The Peranakan jewellery tradition has always been built around coordinated sets. A Nyonya at a formal occasion would wear pendant, earrings, brooches, and bangles together, sharing motif and material to produce a unified visual effect. The same set-building logic continues in modern Peranakan-inspired fine jewellery, with collections like the Poh Heng Legacy® Fan Series designed specifically to be worn as coordinated sets across pendant, earrings, and ring.
This guide covers why Peranakan jewellery is designed in sets, how to build a set within the Legacy® Fan Series, and the considerations that go into choosing pieces for set wear.
Why Peranakan Jewellery Is Designed in Sets
Set wear has been part of the Peranakan tradition for centuries, for several reasons.
Visual coherence. A coordinated set of pieces sharing motif, materials, and design language reads more clearly than a collection of mismatched single pieces. The visual coherence carries cultural weight: at a wedding or major family occasion, a coordinated set signalled the deliberate care that had gone into the wearer's dress.
Family heritage. Bridal sets were traditionally commissioned together and given to the bride as a unit. The pieces stayed together as family heirlooms across generations, with the set itself representing a meaningful family asset.
Cultural signalling. Wearing a coordinated set at cultural occasions signals familiarity with the tradition. Wearing mismatched pieces, or wearing single pieces without the supporting set, reads as less informed about the tradition's conventions.
Investment logic. Building a coordinated set is a more efficient way to invest in fine jewellery than buying isolated pieces. The set works for the most formal occasions, while individual pieces from the set work for everyday and occasion wear, multiplying the use you get from the investment.
The Standard Set Structure
A traditional Peranakan jewellery set could include a dozen or more pieces. A modern Peranakan-inspired set typically focuses on the three to four pieces that get the most wear.
Pendant. The pendant is usually the visual centre of the set. It is the piece most often visible against the neckline, the piece that anchors the wearer's outfit, and the piece that benefits most from a strong motif and a clear design statement. Most modern Peranakan-inspired sets are built around the pendant choice first.
Earrings. Earrings are the second piece. They should share the motif vocabulary of the pendant without competing visually. Drop earrings work well for occasion wear; smaller drops or studs work for everyday. The pendant and earrings together form the minimum viable Peranakan-inspired set.
Ring. A coordinated ring extends the set into a three-piece grouping. Where the pendant and earrings carry the look at the chest and ears, the ring extends the visual presence to the hands. This is particularly useful in dinner and seated occasions where the hands are visible.
Optional fourth piece. Some sets extend to a fourth piece: a bangle, a brooch, or a second pendant for layering. This is more occasion-specific and depends on the level of formality.
Building a Set Within the Legacy® Fan Series
The Legacy® Fan Series is designed around the set-building principle, with pieces available in coordinated combinations across the four hero gemstone variants.
The Golden South Sea Pearl set. Pendant, earrings, and ring all available in the same gemstone variant, set in 18K gold with diamond accents. This is the only complete pendant-earrings-ring set in the Fan Series and the most directly set-oriented choice. Particularly suited to formal occasions, bridal wear, and significant anniversary or milestone purchases.
The Lapis Lazuli set. Pendant and earrings in 18K gold with deep blue lapis lazuli and diamond accents. The pendant and earrings together form a strong two-piece set, with the option to add a ring from another collection if a three-piece look is wanted.
The Plain 22K Fan set. Pendant and earrings in pure 22K yellow gold without gemstone setting. The cleanest expression of the fan motif and the closest piece in the range to traditional Peranakan gold jewellery. Particularly suited to wear with kebaya and traditional dress.
The Yellow Sapphire set. Pendant and earrings in 18K yellow and white gold with yellow sapphire centres and diamond accents. The most colour-distinctive set alongside the lapis lazuli, with the yellow sapphire's warm tone complementing both yellow and white gold.
The Mother of Pearl set. Pendant and earrings in 18K rose gold with mother of pearl and diamond accents. The most contemporary-warm set, suited to wearers drawn to rose gold and to the soft luminosity of mother of pearl.
All sets are hallmarked by the Singapore Assay Office under Singapore Standard SS581:2020. View the full range at the Legacy® collection page.
Building Across Gemstones
While the most coherent sets stay within a single gemstone variant, some wearers build across the Fan Series gemstones for a more layered look.
Plain Fan pendant with Mother of Pearl earrings. The plain 22K pendant against the 18K rose gold mother of pearl earrings reads as a deliberate cross-tone combination. The fan motif unifies the pieces while the gold colour contrast adds visual interest.
Lapis Lazuli pendant with plain 22K earrings. The deep blue Lapis pendant with the unset 22K earrings lets the colour piece carry the visual centre while the supporting pieces keep the look balanced.
Golden South Sea Pearl pendant with Yellow Sapphire earrings. Both pieces sit within the 18K family with related warm tones. The pearl pendant and the sapphire earrings work as a complementary pair for occasions where a single-variant set would be too matched.
Cross-gemstone set wear requires confident styling. The single-gemstone sets are the more reliable starting point, with cross-gemstone combinations as an option for wearers already comfortable with the collection.
Sets for Gifting
Coordinated sets work particularly well as gifts because they carry more deliberate meaning than single pieces. A pendant alone is a piece of jewellery; a pendant-and-earrings set is a considered gift.
Anniversary gifts. The Golden South Sea pearl set is a natural choice for a 30th wedding anniversary (pearl is the traditional 30th-anniversary stone). The Lapis Lazuli or plain 22K Fan set works for other anniversary milestones.
Milestone birthday gifts. A coordinated set marks a milestone birthday more meaningfully than a single piece. The Mother of Pearl set works particularly well for a milestone birthday gift, with the rose gold and iridescent stone reading as warm and personal.
Gifts to mark cultural occasions. For Peranakan brides receiving wedding gifts, or for any wearer marking a significant cultural occasion, a coordinated set carries more cultural weight than single pieces. The plain 22K Fan set is the most traditionally-grounded option.
Sets for Brides
Peranakan brides have traditionally received coordinated sets as part of their bridal trousseau. Modern brides often choose to build a set across the wedding ceremony rather than receiving a single complete set.
The Golden South Sea pearl set is particularly suited to bridal use. The pendant works as the centrepiece of the bridal look; the earrings complete the look for the wedding photographs; the ring extends the set for the dinner and reception. The set then continues as everyday fine jewellery after the wedding. For brides also wearing kebaya, the plain 22K Fan set is a strong complement to the kerosang. For more on Peranakan bridal jewellery, see our complete cultural guide.
Investing in a Set Versus Individual Pieces
From a pure investment-in-fine-jewellery standpoint, sets offer two advantages over isolated piece purchasing. First, the per-piece price for a coordinated set is often more favourable than buying the same pieces separately. Second, sets have a natural use case (the formal occasion, the wedding, the major dinner) that justifies the investment in a way that piece-by-piece buying sometimes does not.
Speak with a Poh Heng consultant for set pricing within the Legacy® Fan Series. Visit the Legacy® collection page or your nearest Poh Heng store via the store locator.
Explore the Legacy® Fan Series sets →