Children and child’s play are not forgotten by French jeweler Roger Lebenstein, who has put together a 32-carat diamond puzzle pendant fit for the “king’s kids” that rests on the palm nicely. Children of lesser means but good taste have a wide choice of other pendants, charm bracelets and brooches which feature tiny rocking horses, ducks, bassets and bumblebees.

            The puzzle pendant, a “game for the king’s kids,” is square with an assortment of white-, canary- and fancy- diamonds. It took 400 hours to finish, the gold setting in the back as intricate as the work required for the front.

            “We sell quality, originality and uniqueness,” said Lebenstein, speaking through an interpreter. “You cannot find this kind of thing anywhere.”

            Lebenstein’s name is good in Japan, he says, quoting the Japanese as saying that his jewelry is “as good as Cartier.” Maple leaves in 18-karat gold that curl up at the edges and wetted by a diamond dew drop, heads of horses, unicorns and nocturnal animals that rise from the flatness of rings, and flowery jewelry belong to Roger Lebenstein.

            People basically like nature, animals and flowers, he said in an interview in Hong Kong. The animals are strong: the horse with combed mane, the proud tiger and the gentle and intelligent dolphin. The flowers are small and appear real, inviting touch and smell.

            Half of Lebenstein’s works are done in casting, and the other half are handmade. He says he designs for “so many women” and for no particular age range, which is why children (and young women!) will like his warm miniature animals.

            Hong Kong is Lebenstein’s most difficult market, he admits, citing lower manufacturing costs in the British colony. “But we’re doing quality in Paris,” he said. His price ranges are from 1,000 U.S. dollars to 200,000 U.S. dollars.