Jeweller Wallace Chan raises HK$17m at auction of butterfly pieces

Eight pieces of jewellery created by Wallace Chan raised HK$17 million at Beijing-based Poly Auction's inaugural Hong Kong sales.

The collection, inspired by the changing nature of butterflies, was called "Metamorphosis". Some of the pieces were on display at the 26th Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris two months ago.

The jeweller often gained inspiration through meditation, he said at the event on Saturday at the Grand Hyatt hotel.

"Through meditation, my heart and the world go quiet, my self-awareness fades, and the freedom of ideas leads me to the font of inspiration," he said.

A total of 200 items, including modern paintings, calligraphy and jewellery, were auctioned at the event. Among them were works by artists Chang Dai-chien and Chu Teh-chun.

At a gala dinner after the auction, attended by socialites and celebrities including Cally Kwong Mei-wan and Hsieh Ling-ling, Chan donated a butterfly brooch called The Smile of Spring to be auctioned in aid of the Nature Conservancy. "They inspire me with their colours, light, transparency, reflection and crystal structure, and tempt me to unravel the stories locked inside them," he said.