Taiwanese jewellery designer, May Lee, uses fei cui as her ink, taking advantage of its enormous flexibility as a medium to develop her unique jewellery creations. For May Lee, fei cui gives physical form to the charm of Chinese ink wash painting, with its ability to vividly depict the elements of nature. Collectors of her works organise her creations to suit their own tastes and, in doing so, showcase new elements of her designs and depict themes that are of great significance to her.
A designer of fine jewellery for more than 20 years, May Lee portrays herself as a student of nature in pursuit of self-perfection. She has added typical elements of ink painting to fei cui designs, embodying the reverence of oriental art for nature and highlighting her own deep respect for Chinese culture. She sees each piece of fei cui as unique with its own curvature, brightness and colour. In her fei cui works, one finds no regularly arranged, uniformly repeating patterns. Rather, her creations echo the flowing characteristics of Chinese ink wash painting.
Her fei cui plum bossom collection clearly exemplifies how she uses her raw material fei cui to discover hidden connotations and express her ideas. She explains: "All of the pieces of this collection can be combined or reconstructed according to your taste and style. Collectors can make wholly new models, relishing the beauty of creation. After all, collectors are creators themselves. Their mastery of lines, spaces and emptiness can give a work new life. Life is timeless and all that it contains can be recreated and reborn. That's the truth that governs all things."
A booming economy gave an early jump start to Taiwan's fei cui jewellery design industry, while development of the industry on the Chinese mainland lagged behind by several decades. At one time, people said that "top-quality fei cui all comes from Taiwan." May Lee notes that many Taiwanese jewellery designers, herself included, never attended college. They must rely on their personal taste and appreciation of art to break free from established frameworks and think outside of the box. Only in this way can they bring together fine fei cui materials and craftsmanship so that Taiwan's fei cui jewellery can continue to prosper in an ever-changing market.
Fine Jewellery & Gorgeous Jade founded by May Lee has participated in international jewellery shows for years, and has extensive experience marketing fei cui jewellery to global buyers. She believes that the irregular surfaces of fei cui run counter to the fondness of the Western people for geometric figures. Its indefinable colour and texture make fei cui differ enormously from diamonds and gemstones with their symmetrical faces. She explains: "In Western markets, bestselling fei cui items begin with pure coloured fei cui. A matchless level of craftsmanship is added to create items that are fashionable and easy-to-wear. As celebrations of the unique beauty of fei cui, these designs should break through the boundaries of tradition, giving form to new shapes and expressing their own ideas."
As consumers learn more and better understand fei cui, the acceptance of fei cui jewellery by the younger generation has dramatically increased. May Lee supposes that most younger people look beyond the inherent value of fei cui pieces, focusing instead on the design and presentation of fei cui items. She said: "The wearing of fei cui pieces is part of their everyday life. Fei cui is no longer locked inside the jewellery box."
According to some surveys, young consumers firmly believe that the functionality of a piece of jewellery is key. May Lee works to ensure that fei cui jewellery complements other decorative articles. It seems that this year's new Ribbon Collection jewellery is matched with a leather hand strap. The brooch is simply buckled to the strap and worn like a watch. In addition to being a bracelet, this jewellery can also be rearranged and worn as a pendant and a brooch. With three purposes, it is highly versatile piece with a unique style and a simplicity of design that make it an ideal accompaniment for any outfit.
Millennials are known for their devotion to technology and their passion for online shopping May Lee says: "In terms of consumption habits, gone are the old days of traditional shopping; we live in the age of online shopping. And even if precious gemstones cannot be purchased online, young people go to the internet to discover brand stories, read reviews, and learn what celebrities have to say about their choices. Building brand presence online is crucial, so in addition to our official website, we also share the latest designs and brand trends on Weibo, Facebook, Pinterest and other platforms as part of our effort to increase our brand awareness." (Photo courtesy: May Lee)
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