This is the Year of the Dragon on the Chinese calendar, and one that Island Companies will be celebrating to the fullest with the one year anniversary of the John Hardy boutique.

It could hardly be more appropriate, with the image of the dragon playing such a central role in the iconic Naga jewellery line by John Hardy. Silver and gold scales shimmer and evoke the power and mystique of the dragon all while retaining the style and wearability for which John Hardy has become famous.

In celebration of the Year of the Dragon and the first anniversary of the only John Hardy boutique in the Western Hemisphere, Island Companies will be playing host to Guy Bedarida, the chief designer for John Hardy, at an exclusive event on 9 February.

“Guy does about half a dozen events in a year, so it is pretty spectacular that he has chosen Grand Cayman,” says Michael Jappert of Island Companies.

“We will have great music and a great environment. Island Companies is very intent on being a company that gives customers an experience. We want people to experience the jewellery and watches that we have in a different way and understand the story behind those products and what the creative vision was.”

The event will take place in the Flagship building, and promises to be spectacular, with the image of the dragon decorating the store from floor to ceiling.

“We will shut down the entire building and will be filling out areas of the Flagship that are not traditionally filled out with John Hardy because the largest and only boutique is simply not large enough to hold all the John Hardy inventory that we are going to have that evening,” says Michael.

According to Michael, the event will present a unique opportunity to meet the person who created and inspired this iconic brand that is John Hardy, with Guy also signing pieces at the event.

Some of the unique John Hardy pieces that will be on hand will come from the Cinta collection, a line of one-of-a-kind items created by Guy based on unique jewels, stones and shells he has encountered on his travels.

“Cinta means love in Indonesian. The really great thing about these pieces is that these are individually designed and they are one of a kind, every single one of them. They are created by Guy himself and there is only one like that. He’s bringing a large collection of Cinta with him, and any of our John Hardy fans out there, this is a definite must. The pieces will not be shown until the event with Guy. We are doing small preview collections of the images only,” says Michael.

Because of the unique and individual nature of the pieces in the Cinta collection, the pieces travel with Guy and he often plays matchmaker with the pieces, pairing them with the appropriate owner.

With the John Hardy boutique, Island Companies is able to showcase the depth of the John Hardy line beyond the well known pieces to include everything from lifestyle products including trays, picture frames and wine bottle openers to the exquisite jewellery.

“It really gives you the full depth of the line,” says Michael.

“The product itself comes from a different place. It doesn’t fill a niche just because it’s supposed to be there, but created its own niche,” he says.

The John Hardy line also includes jewellery for men, succeeding in what can be a notoriously difficult market segment.

“As a guy it’s often times difficult to find jewellery, and if you’re looking for jewellery for that man in your life or you just want to treat yourself well and buy something, John Hardy jewellery is masculine without being too over the top,” says Michael.

Island Companies will be hosting an even more exclusive event with Guy, to be hosted at an undisclosed location in Grand Cayman, where Guy will attend a luncheon with a very select group of invited guests.

This event forms part of an ongoing invitation-only series of luncheon events where invited guests have the opportunity to interact with jewellery designers in an intimate environment.

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