The art of small things
CINDY CHAO’S TIMELESS JEWELLERY CREATIONS CARRY ON THE LEGACY OF HER ARTISTIC ANCESTORS
Cindy Chao couldn’t follow her grandfather’s and father’s footsteps because her mother insisted that there would be no more architects and sculptors in the family.
Nevertheless, the DNA of an architectural mindset and sculptural savoir-faire give her a flair for artistic jewellery making that has resulted in museum pieces.
The Taiwanese jewellery artist was recently in Paris, for the induction of the Ruby Butterfly Brooch by Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD). Depicting a butterfly that has just emerged from its cocoon, this masterpiece features a pair of bold non-heated baroque Burmese rubies surrounded by bright fancy coloured diamonds and colour-changing sapphires.
Created in 2008, it’s the first of the Annual Butterfly series. The Royal Butterfly Brooch, created in the following year, was previously inducted into the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History.
“I was going through difficult times when I created the annual butterfly. At that time, I thought I couldn’t survive long as a jewellery artist,” she recalled. “Butterflies are beautiful, fragile and they live so short. Reflecting on that, I wanted to do something I really enjoyed, rather than for commercial purpose, to fulfil my passion as an artist.”
She founded her eponymous brand, Cindy Chao The Art Jewel, in 2004. During the first 10 years she recalled struggling as a nobody in an industry dominated by Western jewellery houses.
“When I started, I didn’t expect that we would come this far. But no matter the circumstances, we never gave up,” she said. “In recent years, our works have been recognised with international awards, boosting confidence that we’re doing the right thing. The first 15 years was about survival, but the next 15 years will wholly be about jewellery creations.”
Every piece of her fine jewellery is a miniature work of art, and she uses the classic 18th century artisan technique of crafting design in wax (La Cire Perdue) before completing the intricate sculptures with precious metal and gemstones.
As her father’s first apprentice, Chao learned from him the various techniques and skills of sculpting that eventually helped her develop her unique style.
“I do it the other way round, starting with the 3D wax sculpture then the sketches. This differs our creations from others,” she said. “Furthermore, we are more innovative in using materials, such as titanium and aluminium, and in shapes and forms that you don’t see much in traditional jewellery-making.”
Her grandfather was a distinguished architect, who designed hundreds of temples across Taiwan, many of which are now considered national monuments. Under his guidance, she learned to see the world in a three-dimensional way, now expressed in the 360-degree works of art under the Black Label Masterpieces range and the White Label collection.
By invitation, you can exclusively view the pieces in showrooms, as Cindy Chao The Art Jewel doesn’t operate any retail stores.
“I recently read an article, comparing independent jewellers with big jewellery houses,” she said. “It noted how the big brands have opened stores in cities around the world whereas jewellery artists don’t have any stores. So you need to make an effort, to make an appointment to see the limited production of pieces. Nowadays, people wanting something very particular, specific and one of a kind pieces will come to a brand like us.” An exclusive private viewing of the new annual butterfly, “The Aurora Butterfly Brooch” and other Black Label masterpieces was recently organised in Bangkok at Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. The 2019 version is named Aurora as the butterfly’s main colours are two strong contrasting colours: red and blue, rarely seen together, just like red and blue northern lights.