Cindy Chaos’ 2016 Black Label Masterpiece IX “Winter Leaves Necklace” wins Masterpiece London Highlight Award

CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel presents its latest Black Label Masterpieces at Masterpiece London from 27 June to 3 July. Its 2016 Black Label Masterpiece IX “Winter Leaves Necklace” won the Masterpiece London Highlight Award, selected for being the “Best Jewellery Piece of the Fair.”
Philip Hewat-Jaboor, Chairman of the Fair, welcoming back the brand for the second year, said, “Cindy Chao’s jewellery has a very different element: the sculptural quality, the emotional investment, the real intellectual curiosity behind the designs, and the extraordinary combination of stones are put together in a way that no one has ever seen before. It is exceptionally exciting for us. I think it presents a marvelous opportunity for our audience.”

CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel, established by jewellery artist Cindy Chao in 2004, has made a swift rise to the international stage in recent years. In 2016, Cindy Chao became the very first Asian female jeweler to be invited to the then Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris. Her masterful work was claimed by connoisseurs as revolutionizing jewellery craftsmanship. Last year in 2018, the brand was first invited to Masterpiece London and went on to win the “Outstanding Object Award” for its 2018 Black Label Masterpiece XVIII “Peony Brooch”. It was the first time the prestigious Art Fair delivered the award to a jewellery piece; the Awards Committee praised Chao’s Peony Brooch as “an outstanding example of contemporary craftsmanship and great design”.
Later in the same year, Cindy Chao was commended by Asia media for being “The World’s Most Influential Asian Jewellery Artist”. In March 2019, the brand debuted at TEFAF Maastricht by unveiling its 2019 Black Label Masterpieces. The CEO of TEFAF, Patrick van Maris van Dijk, praised CINDY CHAO as being excellent in quality, sophistication and thoughts. It is noticeable that Chao, who is embracing the 15th anniversary of her eponymous brand, is already creating her own Asian legacy on jewellery history by unprecedentedly integrating Asian creativity with cutting-edge Western craftsmanship.

The granddaughter of an architect and daughter of a sculptor, Asian jewellery artist Cindy Chao has been widely commended for her architectural mindset and sculptor savoir-faire. To pay tribute to her unique family legacy, Chao’s latest creations at Masterpiece London (Stand B31) are showcased around a physical Tree of Life. The installation was unveiled earlier this year at TEFAF Maastricht 2019 for the year’s Black Label Masterpiece global tour.
Fusing the ancient 18th-century European artisan wax sculpting technique (la cire perdue in French) with modern cutting-edge craftsmanship, Chao’s Art Jewels are often described as 360-degree miniature works of art featuring a richly organic, sculptural and architectural style.
2019 Black Label Masterpiece IX
“Scultura di Giglio Bangle”

Chao’s sculptural bangle series, the latest collection paying tribute to the Renaissance sculptor and architect Michelangelo, debuted at TEFAF Maastricht with the 2019 Black Label Masterpiece VI “Scultura di Giglio Bangle” (Iris Sculptural Bangle). Featuring a unique, flexible design conceived for six years for the bangle to spread flat like canvas, the oil painting-inspired, spring-themed Iris Sculptural Bangle illustrates Chao’s mesmerizing creativity to freely use an abundant smattering of coloured gems. Composed of seven leaf-life units connected through six invisible axes, the Bangle is a constellation of 4,428 pieces of diamonds, fancy-coloured diamonds and sapphires totaling to over 180 carats. Scattered among fancy-coloured gems are 255 pieces of rose-cut diamonds offering this piece a light and bright touch.
2019 Black Label Masterpiece VI “Scultura di Giglio Bangle”
Four Seasons Collection
Main gemstone:
Pear-shaped fancy vivid yellow diamond 4.02 carats
Side stones:
Diamonds 2,582 pieces / 97.63 carats
Fancy-coloured diamonds 1,174 pieces / 59.36 carats
Sapphires 419 pieces / 9.01 carats
Pink sapphires 220 pieces / 11.08 carats
Orange sapphires 40 pieces / 1.14 carats
Metal: 18k white gold, 18k yellow gold
Size: 7.5 x 7.5 x 7 cm
“Marguerite Brooch”

The 2019 Black Label Masterpiece II “Marguerite Brooch” from the Tango in the Garden Collection features an 84.89-carat cabochon emerald. On the edge of the petals are diamonds set with minimal metal support underneath to portray falling beads of dew. The titanium base is anodized into a golden colour to portray a vivid marguerite flower in the warm beam of sunrise.
2019 Black Label Masterpiece II “Marguerite Brooch”
Tango in the Garden Collection
Main gemstones:
Cabochon emerald 84.89 carats
Side stones:
Diamonds pieces 2,289 pieces / 72.61 carats
Yellow diamonds 1,214 pieces / 40.97 carats
Tsavorites 2,570 pieces / 35.38 carats
Material/Metal: lacquer, titanium, 18k white gold
Size: 12 x 12.5 cm
“Ribbon Brooch”

