The private equity yogi shaking up the fine jewellery market 

The jewellery industry is rapidly changing as fashion trends shift and online-only retailers wrestle the helm from bricks and mortars and department stores. Jiani Zhang saw the signs early and has two innovative and thriving brands to show for it. 

In her mid-30s, private equity investor Jiani Zhang is already semi-retired and determined not to stagnate. 

“I will never fully retire, but I’ve halved my workload and enjoy my leisure time. I don’t want to get too relaxed, so I’m using that time to build something.” 

Experience investing in venture capital funds instilled a fascination and deep respect for entrepreneurs, so she joined their ranks set on building a successful top-down business from scratch – one that would combine her dual interests. 

“Art and finance – that’s my combo,” says Zhang, who boasts degrees in both. “When I ran an art fund, the auction house’s jewellery room was next to the art room. I loved going in and seeing all the beautiful pieces, so I started investing. It soon became my passion.” 

The Shanghai-born, Geneva-based, globetrotting multihyphenate has actualised that passion into two fine jewellery brands shaking up the Australian market, Ele4orce and Vuoi. 

“Mother company” Ele4orce came first, offering made-to-order high-end pieces designed and hand-crafted by gifted artisans in Sydney. The brand’s name reflects Zhang’s love of nature and the metaphysical, as do collections such as Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Balance, and Eternity. 

“I’m very much a yogi,” she says. “I’m into vibrations and inspired by the elements, and I wanted to bring them together in the name and the work.” 

Ele4orce is a multi-channel operation. At its core, it is a made-to-order range available online or by appointment in the brand’s Sydney showroom. 

A concierge service provides advice in-person or on Zoom and can facilitate bespoke commissions from elite European designers and luxury houses like Cartier and Tiffany’s. It can also source or help clients source ethical diamonds and gemstones (mostly emeralds, sapphires, and rubies) from trusted dealers, auction houses, or “from the very source”: direct from mines. 

Ele4orce’s Eastern Suburbs Sydney-skewed, mostly female clients may be from diverse backgrounds, but all tend to be savvy investors who know their stones. Whether buying for personal use or as an investment, they know what they want, when they want it and how long to hold onto it. 

For those buying for investment, the concierge service can coordinate sourcing, storage and resale. Rare precious stones, particularly diamonds, offer a higher-risk, higher-yield alternative to boring, stable gold, especially if you can get your hands on one of the 200 argyle pink diamonds known to exist. 

“They are our most requested stone but near impossible to find,” says Zhang. “One family owns 130 of them!” 

Launched only two years ago, Ele4orce’s “little sister company”, Vuoi, is a different, equally chic beast. Named as a nod to Zhang’s Swiss-French surroundings, the brand offers ready-to-wear jewellery that blurs the lines between fine and fashion for a younger, more adventurous market. 

“If Ele4orce is a refined, sophisticated woman,” says Zhang. “Then Vuoi is her cheeky, rebellious sibling. She’s a free spirit who knows exactly who she is and what she wants. She follows her heart and goes with the flow, knowing life’s too short not to relish the present and dance to the beat of your own drum.” 

“Is she based on someone in particular?” I ask. 

“Me!” she says, laughing. “I’m trying to pump my creative DNA into both brands, but Vuoi gives me and our customers more space to play and have fun.” 

This sense of playfulness is evident in Vuoi’s edgier designs without sacrificing the elegance of the Ele4orce brand. Crafted from a minimum of 14K gold, Vuoi’s price points are less aspirational than its big sister’s, largely because of slightly lower-grade gemstones. Not that you can tell. 

Always innovating, Zhang also recently launched Vuoi Prestige, a new channel allowing clients to play more and express themselves by mixing and matching the gemstones in existing ready-to-wear designs. 

Vuoi’s original products are available on the brand’s website, but there is now a dedicated concept store in Sydney’s Double Bay for customers who want to try them before they buy. Zhang believes Vuoi is a scalable model, and with plans to roll out stores in at least three more cities across the country, she’s keen to test this theory post haste. 

“I am determined to lead the Australian jewellery industry,” she says, dead serious. “I know that’s very ambitious, but I like a challenge.”