Inspired by the belief that luxury can contribute to the sustainablity movement, Yilin Choo creates beautiful jewelry out of flawed stones and reclaimed precious metals.
Yilin works with the Karen hill tribe artisans based in northern Thailand, a traditionally marginalized group, in order to preserve their centuries-old art form and support their economy. Yilin says, "This business model, in the long run, will hopefully eliminate the need for charity, not only for them, but for other marginalized groups all over the world."
Large agate with solver branches and sapphires. Chain has labradorite cabochons and fresh-water pearls.
Yilin does the designs and the Karen artisans create them using traditional methods in metalsmithing. Yilin believes in using 'free-form' gems, meaning that the stones are cut according to the lapidary artisan's preferences, resulting in one-of-a-kind shapes and 'organic' asymmetry. I bet this is why I like her work so much -- every piece is so unique, based on each artisan's technique. This kind of production model, with a talented designer working with indigenous craftspeople, is a growing phenomenon in the world of wearable art.
Jade bangle embellished with 18 carat yellow gold/black rhodium vermeil and sapphires.
Even though Yilin is has started offering a ready-to-wear line that features adaptations of some of her custom hand-forged work, she will continue to create pieces on request. I love her choice of stones and hammered metalwork. I hope that she thrives so that she can inspire other jewelry labels to follow in her footsteps. You can see Yilin's work for sale at Cate.
Those bangles are GORGEOUS, thank you so much for posting them for us to see.
Posted by: erika | February 15, 2010 at 09:23 AM