Treasures Untold

Fine jewellery designer Dickson Yewn spoke to bodw+ about the art of telling stories and embracing history through his pieces 

Editorial Team26 Sep 2022

“The power of storytelling is very important for any brand – and the best way to tell a story is through your work,” says fine jewellery designer and artist Dickson Yewn. 

 

It’s a philosophy that is writ large throughout Yewn’s career, in the form of his distinctive jewellery designs that incorporate traditional Chinese motifs such as latticework, peonies and paper-cuts, alongside ancient Chinese craftsmanship like filigree and cloisonné. In doing so, his work sparks a dialogue between old and new, transforming centuries-old techniques into his own singular style of contemporary Chinese jewellery. 

Born and bred in Hong Kong, Yewn’s interest in Chinese crafts started early. “At school, I was taught primarily in English, with only two subjects in Chinese. My personality has always been to go for uncommon things – that made me want to learn more about Chinese culture,” he explains. 

 

Nevertheless, it took a while to settle upon jewellery as his raison d’etre, with stints in advertising, marketing, fine arts and the film industry. It was his time in the latter, working with Hong Kong directing greats like Clara Law and Sylvia Chang, that he credits with instilling “the power of storytelling” that he has carried over to his jewellery designs. 

 

“The story could be told by the techniques and methods you use to create your work, or how delicate your work is,” he elaborates. “When top jewellery buyers look at your pieces, they know how much time and effort you’ve put in. Educated consumers would know, for example, that you’re employing the filigree technique that was popular in China in the old days, or that you’re using a gold-making technique that is rare nowadays.” 

 

Fine jewellery designer Dickson Yewn spoke to bodw+ about the art of telling stories. 

 

Yewn launched his first conceptual jewellery brand, Life of Circle, in 2000, based around his visions of Oriental beauty. Forbes went on to name Yewn as one of the top 25 brands in the world in 2005, among the illustrious company of Hermès and Ralph Lauren, while Sotheby’s invited Yewn to design a melo pearl jewellery collection that sold at auction for more than HK$5 million. 

 

Yewn followed this with the creation of his eponymous jewellery line, Yewn, in 2007. His idea was to bring the sophisticated, refined Chinese workmanship of years gone by into the 21st century, creating wearable works of art. “Not only do I use the language of fine jewellery to tell the story, but I also use the language of craft – such as Chinese black lacquer work or how a craftsman builds a birdcage,” he says.

 

“I’ve tried to draw inspiration from all China’s different material cultures, from costumes and embroidery to furniture-making, architecture and even literati paintings,” Yewn continues. “When you look back into traditional Chinese culture, you’ll see that there’s beauty in lots of the daily utilitarian things and that the aesthetics of Chinese art were inherited throughout the centuries.” 

 

This approach has led Yewn to utilise unusual materials, like wood – which he notes is “sort of taboo in the jewellery world”. Having collected Chinese wooden furniture for decades with the intention of re-purposing the material in his work, Yewn went to Taiwan to learn from a wood sculpture artist; he estimates that he’s now used 75 different wood species in his jewellery.  

 

When Yewn looks back into traditional Chinese culture, he’ll see that there’s beauty in lots of the daily utilitarian things and that the aesthetics of Chinese art were inherited throughout the centuries. Photo by Dickson Yewn. Courtesy of Dickson Yewn 

 

Having collected Chinese wooden furniture for decades with the intention of re-purposing the material in his work, Yewn went to Taiwan to learn from a wood sculpture artist. Photo courtesy of Dickson Yewn 

 

It is this uniquely modern attitude to Chinese culture that has captivated jewellery buyers across the world – including a dedicated clientele of European nobility. “A lot of the aristocratic younger generation I deal with remember being brought up with beautiful Chinese antiquities but say that since the end of the dynastic era, they didn’t see anything worth buying from China – until they met me,” Yewn says. “They don’t want copies of Qing Dynasty paintings; they want something contemporary that can represent contemporary China, so that has always been the driving force behind what I’m doing.” 

 

Another high-profile client was America’s former First Lady Michelle Obama, who wore one of Yewn’s pieces – his iconic lattice jadeite ring – at a state dinner held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Yewn describes the occasion as “my proudest moment”, although he only discovered it after the fact, when another jeweller congratulated him at a trade show. “What touches me is not just that Mrs Obama wore it, but that she actually bought it herself and wore it to one of the most important events of her life – so the market for contemporary Chinese jewellery is definitely there.” 

 

America’s former First Lady Michelle Obama, who wore one of Yewn’s pieces –at a state dinner held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Photo courtesy of Dickson Yewn 

 

Indeed, Yewn believes that with the growing popularity of guochao – the concept that Chinese culture is trending – now is the time for the next generation of Chinese designers to step into the spotlight. “This is the right time to do Chinese design because the whole world is paying attention to China for the first time in a long time – and is waiting for Chinese designers and artists to do their part in this globalised world”.