Craft meets culture: inside Yve Chan's modern jewellery house

'I personally love history, possess a lot of traditional training and have a strong aesthetic background. However, I still aim to break through and reach a broader audience,' says Yve Chan, who as the chief goldsmith of Sunsmith and director of Dawn Jewellery, has successfully built a modern jewellery house that pays tribute to traditional craftsmanship, and a store that amplifies exemplary contemporary jewellery voices.

With a family involved in the jade business, there is an element of predestination in Chan’s path. He studied Jewellery Design and Silversmithing at Birmingham University, an experience that led to his final year collection, winning a Silver Award from the Goldsmith’s Company. 'I called it Seasons of Life, it was very cold in the UK and I am from Hong Kong, so with weather like that, I always felt the quicker the springtime came the better,' he reminisces. But the project was also a thought-provoking discourse; with Chan making sense of his time in the UK, distilling what he had gleaned from the different techniques mastered, and exploring how craft is an important vestibule of culture and identity. The result was a series that incorporated English silver and jade carved in Hong Kong. 'I wanted to create a form of art and use materials that can be understood both in the UK and my homeland Hong Kong.'

Returning to Hong Kong, Chan founded both Sunsmith, a design and making collective creating fine jewellery and objects, and Dawn Jewellery, a concept store retailing fine jewellery from East Asia and further afield. The dual practice has expanded to include holding workshops in his atelier, curating exhibitions open to the public – the most recent a paean to Old Mine Cut Diamonds and creating strategic partnerships with other maker communities across Asia, as well as being the last atelier to acquire use of Pink Diamonds from the famed, now closed Argyle Mine in Australia. Of his methodology, Chan explains: 'I had many opportunities to travel. I met a lot of goldsmiths and craftspeople. And as I learnt more I realised it is not something one man can do, so I enjoyed building and working with a team, and it is why I have positioned the company as a platform.'

Chan’s own design language, which uses historical references as a foundation, is extremely tactile, with hand-engraving and hammering often taking centre stage. It  is also distinctive visually, with hexagonal shapes featuring prominently. He explains: 'Because of my background, I cannot escape too far away from traditional value. I wouldn’t say ‘oh I want to be a contemporary artist’ just because the trend is on contemporary. So when you see Dawn, or when you see Sunsmith I think you can see a lot of traditional ‘shadow’.' This subtle but contemporary reflection of old made new is seen both in the maison’s engagement and wedding jewellery and in the much-lauded collection The Auspicious Cranes of Prince Duan, which was inspired by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty’s painting of the same name. It features twenty-two cranes, which under Chan’s reinterpretation are crowned with pink diamonds. “Using traditional Chinese paintings as inspirations and using the Argyle pink diamonds is us weaving cultures together,' he notes.

Next year will see Chan launching an academy of craftsmanship in Hong Kong. 'Most of the artisans who will be working with me are from Europe and Japan, and they will be invited to Hong Kong to share their thoughts and techniques. I think this is an interesting project because next year will also be our 10-year anniversary. Creative, innovative and maker-driven dialogues are pertinent to the jewellery community globally, and Chan’s expansive approach will ensure that artistry and the celebration of the embedded energy of pieces made by hand continues to be appreciated now and by future generations.

dawnjewellery.com