Wallace Chan, exceptional master jeweller
Wallace Chan’s creative talent goes beyond the art of jewelry, creating unique works that defy all codes.
From the Wallace Cut, revealed in 1987, to the revolutionary mastery of titanium in jewelry, Wallace Chan’s name has often been associated by the media and connoisseurs with the laudatory qualifiers of “genius lapidary”, “tireless trailblazer”, and “master jeweler”. Today, Wallace Chan is one of the most sought-after jewellery signatures among discerning collectors. Leading auction houses, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s, as well as major museums and galleries, offer and exhibit his jewelry creations and works of art. Creations appreciated by many celebrities as well as eminent members of royal families.
In 2009, Wallace Chan is distributed in the United States by the prestigious Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus department stores. In 2010, Wallace Chan, the brand’s founder and artistic director, is the first contemporary jewelry artist to be the subject of a retrospective at Beijing’s Capital Museum.
Brooch_Stilled Life by Wallace Chan
In autumn 2012, Wallace Chan was the first and only Asian and Chinese jewelry brand invited to exhibit at the Biennale des Antiquaires de Paris. Wallace Chan’s creations thus stood alongside those of the most prestigious houses on Place Vendôme.
With Wallace Chan, jewelry design leaves the traditional field of jewelry and enters a new dimension, that of wearable works of art. Each Wallace Chan creation tells a unique story or illustrates a philosophical thought. It is the sum of innovative design, incomparable craftsmanship and revolutionary technique. It synthesizes Eastern philosophy and literature, the language of nature and a storyteller’s passion to create iconic works of art that defy categorization.
“Each of our jewelry creations has its own nature, character and quality. Delineating the spiritual through form’ has always been what has fuelled my creativity. Gemstones fascinate me with their vibrant colors. Their lines guide me, their diversity of shapes and sizes inspires me, and the language of their souls touches me. My intention is not to create jewelry pieces that are simply an elegant and expensive assemblage of precious stones. I want to create surprising pieces, jewelry creations that will never cease to amaze their owners by revealing new elements, providing different sensations and exquisite reactions, so that the story of each of our pieces continues to be fed,” explains Wallace Chan, the brand’s founder and artistic director.
Wallace Chan pays tribute to the Art of Oriental Jewellery at the 26th Biennale des Antiquaires
Internationally renowned master jeweler Wallace Chan made his debut at the Biennale des Antiquaires in September, presenting 50 pieces of jewelry embodying the essence of Eastern philosophy and inspired by his love of nature and humanity.
For his first appearance at the Biennale, the master jeweler glorifies the harmony between man and nature. He is inspired by the famous Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, for whom all living beings are one. Man considers that what is beautiful is rare and precious, and what is ugly is insignificant. But the insignificant can be transformed into something rare and precious, and conversely, what is rare and precious can lose its appeal and interest. In this spirit, Chan unveils through his art of jewelry, a world in which all things are unique and beautiful as in their natural forms.
Themed “The Path to Enlightenment – Art & Zen”, the stand will be decorated with a sense of oriental Zen beauty.
Eyes of Infinity, a set comprising a necklace, a ring and two brooches on the theme of two scorpions falling in love, is skilfully crafted with demantoid garnets, pigeon’s blood rubies and yellow sapphires. The scorpion is rarely depicted as a pleasant subject in ancient China, being known as a dangerous recluse lurking in the dark. However, according to Chung-yung, one of the four ancient texts of Confucius, in an ideal world, all things should grow together without harming each other, and all behaviors will be accepted without contradicting each other. According to the rules of nature, a scorpion is as noble as a cicada. Chan celebrates this ideal with Eyes of Infinity, being particularly impressed by the many pairs of eyes with which each scorpion is endowed, for the eyes are what we consider to be the windows to the soul, in which love is found and infinity realized. Eyes of Infinity is adorned with a 45.51-carat Alexandrite cat’s eye, named “The Wallace”. According to the GIA monograph, “The Wallace” is “remarkable as the finest example of Alexandrite cat’s eye we have seen in our laboratory”.
“I have a story to tell with every piece of jewelry. In particular, as a Chinese jewelry designer, I hope to bring the essence of Eastern philosophy and Chinese culture to the 26th Biennale des Antiquaires. My jewels are created to open up a profound dialogue between cultures”. -Wallace Chan.
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
