Jamie Chua cried for 4 days after losing her $30,000 Cartier earring

Singaporeans might be familiar with socialite Jamie Chua for having one of the world's largest collections of Hermes handbags, but did you know about her love for jewellery as well?

Showing off her extensive collection of baubles in a recent video, Chua revealed that she cried for days after losing her $30,000 Cartier earring — that's one side of a pair. Who wouldn't?

In a vlog of her jewellery collection uploaded on YouTube last week, the former Singapore Airlines stewardess shared how she realised one side of her earrings was missing after returning from an event at a club.

"They searched the whole place and they did not manage to find it. That was really painful and I actually cried for four days," she recounted of the incident that happened a year and a half ago.

The earring was a limited edition item too, which meant that it had to be specially ordered.

Chua pondered over splashing another $30,000 to have the lost earring remade but eventually caved so that she could "make them a pair again". She had to wait six to eight months before it was ready, flying to Paris earlier this year to collect the mini Panthere earring she's nicknamed Pika. 

As a gesture probably extended only to their VIPs, Cartier engraved her name on the jewellery box, "which made me feel a little bit better after blowing $30,000," Chua quipped. For safekeeping however, the earrings have never left the house since.

While it was a traumatic experience for her to lose something that valuable, she confessed that it was not her first time, having lost an emerald bracelet at an event many years ago. That too, was never found.

Chua has also cried over jewellery in other ways.

When she was in her mid-twenties, she recounted coming across a Van Cleef & Arpels Envol butterfly ring sitting in a showcase and cried because she could not afford it.

"It was love at first sight and I told myself that if I ever become successful one day, this would be the first jewellery piece that I want to buy for myself," she said. And she did!

Even though her jewellery collection might seem a tad luxurious, one may be surprised to know that not everything she owns is high-end. Chua showed off a chunky gold choker from ASOS, which "probably costs around 20 pounds (S$35)".

"I like it a lot because it is very gold, very bold and the most important thing is that it is not heavy," she shared.

Guess it's good to know that Chua still has stuff that regular folks like us can afford. 

ALSO READ: Jamie Chua introduces her collection of luxury pink bags, including a 'useless' one that costs $12,500

trining@asiaone.com