Jadeite is shedding its outmoded image, as designers set the shiny, translucent gem in modern, geometric jewels.
Ancient Chinese artisans have carved intricate jewels and sculptures since jadeite first made its way from Burma into China in the mid-18th century. Today, simple bead jewelry and hololith bangles are seen as outdated. In an effort to appeal to a younger consumer, jewelers around the world are now taking a design-driven approach, and jadeite’s alluring brilliance, attractive sheen and intense glow have made it irresistible.
The use of jadeite marked a new high point in 2016, with the release of Chow Tai Fook’s La Poésie de Jade. The Hong Kong-based jeweler’s high-jewelry piece features carved jadeite arranged in an abstract composition echoing the ink-splashed calligraphic paintings by Robert Motherwell. Jadeite continues to give off a modern vibe, as jewelers like Doris Hangartner, Kavant & Sharart, Austy Lee, Ashley Zhang, and Sue Ling innovate and redefine this gem.
Shaping up
New York-based Ashley Zhang, who is known for her vintage engagement rings, pays tribute to her husband’s Chinese heritage in her limited-edition Jade collection. “I tend to gravitate towards lighter-green jade with natural inclusions, over the deep-green, translucent jade,” she explains. “The jadeite was sourced from an old family-run gem business that had closed. I collected these and had them custom cut for the designs.” She uses a range of carved and flat tablet forms to create a modern, simple look. Kite shapes, squares and rectangles intermingle with accent diamonds in clean and elegant geometric settings that recall the Art Deco era.
“I think jade is a stone that can be used just like any other and doesn’t need to only be in traditional style jewelry. It is easy to cut and work with, yet still underutilized by designers.” Zhang continues: “Finding good-quality jade is very difficult in New York City.”
Jade is highly revered among the Chinese and in Southeast Asia for its talismanic and healing qualities. Avant-garde jewelry designer Kavant & Sharart has “incorporated jadeite into our Origami collection, as there is something organically complementary between the two. With a series of folds and pleats, each design from the collection reveals a distinctively arresting visual appeal at all angles, a quality also held by jadeite,” says Shar-Linn Liew, the brand’s joint creative director.
Austy Lee, a former graphic designer based in Hong Kong, experiments and pushes the boundaries of this centuries-old material through an interplay of colored chrome metals and psychedelic forms. “The translucency of jadeite feels like moonlight, which is bright, yet very tender. It also offers a sense of protection,” Lee says.
His intricate creations are imbued with an edgy punk spirit that combines new-age influences with this traditional material. Burmese green jadeite clashes wonderfully with Australian opals, amethysts and rubies, creating an eclectic and compelling look. “I try to modernize the pieces by pairing jadeite with various gemstones,” Lee notes.
Across the spectrum
Doris Hangartner, a designer based in Zurich, is drawn to jadeite’s calm serenity and sensual texture. “To carve and polish, jadeite takes longer, with many polishing steps to complete it than other gemstones,” she says. “This, for me, is symbolic of the long-lasting and calm character of this gem. The purer the jadeite is, the more light that it absorbs and reflects; similar to a sage person with their wisdom.”
Hangartner works with jadeite’s full color range and loves the endless opportunities it brings to her designs.
Singapore-based Sue Ling Jewelry has made jadeite her design signature. Ling creates elegant pieces that play on the soft appearance of jadeite by combining it with striking modernist lines, raw metals and diamond studded bolts, spikes and nails for a more industrial geometric design. “There is so much variety and [so many] qualities in the stone that allow me to play with the material. These properties allow for it to be cut or carved into many shapes and sizes,” she explains.
Her challenge is to “take jade jewelry out of the boundaries of ancient time and contemporize it into modern and wearable pieces to adapt to the fashion of today.”
Main image: Austy Lee green jade bangle with colored diamonds and lapis lazuli set in chrome metal.
