Clarence Yee is the co-founder and gemstone specialist at GIOIA Fine Jewellery, the Singapore studio he runs together with his wife and co-founder, Cheryl Woon. He had already spent more than a decade sourcing gemstones before the two of them opened GIOIA in 2016, and the studio has spent the ten years since built around the same idea: choose the stone first, then design around it.
An Eye Trained on Colour
Pigeon blood ruby and royal blue sapphire are graded by laboratories such as GRS and GIA, but that grading happens after a stone has already been chosen. Clarence’s actual work happens before that: looking at rough or uncut material and judging, by eye, whether the colour is likely to earn that top grade. It is a large part of why GIOIA can offer one of the widest selections of certified pigeon blood ruby, royal blue sapphire and Muzo emerald in Singapore. Every stone that reaches a client has already passed his eye once, and a laboratory’s a second time.
Sourcing the Rarest, Unheated Stones
His focus has always been unheated coloured gemstones, stones that reach their colour naturally rather than through heat treatment, which puts them among what he has described as the top fraction of a percent of what the market has to offer. Finding them usually means dealing directly with mines and cutters rather than buying finished parcels, and being willing to walk away from a stone that looks right in a photograph but does not hold up under closer inspection.
Why Some Clients Choose Colour Over Diamond
Clarence has spoken to Singapore Women’s Weekly about why some clients choose a coloured gemstone over a diamond. “Some clients find diamonds to be too mainstream and what most of their friends are getting,” he told the magazine, particularly among couples who want the ring to become a family heirloom rather than a like-for-like purchase.
Beyond the Bench
Outside the studio, Clarence is a father, a regular at the gym, and a fan of Japanese culture. He also still lends a hand at his father’s noodle stall on occasion, which is not really a break from the day job: the same close attention that goes into telling a genuine cornflower blue from an imitation goes into getting a bowl of noodles right too.
Featured & Recognised
GIOIA’s work sourcing and setting rare, unheated coloured gemstones has been covered by SilverKris and CNA Lifestyle, and quoted in Singapore Women’s Weekly. The studio has also been named in Honeycombers’ Best in Singapore Awards and listed among Singapore’s Best Homegrown Jewellers in 2024 and 2025.
Commission With Clarence
If you are working on a coloured gemstone engagement ring or another bespoke commission and want a stone assessed in person, Clarence and Cheryl take every consultation together at GIOIA’s studio in International Plaza. Read about Cheryl’s side of the design process, or get in touch to start your own.