Wallace Chan, The Philosopher

Comparing his work to a gardener nurturing plants, Wallace Chan says, “To create is not to water a single plant, but to sow many different seeds in a garden, or even a forest. Some flowers will bloom, some flowers will have to wait – sometimes they all bloom together.” The Hong Kong jeweller tends to his creations patiently in his atelier, sometimes for years, and when they ‘bloom’, they are always mesmerizing, one-of-a-kind creations.

“I never received a formal education (in jewellery making), and the advantage of it is that I learn on the go and am never confined by any schools of thought. My thoughts are free and that’s very important when it comes to the creative process,” Chan says.

Over the years, this freedom has led him to develop new cutting techniques, such as the Wallace Cut — a carving technique combining medieval cameo and intaglio into 3-dimensional engraving — and a patented jadeite thinning technique that enhances the luminosity of the stone. He has also created new settings such as a Ming-style architectural jointing method to replace the usual protruding claws that hold a precious stone in place.

“Sometimes I think of myself as the translator of the universe’s messages. Sometimes I feel the incredible urge to create a piece; the idea may be something that appears out of thin air. Sometimes it is the stone that intrigues me, inspires me, and motivates me to create for it. There is not one single approach to creation. The only approach is possibly to create no matter what,” he says.

Chan considers humans are born to be storytellers and each of his creations tells a different story. He adds that love and life are his biggest inspirations: “The love for life, and for all things in the universe.”