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Tesiro has been a Berlinale partner since 2009 and has created the Shooting Stars award since then. So what drives this unusual intercontinental collaboration?

In 2015, you don’t have to be an expert on economics to know that the luxury goods industry is firing on all cylinders, or that China is one of the most dynamic markets in the world right now. Which is all good news for Tesiro, the high-end jewellery brand that is famous in its native China for its diamond and jade designs.

Carey Mulligan (Shooting Stars 2009) wearing TESIRO

Outside of China, you’d be forgiven for not realising just how big a brand Tesiro is. Founded by Mr Richard Shen in 1997 and headquartered in Nanjing, eastern China, Tesiro has now opened nearly 400 franchised stores in cities across the country – including, of course, Beijing and Shanghai. In 2006, Tesiro attracted significant investment from Eurostar Diamond Traders (EDT), the leading diamond-cutting trader from Antwerp, Belgium.

Tesiro began its partnership with the Berlinale in 2009, providing its signature Starlet jewellery to international stars attending the festival, including Ziyi Zhang, Uma Thurman, Andie MacDowell, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Chastain and Shooting Stars such as Carey Mulligan, Andrea Riseborough and Alicia Vikander. In 2014, Tesiro expanded its association, becoming a principal partner in a three-year deal extending to 2016.

Although famous in China for its patented, exclusive and award-winning Blue Flame diamond, Tesiro remains connected to its Chinese roots via its association with another precious jewel: jade. Mr Ma Chongren, respectfully called “King of Jade” in the jade industry, serves as chief expert of Tesiro’s Jade For Future Generations brand. Jade has been mined in China since 6000BC.

Richard Shen has postgraduate qualifications in business and business administration from Nanjing University, Macau University of Science and Technology and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He has been the supervisor of graduate students at Nanjing University, and is the author of Organizational Intelligence: The Rise-and-Fall Secrets of 21st Century Enterprises. It’s hard to think of many western entrepreneurs that share similarly strong links to the world of academia and publishing.

Asked just how typical in China its partnership with the Berlinale and Shooting Stars is, Tesiro commented. “We have to admit that there haven’t been many Chinese fashion brands engaging in such high-profile events abroad yet. But with the acceleration in globalization, we believe there will be many more Chinese brands or joint ventures finding their way to going abroad and getting involved in high-profile projects, just as Tesiro has long been doing.”