Take Me To Bali – An Inspiring John Hardy Afternoon Tea Event at Neiman Marcus

Article By Chelsea Zhou, Photographed by Zoe Li

“Take me to Bali”

Believe me, everything on your mind will merge into this one single sentence when you find out about the ultimate beauty and essential values of John Hardy, the Balinese artisanship inspired hand-crafted jewelry brand founded in 1975.

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John Hardy Dot Double Coil with Grey Freshwater Pearl

Photo from John Hardy Instagram, captured by photographer and world traveler @pketron

An Afternoon Tea Event was hosted at Neiman Marcus at The Shops at Willow Bend last week, offering attendees an intimate look at their exquisite Fall collection, Uniqueness Cinta Collection, and the impressive 8-step creation process John Hardy’s artisans are using to make every single piece of jewelry.

The Creative Director, Ms. Hollie Bonneville Barden presenting the brands’ Balinese background, artisanship and sharing her times in Bali.

Artisan specialized in Intricate Sketching presenting his technique.

The tea table was decorated with clusters of vibrant marigolds, a symbol of nature and energy. Ms. Barden, the Creative Director who spends half of her time in Bali and the other half in New York indicated that Balinese do the same when dining to boost energy.

Just like Balinese believe in the power of nature and always maintaining harmony between humanity and nature, John Hardy has “remained passionately committed to community, artisanship and sustainability” since inception.

Artisan specialized in Chain Weaving presenting her technique.

After indulging in all the wonderfulness, we interviewed Ms. Barden to see how she interprets the new collections, and also getting some holiday gift ideas from her.

TAM: What’s special in John Hardy’s new collections?

Hollie: This Fall, we are incorporating a lot of new color. Something, which is very exciting, is the magic cuff within our classic chain collection. Using the amazing rubies from India, you got the sapphires and the emeralds. And I think this color palette is very a represents of the beautiful colors you get within Bali. We also are modernizing our Modern Chain collection, going back to the heritage of this brand. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting some of our DNA signatures. The Modern Chain is really like a very feminine and fluid evolution of our modern woven chains. So I would say this is another key highlight in this season.

John Hardy Classic Chain Bracelet with Indian Ruby

Photo from www.johnhardy.com | Picture item available in store

TAM: Which one is your favorite in the new collections?

Hollie: The amazing Bamboo Kick Cuffs in Silver and Enamel.

Photo from www.johnhardy.com | Picture item available in store

TAM: Which piece would you pick for the holiday season?

Hollie: For the holiday season, my must have would be beautiful gold Cobra necklace coming from our Legend Collections. And the idea of cobra with shine skin means bringing new life, the symbolic of renew. This piece is very fluid. I feel like it is very easy to wear, you can dress it up, dress it down. It has a lot of versatility and it is a real showstopping piece.

Photo from www.johnhardy.com | Picture item available in store

TAM: Whom would you give this piece to as a gift?

Hollie: I would like to give it to my sister who just had her first baby. I feel like she is doing an amazing job. And if she has opportunity to go out during Christmas, this will just make her feeling amazing and empowered.