There’s the rarefied world of high jewellery. Then, there’s the rarefied world of art. But Cindy Chao is in a world of her own – her canvas is her wax, and her colour palette, her jewels. There’s a reason why the Asian artist is so recognised and so respected worldwide; and her one-of-a-kind pieces, created under her eponymous brand, CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel, so highly admired and coveted.
Chao attributes her artistic ability to her heritage; growing up in a family of artists – her father was a sculptor and her grandfather, an architect – so it came naturally to her to craft three-dimensional creations, having developed from an early age, an eye for proportion and volume, and perceiving jewellery as art rather than mere adornments. With the hands of sculptor and the mind of an architect, Chao’s pieces embody a magical realism that shows off her technical mastery of precious stones and metalwork.
For Chao, creating her art jewels is as much a labour of love as it is a passion for art. She works very much like a traditional sculptor, and she’s happiest in her studio, working with her hands and surrounded by her wax sculptures which are then turned into masterpieces by her expert craftsmen. She also employs the colour-layering principle seen in oil paintings and has adapted this technique which she dubbed ‘3D-3’ to help her achieve a three-dimensional quality in her creations.
Chao’s signature gem-encrusted, free-flowing three-dimensional jewels are lauded for their originality and bold sculptural quality. The distinctive way in which they reveal a keen and nuanced sense of Chao’s artistry and her commitment to her craft have earned the jeweller accolades and invitations to show her creations at famed art and antique fairs and in world-class museums. Her Annual Butterflies, in particular, are the highest expression of her work as a jewellery artist, and so highly sought after that her collectors reserve the pieces in advance, with a waitlist until 2028.
This year, as CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel celebrates its 20th anniversary, it is her other signature motifs that get a share of the spotlight. Unveiled under a special collection themed ‘The Rhythm of Life’, which is on show from May 3 to 14 at the brand’s Hong Kong maison in Central, the 20th Anniversary Collection focuses on the leaf and the dragonfly.
Moreover, known for creating some of the most stunning brooches worn by A-list celebrities on red-carpet events, Chao has chosen to exhibit only brooches in her 20th Anniversary Exhibition, partly because she perceives her brooches as equal parts architecture and design. The captivating “brooch exhibition”, with the exquisite leaf and dragonfly creations displayed alongside a few of Chao’s most treasured Black Label Masterpieces, is a profound testament to Chao’s extraordinary vision and determination to transcend boundaries over two decades. Art Jewel is a phrase Chao coined for her masterpieces, and describes the aesthetic finesse and meticulous craftsmanship in her work that’s truly unrivalled.
Chao’s brooches carrying the leaf motif come from her Four Seasons collection. The form of a leaf, according to Chao, allows her to tell the story of ever-changing seasons and the cyclical rhythm of life. To create this naturalistic motif, Chao worked with 12 European master craftsmen to forge the organic forms of leaves and complete them with three-dimensional gem setting. The wrinkles, gradients of light and shadow, and colour transitions on the leaves are achieved only by Chao’s extremely high spatial sensibility and sculptural skills.
Titanium is one of the toughest metals in the world, making its metalworking and subsequent gem setting extremely difficult. Chao’s relentless pursuit of perfection in her work demonstrates how she is undaunted by using the hardest material to create the softest curvatures. According to Chao, creating a piece in titanium may take up to five times longer than in gold, but titanium can effectively reduce a jewel’s weight, which is key for her creations. Each Leaf Brooch is set with around 1,500 gemstones on a titanium base of just 1.77mm. Despite the intricacy of the pieces, the average weight of each brooch is merely 22g, mimicking the lightness of a real leaf.
While the leaf motif shows off Chao’s artistic narrative of seasons changing, dragonflies are a major inspiration in Art Nouveau and prized for their ethereal beauty and delicate fragility – its gossamer-thin veined wings however, can propel dragonflies in the sky up to 100 kilometres per hour.
And its the wings of each Dragonfly Brooch in the 20th Anniversary Collection that are particularly spectacular. Chao “paints” the brooches with at least 13 different gemstones in over 50 various hues. A mix of titanium, gold, ox horn, and light-activated resin employed in this collection means numerous evaluations of their respective characteristics. Their precise joints and tenon structures exemplify engineering techniques at their best and is a true testament to Chao’s effort to perpetually strive for excellence.
Chao’s 20th Anniversary collection showcases her 20-year exploration to break the boundaries between jewellery and art. Her pieces continuously set records at prestigious auctions and her creations have been inducted into three of the most esteemed museums in the world, solidifying CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel’s status as a “museum-calibre” brand.
Hong Kong Maison (By Appointment Only)
Address: 50 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong
Tel. : +852 2561 8298
This is where you can read stories from all PrestigeOnline editions, as well as our sister titles Lifestyle Asia, Augustman, and Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest updates.
Thank you for your subscription.
