Wallace Chan, Cindy Chao and Michelle Ong have drawn international attention with their museum-worthy designs
The three jewellers have museum-worthy designs
For Agatha Tam, it was love at first sight. "I first discovered Wallace Chan's work eight years ago at a Hong Kong jewellery fair. I was there to buy vintage Cartier and Chanel fine jewellery," recalls the former CEO of an American architectural firm.
"We stopped to watch a fashion show and were captivated by the design, colours and movement of the butterfly jewellery on the models. It was a magical moment. These butterflies looked alive in the glassy space of the convention centre, as if they were spending a sunny afternoon in a fancy solarium."
The jewels sold out before Tam had a chance to buy any, but she became friends with Chan and started collecting. Her first purchase was a single earring that told a story about a bumblebee in love. She has amassed nine jewellery pieces, including her diamond wedding ring, and three objets d'art.
"I just love the poetry, mastery and movement of Wallace's work," she says. "You can feel his happiness [in the pieces]."
Tam is such a believer that she became CEO of Chan's jewellery business so he could immerse himself totally in his craft.
Chan is one of three gifted artistic jewellers to emerge from Asia over the past decade or so, with designs sought by collectors around the world. There is also Taiwan-born and New York-based Cindy Chao, who launched her business in Taiwan in 2004, while Michelle Ong of Carnet has been designing and making high jewellery since the late 1980s.
Their pieces are viewed by collectors and designers as works of art worthy of display, rather than mere bejewelled adornments to an outfit, making the creation process more complex.
Chao's designs are celebrated for their exquisite craftsmanship and quality. In 2008, she launched her iconic line of annual butterfly-themed masterpieces. Her 2009 creation, the Royal Butterfly brooch, was inducted by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in the United States for its use of gemstones and breakthrough in craftsmanship.