamboo replantation, forest farm staff training, promotion and development of panda-friendly agroforestry products and more.
Often referred to as an “adorable ambassador”, the panda has become a symbol of peace and love owing to its gentle personality. Even its fur, a balance of black and white, captures the Chinese philosophy of harmony between yin and yang. Also a precious reminder of the teddy bear, Bo Bo is not only a moving emblem of peace but also a sparkling ode to childhood dreams.