Also presented is the 2018 Black Label Masterpiece XXI “Ribbon Brooch” featuring an extremely rare 76.91-carat old mine brilliant-cut diamond, GIA-graded as F-colour and VVS1-clarity. Cindy Chao and her team spent over a year collecting 20,000 pieces of rubies around the world from which 2,275 pieces diamond-cut rubies totaling to 117.12 carats were selected to be pave-set on the ultra-undulated ribbon. Each of the gemstone seats is anodized for a glamourous violet hue to accentuate the rubies’ magnificent colour.
2018 Black Label Masterpiece XXI “Ribbon Brooch”
Ribbon Collection
Main gemstone:
Old mine brilliant-cut diamond 76.91 carats
Side stones:
Rubies 2,275 pieces / 117.12 carats
Metal: titanium, 18k white gold
Size: 12.5 x 8.5 cm
“Emerald Architectural Necklace”

The 2019 Black Label Masterpiece VII “Emerald Architectural Necklace” pays homage to Chao’s grandfather. It features a pair of emerald-cut Colombian emeralds of 100 and 99 carats respectively. The highlight of these pieces is the 10,000 pieces of vivid green emerald beads that constitute the main body of the necklace, linked to the main gemstones with specially cut baguette-cut emeralds.
2019 Black Label Masterpiece VII “Emerald Architectural Necklace”
Architectural Collection
Main gemstones:
Emerald-cut Colombian emeralds 2 pieces / 199.84 carats
Side stones:
Diamonds 283 pieces / 9.77 carats
Emeralds 69 pieces / 20.38 carats
Emerald beads 10,000 pieces / 868.71 carats
Conch pearls 2 pieces / 3.08 carats
Sapphire 1,190 pieces / 10.65 carats
Yellow diamond 3.52 carats
Metal: 18k white gold
Size: 21 x 19 x 4 cm
About CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel

CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel was founded in 2004 by jewelry artist Cindy Chao. Chao’s iconic Black Label Masterpieces, which are symbolic of the ongoing metamorphosis of both artistry and technique, merge the rarest gemstones with innovative designs. The White Label Collection, inspired by the artist’s core design concepts, encapsulates these same design principles in a multi-layered manner, offering an alternative to the exclusivity of her Masterpieces. Chao’s art jewels can be seen in museums, auctions, private exhibitions throughout the world, and the brand’s exclusive private showrooms in Hong Kong and Taipei.
- 2007 CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel presents Winter Leaves Choker and Bangle from the Four Seasons Collection at Christie’s New York.
- 2009 The 2009 Black Label Masterpiece I “Royal Butterfly” becomes the first jewellery piece to be featured on the front page of Women’s Wear Daily 150-year history issue.
- 2010 The 2009 Black Label Masterpiece I “Royal Butterfly” is inducted into the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History’s gem collection. The meticulous detailing of the Royal Butterfly symbolizes Cindy Chao’s metamorphosis from jewellery designer to jewellery artist.
- 2011 The 2010 Black Label Masterpiece VIII “Solstice Cuff” is a highlight of the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeites auction and realizes US$465,000, three times the estimate. The Solstice Cuff later features in the Robb Report and is awarded ‘Best of the Best’ 2011 in the fine jewellery category.
- 2012 The Transcendence Butterfly, the 2012 Black Label Masterpiece No. 1, is auctioned at Christie’s achieving US$954,201, over four times the initial estimate.
- 2013 To celebrate its 40th anniversary in Asia, Sotheby’s Hong Kong collaborates with Cindy Chao to create the 2013 Black Label Masterpiece No. 19, an 8.03-carat unheated “Pigeon’s Blood” Burmese Ruby Ribbon Ring. The ring is the highlight of the anniversary auction and achieves US$3.84 million, setting a new record for an Asian contemporary art jewel.
- 2014 Cindy Chao and actress and philanthropist Sarah Jessica Parker co-design the 2014 Black Label Masterpiece I “Butterfly Ballerina Brooch” that depicts a ballerina imitating the graceful beauty of a butterfly. It is auctioned at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale, raising US$1.21 million. The net proceeds from its sale are donated to the New York City Ballet.
- 2016 CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel is invited to participate in the 28th Paris Biennale des Antiquaires where the 2016 Black Label Masterpieces are revealed. The Biennale signified the brand’s swift rise to global recognition at the highly regarded event; it also marked the first worldwide unveil of Chao’s masterful pieces to the public.
- 2018 Unveiled at Masterpiece London, CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel’s “Peony Brooch” is awarded “Outstanding Object Award” by the Masterpiece Award Committee, highly praised as an outstanding example of contemporary craftsmanship and great design.
- 2019 Oscar winning actress Julia Roberts wears CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel’s Architectural Earrings and Branch Bangle to present the Best Picture Award at the 91st Academy Awards.
CINDY CHAO The Art Jewel debuts at TEFAF Maastricht by unveiling its 2019 Black Label Masterpieces. The CEO of TEFAF, Patrick van Maris van Dijk, praises CINDY CHAO as being excellent in quality, sophistication and thoughts.
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