The development of gemstone cutting technology was witnessed by the Renaissance era and later improved in the 17th century, making the gemstones sparkle even in the dim light of a candle. The birth of the "Brilliant Cut" at the end of the 17th century made the diamond shine like a pole star in the night sky.
However, traditional jewelry cutting techniques have always sought to maximize the value of the stone by creating greater sparkle with minimal loss. On the contrary, the "Double Rose-Cut" requires a great deal of courage to pursue the style at the expense of the stone.
This bold move of Feng was inspired by Giorgio Morandi's use of gray in his paintings, which she considers unobtrusive but elegant, and therefore full of possibilities. In collaboration with the European gem-cutting house, she has created "gray" stones of different shades, lightness and saturations to form a subtle gradation of color with gemstone.
Feng's other original technique developed in 2017, "Floating Set", gives the jewelry a more harmonious and integrated aesthetic.
Traditionally, jewelry is often set in wax carved metal setting to emphasize the richness of the stone, which gives the jewelry a luxurious appearance, but also has the limitations of a fixed setting.
In order to match the clear, flowing stones, Feng turned to a special support structure with minimal claws, which makes the jewels seem to be floating in the air with incredible lightness.
The technique is time-consuming, placing the gemstones together like a jigsaw, depicting the gradations of color while taking into account the three-dimensional undulations. One wrong move can only lead to a complete reversal.
It not only requires the jewelry artist to have a keen sense of color, but also an intuitive sense of space and a precise prediction of the final structure and form.
Since the establishment of the personal jewelry brand Feng J Haute Joaillerie in 2016, Feng is getting increasingly recognized by both the market and experts.
The last masterpiece she created, which is also inspired by the garden of Monet, the Jardin de Giverny necklace was sold in a Phillips' fall auction for $2.6 million in Hong Kong in December 2020. It broke the record price for Chinese jewelry designers and made her the youngest jeweler to achieve the multimillion auction record worldwide.
Last June, Feng was selected as one of the important female jewelers of the 20th and 21st century by Vivienne Becker, the jewelry historian from London, and invited to take part in Woman to Woman private selling exhibition held by Phillips Auction, along with experts including Suzanne Belperron, Jeanne Boivin, Marina Bulgari and Paloma Picasso.
Graeme Thompson, the global head of Phillips' jewelry department, described her as the trendsetter from China.
Feng has frequently exhibited at exclusive art fairs including PAD London, Salon Art+Design in New York, Design Miami and ART021 in Shanghai.
As the first jewelry artist from the Chinese mainland who got invited, she is ready to show her creation at Paris Antiques Biennale in the coming November. Prepare the world to be stunned.
