An unmistakably oriental gemstone, fei cui has mesmerised the upper class in ancient times and nowadays. Despite its indisputable status, how to reinvent fei cui jewellery to produce designs that appeal to the younger generation is constantly in the minds of many. This time we spoke to four jewellery designers to listen to their journey of modern fei cui jewellery design.
Putting silhouettes first
Born to a family of fei cui trading business, US-based jewellery designer Margaret Choy is no stranger to fei cui even before she started her jewellery business in 2009. Her three-piece collection Dancer, featuring an adventurous mix of materials in jewellery design and drawing inspiration from the Chinese character ‘Wu’ (dance), has earned her the 2010 Centurion Emerging Designer Award in the States.
One of her signature pieces is a convertible necklace with three interchangeable parts that allow seven ways of wearing it. Being highly flexible, the necklace is fit for different occasions from day to night. Juxtaposing onyx, diamonds, fei cui, rubies and pearls, Choy emphasised that it is of utmost importance to maintain balance in style, shape and colour in the final outcome.
Considering her aesthetics “European”, her designs often emphasise the silhouettes of the jewellery. While anything could serve as an inspiration, she thinks fei cui jewellery should be ageless, free of boundaries and transcending times so that every person could wear it.
Listening to fei cui’s story
“Jade is not hard to design because a carved piece already has its meaning,” said Taiwan-based Carolyn Lo.
An avid traveller, Lo’s sources of inspiration range from museums, art from different periods, antiques, fashion, church and architecture. While she first began jewellery design with fei cui, her scope of design has expanded to include other varieties of gemstones and fancy colour diamonds.
Once she had transformed three rings with a total of seven gemstones into a single pendant for a client. In her words, the gemstones now live a new life while the owner does not have to sacrifice the sentimental values embedded in the old jewellery.
To Lo, when she works with a piece of jade, the process is equivalent to giving it a new life. She thinks it is paramount that you first understand the history of a piece of fei cui then design according to it. Instead of evaluating materials by their value, sometimes she would pick vintage jade with special colours as she prefers to work with gemstones with personalities and are different from what is available in the market.
Designing for every occasion
Hong Kong-based jewellery designer Doris Hui has been a fei cui lover since she was in her 20s. About four years ago, she decided to make a fei cui timepiece for herself. Since then she has focused her attention on creating fei cui jewellery watch collection Jaade Watch. Her fei cui watches were auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
She thinks that it is important to allow the wearer to touch and feel the fei cui, which is why in her watches the gemstone is set around instead of encased in the dial. Coming in a variety of colours, her fei cui watches are created with a spring motif and boast a distinct feminine touch.
In her view, fei cui jewellery is not exclusively for evening occasions but could also be worn with jeans on a daily basis. She added that fei cui should not be stereotyped as archaic but should reach out to more fashionable, down-to-earth styles.
Balancing trendiness and prestige
With over 20 years of experience in fei cui jewellery design, Taiwanese designer Julia Peng concludes the essence of fei cui jewellery design is to be trendy and prestigious at the same time. A fashionable touch is essential because otherwise a piece of fei cui jewellery would feel old.
Perhaps an example is Peng’s Gift. The brooch features three rectangular slices of fei cui that are arranged into a present adorned with diamond ribbons that unite the three pieces and add detail to the jewellery. The final outcome produces the illusion of one large piece of fei cui and the modern motif allows the piece to stand out immediately.
She emphasised that it is easy for a work to be categorised as either fashionable or noble, but to achieve both and keep designs simple and styles unique without losing the luxurious touch of fei cui jewellery is always her goal. No doubt it is no easy task to strike such delicate balance that requires sharp market sensitivity and years of experience.
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