Rong Sun

Artist Statement

Since childhood I have been drawn to the intricacy and complexity of gemstones as well as the gorgeous colours of metals. I use these materials to explore the differences between traditional and contemporary jewellery. As part of the basic language of traditional jewellery design, the combination of metals and gemstones seems so customary that we forget other possibilities. I have attempted to disassemble the setting frame and gemstones and restore them as independent parts that form a new whole. Metal has a purely functional role in setting the stone. Instead, I have explored an inversion of roles: the frame is regarded as the protagonist while the gems play a structural, supporting role. In my designs, I choose the formal language of traditional jewellery, such as the shapes of gems and pearls, while manipulating the design framework to reverse their primary and secondary concepts, providing the viewer with a new perspective on traditional jewellery within the context of contemporary jewellery. Through the unique structure of my pieces, two-dimensional clothes become three-dimensional; independent parts are a part and yet apart. The integration of these disparate elements into a singular whole creates a new kind of aesthetic that I hope to show through my work.