Thicker Than Water
“When people tell me my kids are hardworking, I say: well, why not? Look at me! I’m still running around and doing things. Why wouldn’t they?” — MICHELLE ONG
Getting Michelle Ong and her family together in the same room at the same time is a big task. An acclaimed jewellery designer and gala fixture, not to mention a formidable patron of the arts, Ong has built a reputation that opens doors; all three of her children have inherited their mother’s unyielding gumption and sense of their place in the world, and they lead industrious lives spanning education, business and hospitality.
On the day of the photoshoot, fraternal twins Jennifer and Amanda Cheung, 30, are first to show up. Jennifer, a teacher, is off for Christmas, and Amanda, looking understandably sleep-deprived, comes straight from Pacific Place, where her new restaurant Wellwellwell opened in November to rave reviews. Adrian, the eldest at 32, arrives shortly after, followed by Michelle and her entourage: a personal assistant, her styling team and her business partner, Avi Nagar, who carries a selection of dazzling jewellery designs to embellish the women’s ensembles. David Cheung, Ong’s
