Wabi Sabi World:

I've been under the weather this week.

Instead of moping around and not being productive, I am going to take this 'down time' to revive writing in this space. Hopefully I can keep this a sustained effort.

So, yesterday I had a request from a customer to make a brooch out of our carved blue chalcedony flower (Daffodil? I'm going with daffodil since it is a popular flower/plant for the Chinese, 水仙花.) I remember going to night flower markets during Chinese New Year in Hong Kong as a kid and seeing aisles upon aisles of potted daffodils in water .... kind of like pine trees at Christmas.

Anyhow, back to the main story.

So, playing around with the blue chalcedony daffodil reminded me of how much I really like this stone.

The periwinkle color is unique to this stone. When you think of this stone, you think of two women: Suzanne Belperron and Wallace Simpson the Duchess of Windsor.

Here comes the jewelry & gemstone historian side of me:

Suzanne Belperron was an important French jewelry designer working in the mid-20th century. Her bold style and avant-garde taste led to her of use of unusual materials like the stone du jour - blue chalcedony.

She never signed her pieces stating that "her style is her signature."

What a sassy lady ...

Speaking of sass, one of Belperron's most famous clients was Wallace Simpson the Duchess of Windsor. She was the American divorcée who stole Prince Edward VIII's heart and the reason he abdicated the throne.

Yes, the man gave up being THE KING OF ENGLAND to be with her.

He also lavished this parure of gorgeous blue chalcedony jewels on his sweetheart designed by Belperron and you can see her wearing the necklace and earrings on the right while he lovingly gazes at her. *sigh*

Okay, snap out of it. I know your brains went off to la la land for a sec.

And here are some other pieces Belperron designed in chalcedony that embodies her distinctive bold curvy style. This was unique at the height of her success because her contemporaries were doing angular and geometric shapes in-line with the Art Deco style of the period:

And that is the woman herself.

She also did some significant and gorgeous diamond and sapphire pieces that you should look up if I've piqued your interest in her. But since this post is about blue chalcedony, I've kept the images mostly that.

Ta! 'Til next time.

Hi all,

Happy 2019! I've been remiss in writing in this journal last year. Will resolve to update this space more often in 2019.

In the meantime, I found this mesmerizing clip on the process of Chinese silk painting from the V & A Museum and just had to share it here. I've always wondered how the paint adhered to and absorbed into silk which is such a slippery fabric. Mystery solved!

Recently we were invited by the Singapore Tourism Board to participate in George Town Festival.

For those who are unfamiliar, George Town is the capital and historic center of Penang, Malaysia situated by the Malacca Strait. If you like your towns steeped in history, with atmospheric streets lined with heritage architecture then this little gem is for you.

In 2008, George Town was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site - and rightly so! Every where you turn, there is something to feast your eyes on. The historic center is quite small and is totally walkable with lots of street art and 19th century architecture to meander through and admire.

I didn't get to take that many photos during daylight as we were busy with the festival but we did manage to walk around on the first night to capture some amazing sights.

There's lots of Chinese influence here in architecture and food as Chinese migrants landed and settled in Penang in the 19th century. Speaking of food ... Penang is well known for its take on SE Asian food and we did manage to try some local fares but I forgot to take photos of any, ha! Too hungry for futzing around with the camera.

Here we were displaying our porcelain jewelry.

It was a neat experience and we had a great time although I wish we had a little more time during the day to fill our bellies with local cuisine as some of the more well known food places close early and don't do dinner service.

And here's a parting shot. Just love these circular walls in Chinese courtyards.

x 'til next time!

I've been reading about Singapore's 'dragon kiln' for a while. Finally, this past weekend, I made it there. This place is HUGE! If you're a ceramic and pottery enthusiast, this is a must-see.

Left: The mouth of the 'dragon kiln'. Right: The body of the kiln on an incline with little 'windows'.

Most people come here to see the main attraction - the aptly named 'dragon kiln'. It's basically an ancient type of pottery firing set-up used throughout Asia and invented in China. The kiln is shaped like a tunnel with a mouth where the fire is started and maintained. This particular one in Singapore was built in the 1940s but there are ones in China that have been around for hundreds of years. The dragon kiln is only fired up a few times a year. I asked the lady when the next firing is and she said December. So, I guess you will have to wait!

Peranakan style tableware

I came here expecting to see the kiln and some pottery for sale but what surprised me was the size of this place and all the other stuff there is to see! There is old Peranakan furniture, lots and lots of pottery from tiny toothpick holders to large wash basins, to antique kimonos, to new Peranakan style tableware etc.

You can even sign up for hand-built and wheel throwing pottery workshops.

What a neat discovery!

Hey y'all! This Saturday Apr 28, I will be conducting a workshop at LUMINE Singapore's gorgeous store at Clarke Quay Central where I'll be showing you how to make these fun and bold tassel earrings with leather and paper florets. Go sign up in the link in bio on Insta @lumine.sg. You're gonna get some free stuff with your sign-up! Go. Now.

I'm so in love with these graphic blue and white porcelain earrings with pearls. The best part is, the studs can be worn on their own, separate from the porcelain jackets. Not usually one to brag, but that was a stroke of genius! And as evidenced in the pic, you thought so too! Because you bought one for yourself and one for your sis! Oh, and the black onyx triangle tab earrings that we custom cut and made for your cuz, hawt!!