The fan is one of the oldest decorative forms in Asian material culture. For more than two millennia it has carried meanings of grace, refinement, status, and movement across Chinese, Japanese, and Peranakan traditions. The Poh Heng Legacy® Fan Series is the brand's contemporary translation of that long-running symbol into fine jewellery. This is the design story behind the motif, the cultural lineage it draws from, and why the fan has emerged as the defining silhouette of Poh Heng's modern Peranakan heritage collection.
The Fan as Cultural Symbol Across Asia
The folding fan has long sat at the intersection of function and meaning. In China, the fan (扇) appears in classical poetry, scholar's portraits, and imperial gift traditions stretching back to the Han dynasty. It signalled refinement, education, and a particular kind of poised composure. A scholar's fan carried inscriptions, paintings, and personal seals; a lady's fan signalled status through its materials and ornamentation.
In Japan, the folding fan, or sensu, became an art form in its own right. Origami, the broader Japanese tradition of paper folding, is built on the same underlying logic of precision, geometry, and the careful transformation of flat material into structured beauty. The Japanese folding fan was also exported across Asia from the Heian period onwards, contributing to the visual vocabulary of fan design throughout the region.
In Peranakan culture, the kipas, the Malay-Peranakan term for a fan, was a standard accessory of formal Nyonya dress. Fans were carried at family ceremonies, weddings, and major cultural events. The fan was practical in Singapore's climate, of course, but it also carried symbolic weight: a poised, deliberate object that signalled cultural belonging and family standing.
What makes the fan motif particularly interesting in a Peranakan context is exactly this layered history. It is a Chinese symbol, a Japanese craft form, and a Peranakan accessory all at once. Few jewellery motifs sit so naturally at the intersection of multiple Asian heritage traditions.
From Paper Fold to Precious Metal: The Design Challenge
Translating a fan from its original material into gold is not a straightforward exercise. A paper fan derives its visual character from the precision of its folds, the way light catches the alternating ridges and valleys, and the sense of structure emerging from flatness. Capturing that quality in metal requires more than just cutting a fan shape into gold.
The Legacy® Fan Series approaches the challenge through a sculptural interpretation of the fold itself. Rather than depicting a flat fan silhouette, the pieces are designed around the visual logic of the origami fold. The result is a piece that catches light differently from different angles, much like a real folded fan does, and that carries the structural sense of precision that defines both Japanese paper craft and high-quality goldsmithing.
The fold geometry. Each piece uses careful angular geometry that references the radial structure of a folding fan without literally copying it. The visual rhythm of the folds creates an interplay between light and shadow that is part of what gives the pieces their distinctive presence on the wearer.
The metalwork precision. The translation of fold geometry into precious metal demands tight tolerances. Edges must be clean, angles consistent, and surfaces evenly finished. This is the kind of structural metalwork that benefits from the brand's seventy-seven-year accumulated craft expertise.
The proportion logic. The pieces in the Fan Series are deliberately proportioned for both standalone wear and coordinated set wear. The pendant, earrings, and ring within the same gemstone family share a visual logic that allows them to be worn individually or as a complete set without competing for visual attention.
The Fan Motif in Traditional Peranakan Jewellery
The fan has appeared in Peranakan jewellery for as long as the tradition itself. Early Nyonya pendants and brooches frequently incorporated stylised fan forms, sometimes as the central motif and sometimes as one element within a larger floral or auspicious composition. The motif sat alongside the peony, phoenix, and butterfly as one of the standard vocabulary items in Peranakan motif design. (For a broader treatment of Peranakan motifs, see our guide to Peranakan jewellery motifs.)
What is distinctive about the Legacy® Fan Series is that it lifts the fan motif out of its traditional supporting role and makes it the central design language of an entire collection. This is the first time Poh Heng has built a complete heritage line around a single motif at this scale, and the choice reflects both the cultural depth of the fan as a symbol and its visual potential as a contemporary jewellery silhouette.
