As beautiful and miraculous as natural gemstones are, their true potential can only be discovered once they are in the hands of visionary designers, and those visions expressed through the intricate craftsmanship of seasoned artisans.
Transforming these precious treasures into expressive works of high jewellery requires unparalleled talent and a profound respect for the stones that our planet has to offer. Now, celebrating 20 years of paying homage to the intricacies and beauty of the natural world, Taiwanese jeweller Cindy Chao’s vision and craftsmanship are again amplifying the beauty of rare gems.
Over those years, using diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, among other gems, Chao has crafted her coveted Black Label Masterpieces and White Label Collection. Private collectors and world-leading museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, have propelled the sale of these creations at auction to record heights.
Chao’s way of capturing nature’s most vulnerable and fleeting moments using precious stones speaks to only one facet of the designer’s talents. Hailing from a family with a history in design and the arts – Chao’s grandfather was an architect, and her father a sculptor – Chao manipulates proportions and dimensions to enhance light and shadow, accentuating the natural beauty of any gem that finds its way into her.
Chao’s ability to translate her design vision into reality through impeccable craftsmanship sets her creations apart. The designer has devoted many thousands of hours to her art, from inception and creating prototypes, to sourcing rare gems and setting them intricately in titanium.
Tapping into the lost technique of wax sculpting that first became prevalent in jewel-making in the 18th century, every detail of her organic, sculptural and architectural designs is meticulously made by hand. The malleability of these wax prototypes allows Chao the freedom to manipulate the placement of gemstones before they’re set in titanium.
Chao leads her team of 12 master artisans in transforming the titanium, a most unusual material in high jewellery, into commanding works of jewelled art. With a melting point of 1,668 degrees Celsius, titanium is much more challenging to work with than traditional metals used in high jewellery making, such as gold or platinum. Chao’s dedication to forging one of the world’s strongest metals into soft and delicate pieces has led her to create some of her most iconic creations.
Bringing together materials as diverse as ox horn, wood, light-activated resin and cold enamel, Chao’s creations pose technical challenges while allowing her artisans to elicit different sensations and emotions. Now, as part of her 20th anniversary collection, these exquisite techniques have been used to create the Four Seasons Leaf and Dragonfly series of brooches.
The Four Seasons Leaf brooches are a snapshot of time, with each piece depicting foliage through the seasons. Anodised titanium is forged into coloured stems in varying shades, while leaves are reimagined with white and yellow diamonds and emeralds.
The same dedication to refinement is expressed in the Dragonfly brooches, a design Chao dedicated to her own soaring journey as a jewellery designer. The dainty insect is ideal for an intricate treatment in titanium, anodised into the joints that support the diamonds and sapphires fused together to form wings.