Jewelry making is totally an ingenious artwork occupation. It’s no marvel that these fascinated by making it as their full-time profession must go extraordinarily deep of their ideas with the intention to give you distinctive concepts for designing scintillating items of knickknack which, for probably the most half, are tailor-made in direction of girls shoppers obsessive about pampering their needs for costly style, thereby simply establishing that they’re the masters of their very own craft. So jewellery designers who’re celebrated tremendously in the present day for designing one-of-a-kind jewels have, actually, been capable of obtain this stupendous feat by creating emblematic nuances of their very own in the beginning.
Due to this distinctively inventive spark, we see them instilling life into what’s in any other case thought-about inanimate objects and in the end turning them into the focus with divine which means hidden beneath as a part of making a method assertion; most subtle and exquisite girls have the very best diploma of penchant for throughout the globe. Briefly, sporting jewellery items of superior high quality for ladies is a completely individualistic means on their finish to emphasise the necessity they really feel strongly to expertise the so-called “interior joie de vivre”.
That is the place the intriguing jewellery designed by a famend Hong-based positive jewellery designer Austy Lee comes into play and in doing so the much-desired expectations of ladies who’re desperately on the lookout for transformative items of knickknack are genuinely fulfilled. Extra so, Austy’s persona actually syncs nicely with every jewellery merchandise he provides form to, making him the maverick of his personal daring craft which is what tends to boost his profile as a recreation changer. In different phrases, his creations are aesthetically highly effective sufficient to win over the psyche of knickknack connoisseurs whose seek for new but enchanting unconventional designs is an enormous plus level for your entire jewellery trade.
As Austy’s jewelry-making abilities develop into extensively recognized throughout the board within the trade for jewellery fans to find in addition to take pleasure in profoundly, there isn’t a doubt as to what’s seemingly palpable that he’s virtually near being admired across the clock as a real dazzler for years to return. In spite of everything, his creations are opulently ornamented with gold, diamonds, and numerous sorts of valuable gems however most significantly Chinese language jade like no different.
In essence, Austy’s jewellery novelties make him an artisan of supreme stature. And for good causes by and huge! In spite of everything, the jewellery trade is relying on him in the present day to pioneer a pattern of utmost unconventionalism by way of creating extravagant jewels with refreshing parameters. Evidently, his jewellery items are an final mixture of wondrous craftsmanship and fashion-forward designs entwined with placing themes that are as a rule certain to have struck a chord with girls recognized for his or her daring style in life.
Carving out a distinct segment for himself along with his eccentric jewellery designs
Nevertheless, earlier than making a foray into the glam-oriented world of knickknack, Austy was once a graphic designer and illustrator in his early days relationship again to 2003 when he really began working as such for an area journal. And it wasn’t too lengthy earlier than he discovered his true calling in jewellery making as an final means to point out his interior creativity with a magical contact. “Since my childhood, I’ve all the time been fascinated by the attract of gems and the irresistible thought of sporting jewellery in infinite methods. So far as I can bear in mind, I might all the time spend some huge cash on a treasure hunt for gems that notably appealed to me. However initially, it wasn’t within the playing cards for me to develop into a jewellery designer. I didn’t see it that means in any respect,” he mentioned.
At an intuitive stage, what Austy was most fascinated by was the glitzy world of style since he was very eager to develop into a dressmaker initially. Nevertheless, issues have been very aggressive whereas he was pursuing training. As he recalled saying, “Trying on the extremely cut-throat tradition that plagued style design programs again then, I modified my thoughts and began to shift my focus to the weather of knickknack design which have been no much less advanced with the very best diploma of creativity concerned.”
Nevertheless, he made certain from the very begin that it was a gentle course of as a part of his studying curve in order to manifest elegantly earlier than the elites of East and West that he actually has one thing essential at hand to inform along with his sculpturally opulent wearable jewellery items which sit nicely with the framework of avant-garde design philosophy. Evidently, bursting with newfound enthusiasm to study extra about design practices, he didn’t assume an excessive amount of about transferring on along with his determination to obtain a diploma diploma in product design. Quickly afterward, Lee’s escalating curiosity in jewellery led him to take necessary classes about bone enamel, jade carvings, and restoring artifacts, and antiques from his uncle already recognized for his excessive artisanship on this specific phase.
“I simply went for it with no second thought, giving myself an opportunity to familiarize myself with gemstone settings, metal-hand chiseling, and numerous different strategies which might be thought-about very elementary to the intricately grand artwork of knickknack making. I realized all of it whereas working as an intern for jewellery design on the Common Jewellery Design Middle Restricted,” Austy mentioned. “That’s how I’ve gained a kind of specialised know-how on the subject of lending a singular top-notch contact to my jewellery creations in numerous vibrant varieties.”
Being so adept at drawing and design strategies did wonders for him when he was provided a chance to work as a jewellery designer trainee with the Swiss jeweler Adler in Hong Kong. Roughly, what he managed to study by working alongside Adler proved to be immensely invaluable for him. “The complete expertise that I had gained from there helped me to have a look at myself as a whole positive jewellery designer in addition to knowledgeable gemstone purchaser. This fashion, I used to be capable of give my finest shot whereas working with high-end shoppers and to design excessive jewellery items adorned with uncommon gems and supplies for them,” he mentioned.
