July: South of the Clouds

Hello! I hope you’re having a wonderful start to August. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on a new jewelry collection, and I’m so excited to finally share it.

July was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me. Between organizing my first photoshoot, making last-minute design changes, dealing with failed castings and production delays, and fighting my camera-shyness to film myself in videos for social media, I spent quite a bit of time outside my comfort zone.

This is the first time I’ve put intentional thought and effort into creating a body of work where every piece was designed to share the same story and visual language. There were definitely a lot of growing pains and mistakes I learned from during this phase of development, and I’ll be ready to apply those lessons to my next collection - but for now, I’m just proud of what I’ve accomplished. After all these weeks of work, releasing these pieces into the world feels both exciting and a little daunting.

So, without further ado... here it is!

This collection is rooted in my childhood memories of Yunnan. Both of my parents grew up in Shanghai before moving to the United States, and I spent many summers there with my grandparents, aunt, and cousin. But when I was 10, my paternal grandparents moved to Kunming, a city in Yunnan province, and the first time I visited them I felt like I stepped into an entirely different world.

Compared to the high-rises and hustle bustle of Shanghai, the calm nature in Yunnan felt so expansive - with its winding rivers, rocky mountain peaks that rose out of nowhere, and lush greenery that stretched in every direction. I remember feeling this sense of wonder, which - after all the sharp edges of my memories have worn down - has stayed with me ever since. This collection is my attempt to capture that feeling.

Starting off with the portal ring, which I see as a small opening into this world. I love how understated it is, and how its simple open silhouette naturally frames and complements the jewelry worn alongside it.

My family has always teased my dad about his love of the number 888 - according to him, it’s triple good luck. As I was carving this ring and saw the shape of three “8” halves emerging, it was a no-brainer for me to dedicate this one to him.

This was the first piece of the collection that I made, and the one that kicked this whole project into motion. I was inspired both by the expressiveness found in the ink brushstrokes of Chinese writing, as well as the sharp rise and fall of Yunnan’s topographical landscape. I also love that, depending on how you rotate it, this ring looks like a whole new piece. Aka: two rings in one!

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making my own version of a traditional Chinese hair stick for a while now, and I’m really proud of how this one came out. It features a whimsical little lucky cloud carved in the handle.

This feels like a natural continuation of my previous ring designs, just on a larger scale. I tried to capture the winding ebb and flow of water. I also love that it’s adjustable, and can fit looser or tighter on the wrist depending on the day.

These began as small experiments while I was developing the portal ring. I loved the subtle melt-y texture so much that I decided to make them into their own piece. They’re simple enough for everyday wear, but still have a little bit of design personality.

It feels a little vulnerable sharing these pieces, after spending so many weeks and months working on them by myself in my studio.

If you’ve followed along with the process - whether through these newsletters, social media, or in person - thank you!! Your encouragement made it much easier to keep going, and I hope something in this collection resonates with you. And a special shoutout to my friends Yuki, Allen and Gian for their help with the photoshoot. All the images that you’ve seen here are thanks to them - I couldn’t have asked for better models or a more talented photographer ♥️

I am happy to announce that the South of the Clouds collection is now live on my website. And if you’re in NYC, I’ll be at The Seaport this Saturday (8/8) if you’d like to see them in person.

As always, thanks for reading to this point. Much love!

Best,

Katherine