The Poh Heng Legacy® Fan Series: Reinterpreting the Motif Today
The Legacy® Fan Series brings the fan motif into a contemporary Peranakan heritage line designed for modern wear. The collection covers eleven pieces across the four hero gemstones, in 22K and 18K gold across yellow, white, and rose colourways.
A few design principles guide the collection.
Wearability for daily life, not just ceremony. Traditional Peranakan jewellery often functioned as ceremonial dress, worn at major occasions and stored between them. The Fan Series is designed for a modern Peranakan wearer who wants to honour the heritage in everyday wear, not just at family weddings. Pieces are scaled and finished to pair with both kebaya and contemporary outfits.
Coordinated sets across pendant, earrings, and ring. Each gemstone variant has been designed to work as a coordinated set. A wearer can build a complete look across pendant, earrings, and ring, with the pieces sharing a visual logic that holds together without becoming matchy. The set-building aesthetic continues a long Peranakan tradition of jewellery worn in coordinated multiples.
Gemstone choices that honour the Peranakan palette. The four hero gemstones in the Fan Series — Lapis Lazuli, Golden South Sea Pearl, Yellow Sapphire, and Mother of Pearl — each connect to a strand of Peranakan jewellery tradition. The Golden South Sea pearl draws on the historical Peranakan love of large pearls; the Yellow Sapphire reflects a Peranakan preference for coloured gemstone surrounds; the Mother of Pearl carries forward the iridescent finish associated with traditional inlay work; and the Lapis Lazuli brings a deep blue colour that connects the collection to broader Asian decorative traditions.
Inside the Fan Series Range
The Fan Series consists of eleven pieces across four gemstone families, designed for women.
The Lapis Lazuli pieces. Pendant and matching earrings in 18K yellow gold with deep blue lapis lazuli, accented with diamonds. The lapis lazuli provides a deep, saturated colour that complements yellow gold beautifully.
The plain Fan pieces. The pendant and earring set in pure 22K yellow gold, without gemstone setting. These are the most direct expression of the fan motif and connect most closely to the traditional Peranakan gold piece.
The Golden South Sea Pearl pieces. A pendant, earrings, and ring in 18K gold with 9-10mm Golden South Sea pearls from Japan, accented with diamonds. The largest pearls in the collection and the most formal-occasion oriented set.
The Yellow Sapphire pieces. Pendant and earrings in 18K yellow and white gold with yellow sapphire centres and diamond accents. The yellow sapphire carries auspicious associations in several South Asian cultural traditions, broadening the audience for the piece.
The Mother of Pearl pieces. Pendant and earrings in 18K rose gold with mother of pearl inlay and diamond accents. The rose gold provides a softer, more contemporary warmth, while the mother of pearl gives the pieces their characteristic iridescence.
Pairing and Wearing Fan Motif Pieces
The Fan Series is designed to be wearable across a wide range of contexts. The pieces work in several pairing modes.
As a complete set. The strongest expression of the design is the full set: pendant, earrings, and (where available) ring in the same gemstone family. This is the most formal mode and the one that most directly continues the Peranakan tradition of coordinated jewellery wear.
With other Peranakan-style pieces. A Fan Series pendant pairs well with traditional Peranakan earrings, bangles, or other heritage pieces. The fan motif holds its own without overpowering other motifs.
With contemporary fine jewellery. A single Fan Series piece can also be worn alone with otherwise modern jewellery. The pendant with a tailored blouse and minimal earrings, for instance, lets the fan piece serve as the visual focus.
With kebaya and formal dress. The collection has been designed with kebaya pairing in mind. The Fan pendant and matching earrings work especially well with traditional kebaya nyonya for cultural occasions, weddings, and family events.
A Signature That Will Last
Heritage collections succeed when they connect a meaningful cultural symbol to contemporary craft and contemporary wearability. The Legacy® Fan Series sits at exactly that intersection: a motif with two millennia of cultural depth, translated into pieces that work in 2026 Singapore.
The fan motif is unlikely to date. It does not chase a trend; it carries forward a symbol that has held meaning across many generations of Asian material culture. A Fan Series piece bought today will continue to read as both contemporary and heritage-rooted for the decades ahead.
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