As issues progressed, he stored getting fabulous alternatives alongside the best way to point out his expertise. Not surprisingly, as a part of this regular evolution, he discovered himself on the proper place on the proper time when he was given the submit of chief designer and to work on this position for Wendy Yue, a famend title within the trade.
And eventually with greater than sufficient expertise below his belt, it was only a matter of time earlier than he had his personal eponymous model which he lastly launched in 2017 with the intention to make his personal model of excessive jewellery collections which have really taken the jewellery world by storm.
Issues that make AUSTY LEE completely different from others
Making a model that’s means too completely different from others in enterprise however one with an enormous curiosity in wooing jewellery patrons convincingly is by and huge a difficult process. Why so? It’s a well-established proven fact that jewellery items comprising a number of strands of newness or progressive push of their general design in the end go on to attraction to the senses of knickknack fans and connoisseurs. And Austy’s playful, edgy, and otherworldly jewellery designs are proof that creativity in its originality all the time manages to get its admirers within the type of patrons wherever they’re.
Trying on the refined standards adopted by Austy whereas engaged on his jewellery items, there isn’t a denying in any respect that his means of doing issues is like no different. “For me, what counts most is to ensure that I do what different folks don’t often consider doing within the first place. I merely like to create issues that folks need to see however often miss typically. That is the place the designs, the strategies, and the indispensable position of expertise as absolutely evident in my jewellery creations do have fairly a particular identification to problem the perfect of the perfect within the trade,” Austy mentioned.
On the core of Austy’s weird designs in jewellery is his personal highly effective motto of “When Jewellery is Psychedelic Artwork” which he holds pricey to his coronary heart, thus letting him create jewellery items that genuinely embody the spirit of an avant-garde way of life. “I need my jewellery to look as mesmerizing and hypnotizing as attainable whereas utilizing 18k stable gold and quite a lot of valuable and semi-precious gems by including on completely different color-plating and inlay strategies, eventually creating one-of-a-kind wearable artwork items which one has hardly or by no means seen earlier than,” he mentioned.
Leaning on his sharp, intrinsic information and making use of it exquisitely to how jade jewellery will also be made extra modern, Austy has develop into a extremely revered title within the trade. In accordance with him, jewellery fabricated from jade has all the time loved a particular place in Chinese language tradition. In actual fact, jade is taken into account very auspicious by Chinese language folks because it has a number of qualitative components like magnificence, grace, and purity however most significantly a singular energy to guard oneself towards sure ills. All in all, it’s a heavenly gemstone that Asian nations have by no means misplaced their love for. However traditionally it’s been on the sidelines in numerous cultures for hundreds of years.
As Austy additional elaborated, “If we speak about jade or jade jewellery, it has all the time been related to the mode of outdated style, so missing selection. As a Hong Kong designer, I’ve tried to interrupt free from that outdated thought and devoted myself to the reason for popularizing the spectacle of Jap legacy by giving it a up to date edge. What I’ve completed is attempt to merge jade with completely different components and colourful varieties extensively in order to provide an entire new spin to the gemstone and on the identical time exhibit how it may be maneuvered to look modern in addition to admired by a broader clientele. With this in thoughts lately, I’ve solely been incorporating the weather of Japanese antiques resembling Menuki and Lacquerware into my jewellery designs. And the result ensuing from it has proved to be a really profitable one with my clients wholeheartedly welcoming this phenomenon of grand juxtaposition. This all comes all the way down to the impeccable magnificence and meticulous workmanship of Japanese arts the artwork fraternity is in awe of.”
Whereas Austy has given us jewellery fans a brand new dimension to have a look at the marvels of jade with, he has a deep private reference to it too, making the dialogue round jade much more fascinating.
“After I was a toddler, I used to be consistently surrounded by the great thing about conventional Chinese language tradition. So rising up amid this rejuvenating ambiance was the perfect factor that ever occurred to me and it left an indelible mark on my love of jade as a a lot revered gemstone belonging to this a part of the world. And it was no shock that my mom gave me a jade peace buckle necklace for the sake of my safety and blessing,” he mentioned.
Moreover, one other good factor that Austy was proactively a part of whereas rising up was that his mother and father would typically take him to a Chinese language Artwork & Craft retailer promoting Fei Cui and different sorts of gems like agate, quartz, nephrite, and so on. “That’s how my fascination with jade and particular gems started to develop. I’m notably into carved jades like dragons, phoenixes, and a few jade items used through the course of formality actions, as these have completely different varieties, patterns, meanings, and complexities. And I might like to protect these Chinese language values simply by way of modifying and incorporating them into my jewellery items frequently,” he added.
