Wallace Chan, a virtuoso of jewellery

If you are appreciative of jewellery and precious stones, you will certainly know the pieces of this exceptional creator. Let us follow the path of the Chinese Wallace Chan, this mysterious genius of jewellery.

Since his first appearance at the Biennale des Antiquaires in 2012 a few things have been learned about Wallace Chan. It is certainly his culture – he was brought up in a modest family in Hong Kong, which made him discrete and modest. After long years of studying western and eastern sculpture he went to Europe to learn different engraving techniques. He very quickly mastered the technique of cameo in particular. This involves the low relief sculpture of the stone in order to show to strata of different colours. Much inspired by this technique, in the middle of the 1980’s, he invented the “Wallace Cut”, a mix of cameo and intaglio which gives the illusion of 3D pictures. This marked the beginning of an important period in his work.

In the 1990’s, during the period known as “Buddhist”, the name of Wallace Chan became more famous. Producing several monumental sculptures for Buddhist monasteries, the jeweller returned to his first love of sculpture.

2001 marked a turning point in the career of the creator. Discovering new metal working machines which revolutionized his craft work, Wallace Chan explored new techniques in sculpture and etching. A new collection was created entirely based on working in titanium. These exceptional pieces are called “sculptural jewels” from the impressive shapes, sizes and colours. Revolutionizing women’s habits, some of these pieces were even designed to be worn as jewellery on the shoulder or on the hand.

The pieces of Wallace Chan always tell a story. Taking inspiration from his experience, from his culture and from his philosophy on life, the jeweller delivers a part of himself into his pieces. Each jewel represents several months, or sometimes years, of work. Wallace Chan is a perfectionist; he is only satisfied when the piece displays the mental image he has of it in all details. For example, the Tempest ring is a genuinely epic work in itself. Shaped from an imposing tanzanite, it reflects the fanciful movements of the sea and the sky.

Since then, Wallace Chan has made innovation his hobby. He continues to explore new techniques in order to make the world of jewellery more and more revolutionary. The first Chinese jeweller to have ever been exhibited at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris, Wallace Chan is known as one of the most innovative creators of his generation.