[Sponsored Article] The contemporary high jewellery artist continues her reinterpretation of Art Nouveau styles with extraordinary sculptural jewels collected by connoisseurs the world over. A “Nouveau New” direction Like great artists of the times, Cindy Chao is not afraid to push boundaries. In fact, the founder and creator of her eponymous CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel has been breaking traditions and blazing new trials since setting up her atelier in 2004. A third-generation artist who hailed from Asia, she has often been associated with the short-lived Art Nouveau movement (c. 1890-1910), which had a lasting impact on every art form. One of the greatest triumphs from that era is jewellery, focusing on naturalism and the pursuit of sensation. With her family background informing her artistic approach, Chao finds plenty of inspiration in the works of renowned Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, whose organic, Art Nouveau style her glamorous art jewels echo. Gaudi famously said: “Nothing is art if it does not come from nature. Everything comes from the great book of nature.” Taking the decorative Art Nouveau design trend one step further, Chao infuses her hand-crafted high jewellery pieces with vibrant life forms and a three-dimensional structure, creating her inimitable “Nouveau New” style for the 21st century. The dragonfly transformed A symbol of Art Nouveau, the delicate dragonfly with its iridescent wings has fascinated humankind for centuries and provided a constant source of inspiration to jewellers. The enduring symbolism of the dragonfly reflects its agile movements, selfrealisation and transformation. That’s no wonder as this ancient creature has roamed the earth for over 300 million years compared to man’s mere 2.8 million years. In Chao’s hands, it has transformed into the one-of-a-kind sculpted and architectural Black Label Masterpiece. Part of the Dragonfly Collection, this exquisite Dragonfly Brooch forged in titanium and 18K white gold features a vibrant colour palette of greens and blues punctuated with dazzling white. Two Columbian emeralds, weighing over 33 carats, perched on the tips of the wings and set the scene for the dance of colours which evolves into the blues and gradations of greens towards the centre. The different shapes, sizes and colours of the diamonds, sapphires, tsavorites, colour-changing garnets, greyish green sapphires, alexandrites and demantoids side stones evoke the unique patterns of each gently furled wing. They also play in stark contrast to the central veins in brown enamel, amplifying the visual tension of the brooch. Chao starts by imagining and conceiving the brooch and all Black Label Masterpieces, in three dimensions to achieve this feat. Using the 18th-century art of wax sculpting, she injects tension, drama and emotion to the waxes, bestowing a unique “soul” to each one that puts her jewels in a league of their own. The leaves of fall Another fantastical interpretation of nature is the Foliage Earrings from the award-winning Four Seasons collection. An illustration of Chao’s gift for sculpting life and fragility into her jewels, the 2021 Black Label Masterpiece V is inspired by autumn. The curling leaves with dynamic wrinkles dazzle with eight oval-shaped diamonds weighing over 10 carats and more than 3,000 diamonds and yellow diamonds, signifying their development from autumn to winter. The main stem is crafted from light-activated resin, providing an exciting and innovative material contrast to the titanium and 18K white gold to accomplish the texture, colours, organic essence and story behind these falling leaves. Museum calibre collectibles and award-winning jewels Chao’s creations have been inducted into three of the most prestigious Museums in the world: The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. In the short span of time since the inception of her brand, her contemporary artworks have claimed their place in history alongside the mythical crown jewels from European royal courts and those of century old historic jewellers. Since Chao’s debut at the prestigious Masterpiece London in 2018, she has won successive awards for the Peony Brooch that year, the Winter Leaves Necklace in 2019 and the Star Sapphire Brooch in 2021. The Masterpiece Vetting Committee described the Winter Leaves Necklace as the “Best Jewellery Piece of the Fair”, reflecting scholarship, rarity, and connoisseurship of the jewellery industry. Today, Chao can rightfully take her place among the greatest jewellery artists and her artworks their place in the collections of art connoisseurs in search of the rare and unique.