His different favourite gems are blue tourmalines (also called indicolites) and emeralds which, he admits, are very legendary. “Indicolite shade is believed to own a deep which means in Tibetan Buddhism whereas the universe of emeralds could be traced again to Egyptian and Jewish mythologies,” he mentioned. “As well as, I like to make use of ceramic, enamel, mother-of-pearl, abalone shells, and numerous different carved/engraved supplies resembling sphene, Paraiba, padparadscha sapphires, star sapphires, and pink diamonds in my jewellery items as I see match. Nevertheless, what I do can’t be full with out mentioning the completely marvelous historical past of Indian jewellery my designs are additionally closely influenced by.”
Colours are an enormous narrative of his designs
The extra colourful an object is, the higher it is going to look from all angles. And it’s very true when speaking concerning the glittering world of jewels. Austy himself sticks to the imaginative and prescient of constructing his jewellery as colourful as it may get. As he defined, “The depth of shade palette is among the main areas of focus for me to get it proper whereas designing my extraordinary jewellery items. I’ve all the time needed folks to really feel that “That is Austy Lee’s creation” once they see a jewellery piece of mine. Due to this fact, the colour palette is essential to me as a result of it represents my persona within the jewellery. My first assortment proper after I launched my model was “The Psychedelic Gentle”. The gathering was particularly designed utilizing daring and hypnotic shade patterns that matched nicely with the requisites of my branding. Now I all the time hear my clients saying issues like “That is so Austy” and that’s merely an enormous accomplishment for me. I consider it’s one thing to take pleasure in.”
To place it one other means, due to his cult jewellery designs, he has been capable of get Hollywood and worldwide celebrities together with well-known folks from throughout the globe put on them. With a worldwide following, his jewellery items are extremely sought-after and could be seen in a few of the world’s most unique boutiques and shops in Hong Kong, Beijing, New York, London, Paris, Germany, Switzerland, Milan, Greece, Dubai, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
He makes use of his inspirations as magic
Going by his enigmatic designs, there isn’t a denying in any respect that he typically finds himself motivated by a myriad of cultural and spiritual aspects of life in addition to the pure creations he’s surrounded by. “I really like studying books associated to such matters and I used to show jewellery design and tradition at Hong Kong Baptist College as a part-time lecturer. So by incorporating the weather of tradition in my designs what I’ve supposed to do is to emphasise the essence of magical storytelling round my artwork items and ultimately make them much more particular and significant,” Austy mentioned.
He’s a religious follower of Tibetan Buddhism in his each day life. Its Thangkas and Mandalas are the principle inspirations for the psychedelic patterns clearly seen in his designs. The usage of completely different colours and patterns in his jewellery is similar to these typically seen in Thangkas and Mandalas.
“In my designs, you could sometimes see vegetation and creatures like orchids, butterflies, and typically legendary creatures. This is because of my overwhelming curiosity in nature and myths, particularly orchids and historic Greek mythology. I might like to reveal their magnificence within the type of jewellery, thus turning into one of many everlasting items ever designed by me,” he mentioned.
Why Asian jewellery designs are thought-about so endearing
The Asian continent is undoubtedly the bedrock of magnificent jewellery relationship again to 1000’s of years. And the designs emanating from the minds of these inventive designers belonging to this a part of the world are all the time in excessive demand universally. As Austy put it this fashion, “There isn’t a doubt that Asia’s cultural and spending affect on the worldwide luxurious market is kind of vital in the present day and I consider it is going to stay in a robust place in years to return. Asian jewellery designs comprise distinctive East-meets-West aesthetics that are very interesting to a worldwide viewers. Jewellery items having the weather of jade are typically discovered to be very talked-about amongst clients.”
Speaking about his buyer base, Austy mentioned, “I’ve a really wide selection of consumers, not simply girls but in addition male clients. They like my designs principally, and jewels that they aren’t capable of finding anyplace else. The varieties, the strategies, and the gems I take advantage of in my items are very distinctive and crowd pleasing.”
For Austy, making jewellery is one thing he likes to do. It’s enjoyable for him and so he merely likes to delve into creating enjoyable items. “It’s like connecting the dots of my each day life, my means of seeing issues, or my cultural beliefs and placing all of them into these timeless artwork items of knickknack,” he mentioned.
His rising affect within the trade is intently linked to what lies behind his model title “aUSTY LEE”. In accordance with him, the letter ‘a’ is a Greek small letter implying that the model has the utmost worth which he treasures quite a bit. “The letter ‘A’ extends to the creation of my model emblem in a triangle. In spite of everything, triangles are believed to be the strongest geometric form. It additionally represents perfection in an idyllic means. It’s very a lot just like the objectives I had when launching my model — aimed toward solely creating flawless timeless items utilizing valuable gems,” he mentioned.
One other precedence that’s very near his coronary heart is to verify his jewellery items could be afforded by each household. “I all the time hold this holy thought in thoughts whereas engaged on my designs since what could possibly be extra rewarding than bringing smiles to 1000’s of households around the globe together with your artwork jewellery items being handed by way of generations,” Austy mentioned.
It will probably solely be summed up by saying that there’s a lot to look ahead to as Austy embarks on surprising journeys to create many up to date jewellery items that we are able to’t assist however savor intensely for good.