Editor’s Note
This article explores the growing influence of Asian jewelry designers in Western markets, highlighting how a new generation of female creators is successfully blending artistry, innovation, and strategic marketing to build their global presence.
Once observed from afar in Europe, Asian creation is increasingly making its way to the West, driven by a new generation of female jewelers. Their success often relies on a fruitful combination of art, innovation, and marketing.
Born in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Singapore, these jewelers are bringing an Eastern breeze to the sector. This creative momentum is led by the multifaceted artist Wallace Chan. A sculptor at age 16 in 1973, before excelling in the art of cameo and intaglio, he has gained recognition from collectors worldwide for several years. In September 2023, for the fifth time in less than ten years, Christie’s dedicated a London exhibition to him, featuring 155 of his pieces. Before being celebrated this year at the Shanghai Museum East in a retrospective—a first for a living artist.
In his wake, new Asian brands have emerged, from Michelle Ong in the 1990s, to Cindy Chao and Anna Hu the following decade, and more recently Feng J, Christine Chen, and Chong Ho. Independent and eager to establish their legitimacy in the international market, they elevate jewelry to the rank of art, where the piece becomes a museum artifact. To the point of including the word ‘art’ in the name of their houses—no Western creator feels such a need. This likely reflects a more or less claimed lineage with one of the most famous contemporary jewelers, Joel Arthur Rosenthal, known as JAR. An American based at Place Vendôme in the late 1980s, he revolutionized high jewelry, with each of his pieces considered a work of art.
But the time of imitating Victoire de Castellane, Cartier, or JAR, to name a few, is past. The new creation now displays its own identity, drawing from Asia’s millennial culture and its symbol-rich themes. Traditional motifs such as dragon and butterfly, ginkgo and lotus leaf, chrysanthemum, peony, protective gourd, and longevity ring are legion. As for jadeite—since Michelle Obama wore a Dickson Yewn ring in 2011—its appeal continues to rise. Beyond a very thoughtful relationship with nature, spirituality and energy also characterize these creations. Art is regularly cited as a source of inspiration, from the celestial creatures of the Dunhuang caves for Anna Hu, to the Sancai porcelain of the Tang dynasty for Michelle Ong. Thanks to an architect grandfather and a sculptor father, Cindy Chao develops a very personal relationship with light and volume.
A great connoisseur of Southeast Asia where she developed new markets for Van Cleef & Arpels, Elise Gonnet-Pon analyzes the female predominance that characterizes Asian high jewelry.
Strong women who strive to build bridges between East and West, including France. Being recognized there alongside the great jewelers is a major step to consolidate their legitimacy. A quest for status more than for new markets. Michelle Ong, decorated earlier this year with the insignia of Knight in the National Order of the Legion of Honour, named her brand “Carnet,” a French word. Edmond Chin named his “Etcetera.” Anna Hu wrote her thesis on “the transformation from Art Nouveau to Art Deco in French jewelry,” while Feng J studied at the Haute Ecole de Joaillerie. Celeste Wu, for her part, lived in the capital for a long time.
