Shanghai-born Chinese designer Octavia Yang draws inspiration from her Chinese cultural background in jewelry design, combining and contrasting between the traditional and the modern. Photo provided to China Daily

Octavia Yang is not someone you would expect to be the "Lady Gaga-style designer", as described by the European media. Yang is cheerful and humble, personal traits that differ from her jewelry, known to be bold and funky.

The first Chinese to win the Swarovski Elements Jewelry Award of International Talent Support, an international acknowledgment for young talents, Yang is probably one of the best prepared young designers to start on her own.

After honing her skills at Dior and Alexander McQueen in London and Swarovski in Austria, Yang, 27, founded her own label O.Yang in London last year.

While jewelry design is still a nascent industry in China, the Shanghai native has taken the lead in trying to combine Chinese elements and contemporary design in ingenious ways.

"I've learned everything that I should, from designing to sourcing. And the timing is just right with all the attention on Chinese designers," Yang said a few days before her show in Shanghai.

Two of her collections—Kou and Classic in Joinery—were selected as a part of the World Jewelry Facets 2014, sponsored by Swarovski in Shanghai on July 30.