Blue Anthurium brooch

Blue Anthurium brooch
Feng J
2021
Paraiba tourmaline (3 pear shaped, 4.19 ct); aquamarine, purplish spinel, pinkish sapphire, and grey spinel (98 double rose-cut, 79.82 ct); diamonds (15515 round, 16.72 ct); 18k electroplated gold

The dreamy landscapes and subtle palettes of French Impressionist artists informed the colors Feng J selected for this ethereal brooch. The artist explained, “My idea is to paint with gemstones, just as the Impressionists painted with light, hue, and shadow.” While working in Paris, Feng J created the “floating” setting used in Blue Anthurium, using gently colored electroplated gold to help the metalwork disappear into the background of her design. Feng J’s oeuvre builds on the work of Chinese jewelry artists like Wallace Chan, Anna Hu, and others who introduced new materials, like anodized titanium, and a bold scale into haute joaillerie (French for “high jewelry”), though she utilizes more traditional materials. Her subtle and innovative style is simultaneously large and highly sculptural but also delicate, appearing as if held together by air.

Gift of the artist
2023.4