Cutting-edge craftsmanship and Colombian cabochon diamonds cone together in this springtime collection of jewelry from the house of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel. The Taiwan-based high jewelry maker has brought out its Spring Cardamom Brooches in its Black Label Masterpiece X and XI collections. Inspired by newly sprouted cardamom pods, the brooches come as a pair and bring together the vitality and hope of a new spring. They are crafted in the shape of a budding pod with an undulating silhouette.

The gemstones are exceptional for each of the pieces features an oval-shaped cabochon Colombian emerald of about 81 carats, an extremely rare size and of an extremely rare quality. The emeralds are surrounded by yellow diamonds, brown diamonds, tsavorites, demantoids, intriguing color-changing garnets, alexandrites, and green sapphires. 

The glistening diamond spheres embedded in the pods are composed of several fancy rose-cut diamonds. Used for their thin cut, rose cut diamonds allow light to penetrate within the piece rendering it extremely clear and vibrant. The juxtaposition of a large emerald and the hollow diamond ball is an exploration of the coexistence of the abstract and real within this stylized blooming cardamon pod. The emeralds and the diamond spheres at the heart of the pods are held by invisible settings. The pod leaves are artfully articulated, allowing them to move very slightly with the motion of the wearer.

The granddaughter of an architect and the daughter of a sculptor, creativity has always surrounded the artist. She established her house Cindy Chao Art Jewel in 2004 and collectors have flocked to her unique pieces, among them her enigmatic annual butterfly collections. One of her butterflies has even flown into the Smithsonian Institute at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She uses the 18th century craft technique of crafting designs in wax before completing her intricate sculptures with precious metals and gemstones. Her most prestigious collections, The Black Label Masterpieces and The White Label Collection have found their way into auctions, museums and private collections. The pieces blend together the designer’s masterful technique, the ingenuity of contemporary Eastern art and the centuries-old Western jewelry craftsmanship offering up a new definition of high jewelry. In 2021, Chao became the first and only Asian jewelry artist to receive the French honor of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.cindychao.com/en