Diamond Lace, Pumpkins and Dragons: How the Jewelry Design Fairy Michelle Ong Works

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Exactly at midnight, the pumpkin turns … into a diamond brooch! The Asian fairy of jewelry design Michelle Ong is capable of such miracles. Her parents predicted a respectable profession for her, but Michelle rebelled and decided to follow her heart. So, remembering her childhood hobby for needlework, this sophisticated Chinese woman has become one of the most prominent modern jewelers.

Jeweler Michelle Ong was born into a family of doctors. Purposeful and successful people, they believed that their daughter would choose a serious profession for herself - something “real”. Michelle was fond of art from a young age, but, at the insistence of her parents, she received the profession of a sociologist at the University of Toronto. Pretty soon she realized that the profession does not bring her the slightest joy, and decided to devote her life to her dream.

Since childhood, she loved making something with her own hands, watching how disparate elements turn into something holistic, how vague ideas acquire clarity and materiality. In addition, at the parties organized by her parents, Michelle loved to look at the decorations of the guests - this mysterious shine, mysterious shades … At first, she created jewelry for her friends and relatives - and for herself, because for no money she, with her taste and high requirements, it was not possible to find what I would like to wear. When Michelle went out in the earrings she created herself - this was the first piece of jewelry she made - people approached her and asked where she got such a stylish thing. This inspired Michelle not to give up her longtime hobby.

Michelle joined a company that sold jewelry in Hong Kong as an apprentice, where her extensive parenting ties played a role. Without any specialized education, she literally learned on the go to understand the quality, texture, properties of precious stones, ways of working with them, jewelry production technologies - and at the same time she studied the sales market. At the Diamond Importers Association lunch, she met Avi Nagar, an Israeli gem expert who later became her business partner. Avi Nagara's professional scent played a role in Michelle's work - she got her hands on the finest diamonds that could be found.

Having gained experience and formed a stable customer base, Michelle opens Carnet by Michelle Ong in Hong Kong in 2003. Immediately finding herself "in free float", Michelle resolutely abandoned all the frames, rules and stereotypes of Asian jewelry production. She was one of the first to work with titanium, combining it with gold and platinum. The intricate shades of precious stones create a unique palette that is very recognizable - dull, but warm and mysterious.

No compromises - Michelle's main rule. Michelle prefers to focus on quality over sales. It takes her a lot of time not only to perfect the production, but also to "ripen" an idea, to come up with a new one. She can work on one piece of jewelry for several years, nurturing ideas and achieving the perfect quality and embodiment of her feelings. She works out fastenings, thinks over combinations, interaction of stones, composition and color of jewelry. Despite the huge amount of modern technologies and tools, Michelle prefers to create jewelry by hand - this allows you to maintain a balance between purity and imperfection, which is the soul of jewelry.

According to Michelle, jewelry is the most personal accessory. The selection of jewelry is not a tribute to fashion, not a way to impress others, but something akin to finding true love. There must be some kind of romantic connection between the jewelry and its owner. The “right” stone becomes part of the soul of its owner, and Michelle Ong's goal is to create jewelry that can evoke the brightest, most sincere feelings. Each of her jewelry, almost every stone cut by Michelle, has its own history, its own soul, its own biography. She creates intuitively, peering and listening to the stones, not knowing in advance what will grow out of them - a beautiful flower or a mysterious dragon. She chooses images that can maximize the spiritual potential of stones.

Michelle grew up in China, studied in Canada and interacted with people of different cultures a lot - this allows her to operate with a wide range of images. Asian dragons and fragments of engravings, flowers filled with deep meaning, references to Ancient Egypt and the heyday of Art Deco … Michel seems to be juggling with allusions and associations. Her recurring motifs include dragons and the traditional "five elements" of Chinese philosophy: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

In addition, Michelle is inspired by crafts that are far from jewelry. Her fascination with vintage French fabrics prompted her to create necklaces based on 19th century lace, and in some brochures you can see references to the work of Renaissance artists … But in order to understand the absolute beauty of her creations, it is absolutely not necessary to understand either European or Asian art At the same time, Michelle is not inclined to talk about her jewelry for a long time, leaving clients to rely on their own feelings.

Michelle creates necklaces, often in the form of "collars" or "collars", rings and earrings, but like many other Asian designers, she really reveals herself when she creates brooches. Even if Michelle appears in public without jewelry, you can be sure that she has one of the brooches hidden in her purse - just like a talisman.

Michelle's jewelry costs a lot of money. Who buys them? Women are not their husbands or partners, but women themselves, successful business women, stars, representatives of the art world. Michelle is proud of her clients: "They are very independent women who know what they want." These are her sisters, kindred spirits - which means that they understand the meaning of her creations without words.