Journey to the Giardino delle Rose in Florence, Italy, where Cindy Chao takes inspiration for the Rose Collection. Blooming in spring’s elements, the Rose Earrings imbue all the romance of the flower, charming the wearer much like how the garden charmed the artist. Undulating petals are brought to life courtesy of an array of colour-changing gemstones, meticulously set within a titanium backdrop where vivid refractions of light create an awe-inspiringly lifelike appearance. To the centre, fancy yellow diamonds offer a striking contrast, surrounded by creeping lacquer stamens – a meticulous detail that has become signature of Chao’s floral works of art.

Falling with all the grace and power of a waterfall after which they’re named, the Waterfall Earrings cascade from sparkling gemstone pools; a pear-shaped Sri Lankan sapphire and a Colombia Muzo emerald in deep sea green and blue hues. Organic, layered streams drip with diamonds, the sparkling essence of water captured by additional rose-cut and fancy-coloured diamonds, each set dynamically within 18K gold to enhance the palpable movement. Like a mirrored surface of a lake, this fluidity is reflected in a flexible mechanism that allows the earrings to unfold – a feat of design ingenuity achieved only by the deftest of hands.

A design evolution, Cindy Chao’s latest work in the Ribbon Collection takes the delicate single-strand bow previously featured and transforms it using her signature engineering mindset. Forever entwined, rows of unfathomably hard titanium are woven with an ineffable sense of ease, appearing as naturally as fabric courtesy of masterfully intricate joints. Sapphires and purple garnets are arranged in an understated spectrum of shades, lending a sense of depth and dimension through the interplay of light and shadow. With edges caressed by outlines of 18K yellow gold, a white diamond becomes the centrepiece, capturing hearts and imaginations much like the pure act that inspired it – the giving of gifts.

The act of gift-giving is one imbued with the sincerest of emotion, meticulous care and thoughtfulness, materialised in the tying of a ribbon. This warm and blessed moment inspired Cindy Chao to create the Ribbon Bangle, using exquisite white-gold metalwork to create the softest lines and curvatures. Three-dimensional and full of movement as if caressed by a gentle breeze – an effect achieved by the artist’s distinctive wax sculpting technique – the bangle’s twisting forms are enhanced with a constellation of white diamonds and precious metal to create a superbly soft, textile-like finish.

Every piece in Cindy Chao’s White Label Collection is an invaluable treasure, but the Sweet Violet Earrings are truly an artistic wonder, defined by two delicate, rosy-hued conch pearls of around 4 carats each that are found in glistening Caribbean waters. A jewel of the natural world that cannot be reproduced artificially, these precious gems are crowned by signature yellow stamens – each crafted in 18K gold and painted in layers of French lacquer to create their organic, powdery finish. Purple garnet, sapphires and rhodolite are set in anodised pink-purple titanium, with an almost translucent lilac tint to the petals showcasing Chao’s unparalleled ability to translate spatial sensibility and sculptural skill into wearable works of art.

Nature has always been a profound source of inspiration for Cindy Chao, and it serves as the cornerstone of her renowned Four Seasons Collection. The latest additions to the series, the Heart of Jesus Earrings and accompanying Rings, showcase a rare technique in Chao’s artistic arsenal: signature titanium backdrops are electrically treated to achieve a vivid green colour which harmonises with the gemstones in a captivating colour effect. To represent the mottled texture of leaves, rose-cut diamonds are meticulously set in elliptical voids while shades of green tsavorites are used to depict a variegated texture and nod to pointillism style.

Feather by name, feather by nature; Cindy Chao’s groundbreaking craftsmanship is seen no more so than in the Feather Collection. Seemingly floating with ethereal effect, an extremely thin titanium setting creates the illusion of layered diamonds free of metal structure – an artisan technique first used by the artist in her 2020 Feather creations. As light as a real feather with its titanium backdrop, the piece is adorned with more than 1,700 precious stones, its rich purplish-red colourway the result of meticulous metal anodisation to evoke the magic of dusky sunsets.

In the charming Tango in the Garden Collection, Cindy Chao playfully expresses the scenes of the garden, with each petal radiating vitality. Meticulously set diamonds are interspersed with yellow diamonds to create an almost tactile, three-dimensional effect that speaks to the artist’s effortless ability to capture depth and artistic perception. An ineffably rare Burmese sapphire of 32 carats takes centre stage, encompassed by a glowing halo of stamens. A signature of Chao’s floral creations, these are crafted in 18K gold and painted with layers of French lacquer – its powdery effect expanding the organic feel of the piece.