Vietnam’s Ngọc Thẩm Jewelry has been part of the Mekong Delta for more than three decades. Founded in 1989, the family-owned business has built a reputation across three generations, marking engagements, milestones, and celebrations for families across Southern Vietnam.
As the company entered its third generation of ownership, it undertook an expansion rooted in manufacturing innovation, technological advancement, and a strengthened retail system. As part of that transition, Ngọc Thẩm Jewelry engaged M — N Associates to lead a comprehensive rebrand.
The strategic partnership — now in its fifth year — has encompassed brand strategy, visual identity systems, custom typography, photography, art direction, illustration, product branding, packaging, website development, spatial experience, furniture and interior design, visual merchandising, art collaborations, product films and cinematography, uniforms, stationery, digital omnichannel management, and database development.
The work positions Ngọc Thẩm as what M — N Associates describes as a “Mekong Icon” — a brand identity grounded in heritage, creation, and distinction, and oriented toward national expansion and global cultural relevance.
The new visual identity is designed to connect the brand’s history and craftsmanship with its technical advancement and future direction.
“Positioned for national expansion and global cultural relevance, Ngọc Thẩm demonstrates that true luxury is not invented. It is inherited, structured, and elevated,” said the agency.
Logo
We traced back to the brand’s earliest storefront signage and used it as the foundation for a refined logo system. Rather than replacing history, we reconstructed it,” said M — N Associates.
Type Family
NTJ Type System is built on two complementary families, NTJ Display and NTJ Sans, crafted to express culturally sophisticated luxury with contemporary clarity. The development of the type system was created in close collaboration with Trà-Giang Nguyễn (Gydient), ensuring both conceptual depth and technical precision.
Icons
The icon system translates NTJ’s craftsmanship into the digital space, built on the same geometric precision as the logo and typography.
“Balancing structure and subtle curves, it ensures clarity and consistency across retail, digital, and omnichannel platforms, supporting the brand’s seamless evolution from craft to connected experience,” said the agency.
Packaging
The packaging system is inspired by the iconic rounded plastic box, long used by Mekong families to store gold. Rather than distancing from this familiar object, we elevated it, said M — N Associates.
Photography
Photography became a vital brand asset in shaping NTJ’s visual identity. The agency collaborated with creative teams to build an extensive media library that elevates product presentation across all touchpoints.
Retail Experience
The retail experience was designed as a holistic brand environment, from human interaction to spatial identity. We developed a modern uniform system featuring a subtle reinterpretation of the crossed short tie, finished with the NTJ pin as a refined brand signature.
“In collaboration with architectural teams, we led the design direction for two flagship stores in Cần Thơ and Mỹ Tho, establishing a new retail benchmark for NTJ,” said M — N Associates.
“The circular silhouette of the iconic gold-saving box became the master design principle, shaping display corners, spatial flow, and custom furniture details throughout the stores.”
Credits
Client: Ngọc Thẩm Jewelry (NTJ)
Branding Firm: M — N Associates
Executive Creative Director: Duy — N
Project Manager: M — Lan
Design Director: Quân Nguyễn
Designer: Ngân Huỳnh, Đức Ngô, Bảo Trương, Vy Lê, Phúc Trần, Anh Nguyễn, An Phạm, Khánh Trần
Junior Project Manager: Thảo Nguyễn
Typography under Type Associates
Type Concept: Duy — N & Ngân Huỳnh
Type Designer: Gydient Nguyễn
Jewelry Photography: Wing Chan
Jewelry Retoucher: An Nguyễn
Brand Images provided by NTJ
Website
Design: Duy — N, Anh Nguyen
Developer: Khôi Nguyễn
Uniform
Uniform Concept: Duy — N
Fashion Designer: Phi Pham
Brand film
Director: Khánh Nguyễn (The Red Team), Duy — N
Factory Cinematography: Lâm Uy Huỳnh
Producer: Khánh-Tùng Vũ
Creative Director: Phan Linh, Duy — N
Model: Trâm Anh, Công Toàn
