Cindy Chao’s living jewels capture the pulse of nature

Masterpieces that take time to bloom

In recent years, driven by her relentless pursuit of craftsmanship and perfection, each Black Label Masterpiece is a feat of extraordinary artistry. In 2025, only two were completed, underscoring their rarity and reverence.

One of them, Roots of Genesis, stands as a triumph of both engineering and emotion. In this masterful composition, white diamonds and emeralds—each with vastly different physical properties—are brought together in delicate harmony: the former, exceptionally hard and brilliant; the latter, sensitive and fragile. Their contrast becomes a metaphor for life itself, expressed through a design that balances technical precision with poetic nuance.

This interplay of opposites extends into Chao’s chromatic language. She conveys the essence of renewal through a refined dual-toned palette: white for the passing of life, green for rebirth—an homage to nature’s cyclical rhythm. To achieve visual harmony and depth, over twenty shades of emeralds and tsavorites were meticulously selected and paired with large-carat, high-clarity white diamonds, all set within an intricately multi-layered structure that enhances both movement and light.

Through countless gemstone trials and precise adjustments of setting angles, Chao and her team achieved a delicate equilibrium of colour, light, and movement. Mounted on a resilient titanium framework with a sophisticated openwork design, the gemstones are arranged with meticulous care. Crafted by European master craftsmen with over two decades of titanium expertise, the structure reconciles the physical contrasts between the stones. The white diamonds shine with unwavering brilliance, while the droplet-shaped emeralds are set to quiver gently—capturing the tender motion of a budding sprout.

Organic materials, sculpted with precision

The stem, carved from natural horn, introduces an organic warmth. Guided by Chao’s original wax model, the craftsmen sculpted and refined the material with exceptional precision, integrating the natural texture seamlessly into the metallic framework.

The result is a brooch that breathes—static yet alive. It features 4,040 gemstones—including yellow diamonds, greyish-green sapphires, sapphires and demantoid garnets—totalling 105.02 carats. Each vein reflects Chao’s reverence for nature and her mastery of form.

Reimagining the Four Seasons

This meditation on transformation continues in Chao’s Four Seasons Collection, first introduced in 2007 and now a cornerstone of the Maison’s creative legacy. That year, her Winter Black and White Branch Necklace and Bangle—crafted from black and white diamonds—sold at Christie’s New York for nearly three times its estimated value, marking her arrival on the global stage.

Branches that reach for light 

For its latest iteration, Chao revisits the branch motif with a freer, more mature sensibility. Colour plays a central role: tender greens of spring and golden hues of autumn now replace the stark monochrome of winter. 

Each new Branch Brooch is hand-sculpted in wax, its lines extending naturally as if reaching toward the sun. For the first time, Chao introduces HyCeram^® ceramic lacquer, a hybrid material valued for its colour stability, high gloss and resilience. Though highly resistant to heat and chemicals once cured, the process demands precise temperature control and expert handling. Each mirror-like surface is the result of painstaking polishing—an exacting finish that lends a modern edge to the Maison’s sculptural craftsmanship.

A twist of the Feather Brooch

An enduring emblem of the Maison, the Feather was reimagined in 2024—with a literal twist. First unveiled in 2016 at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris, the motif debuted with the groundbreaking Black Label Masterpiece XVI Phoenix Feather Brooch, launching a defining thematic collection.

Now one of Chao’s most iconic signatures, the feather has been reinterpreted in various forms, each plume sculpted down by down, imbued with vitality and movement—capturing air, light, and the passage of time.

The latest brooches feature a dramatic 180-degree spiral twist, evoking a feather caught mid-air. Their undulating curves and dynamic twists suggest the fluidity of a graceful dance, suspended in three-dimensional space. A breakthrough in double-sided gemstone setting, each piece is meticulously crafted with diamonds and coloured stones arranged in perfect harmony. Beneath, a titanium structure—notoriously difficult to manipulate due to the metal’s low malleability—required lengthy planning and precision engineering. Each section was carefully calibrated to support the gemstone setting while preserving the feather’s ethereal lightness. European master craftsmen regard these brooches as the most complex and challenging creations they have made for Chao to date.

Together, the Branch Brooch and Feather Brooch form a lyrical dialogue—one reaching toward light, the other folding into stillness—echoing Chao’s enduring fascination with transformation and time.

An immersive exhibition of form and light

These new works debuted at Sculpting Time, the Maison’s recently concluded exhibition at the Fubon Art Museum in Taipei, where Cindy Chao collaborated with installation artist Wen-Fu Yu to create a sculptural bamboo landscape that echoed the brand’s architectural, sculptural, and organic ethos. It was a fitting tribute to a body of work that continues to evolve—rooted in nature, shaped by time, and brought to life through artistry.