Juen's jewels

 

Bold and Beautiful Bling

From a “Pussy Brooch” created as an homage to controversial songstress Peaches to a range inspired by beetles, German-born, Shanghai-based jewelry artist Lisa Juen is primarily concerned with pushing the boundaries of beauty in her creations.

“If you want to wear one of my pieces it has to be a good day. If you are not having a good day it might be too much,” Juen says with a laugh, and more than a hint of understatement.

Shanghai designers -- Lisa Juen - pussy broochThe (in)famous "Pussy Brooch," created as a homage to the singer Peaches, from Lisa Juen's Booming Blooming line.Some of these pieces are the size of dinner plates and many of them also come complete with flashing LED lights, Juen, it seems, only designs jewelry suited to the brashest of Shanghai fashionistas.
Creative contrasts

A recent visit to her Shanghai studio revealed Juen's new jewelry series that incorporates materials as diverse as stainless steel, laser cut stones and enamel, alongside an enduring fascination with the nature of how we perceive what is aesthetically pleasing.

“There is a contrast between the coldness and artificial feeling of the steel and the homely feeling of the enamel. There needs to be a contrast,” Juan says of her next line of work.

“My pieces are pretty, but at the same time, there is something repulsive in there as well. Not everything is as nice as it first appears.”

After a tough creative beginning to her time in Shanghai (she describes her first year in the city as “completely blocked”), Juan has acclimatized to her new surroundings and now finds inspiration in the city's chaotic environs.

    If you want to wear one of my pieces it has to be a good day.— Lisa Juen, Shanghai  jewelry designer

“I try to tell little stories through my pieces. I usually start with a word and go from there -- it's quite intuitive,” she says.

“I work with my environment a lot,” Juen continues. “The lights and the blinking incorporated into my jewelry in recent years are very Shanghai.”
Spreading the word

Though avant-garde jewelry art is still in its infancy in China, Juen is doing her bit to spread the word.

As well as working on her own collection, Juen spends her time (and earns much of her living) as the course director of the Contemporary Jewelry Foundation Course at AIVA (Academy of International Visual Arts) here in Shanghai, preparing young Chinese designers for a future in jewelry.Lisa Juen -- shanghai designers - brooch 2Lisa Juen's "I Make You Look Smart" brooch from her Globalores line. The piece doubles as a brooch and necklace.

At the moment Juen's jewelry is primarily sold through her website, and occasionally through galleries when she exhibits her collections.

The artist's attachment to her work is obvious as Juen speaks, and she admits that after working so hard to create each piece, it can be difficult to say good-bye when they do find a new home.

“It's very sad to let pieces go because I made them and it's like they are a part of me,” she says.

“But I guess it's like having children," Juen continues. "I want them to go out into the world and have their own life.”

Adopting one of Juen's babies will set you back RMB 6,500 to 9,000 for the larger pieces, but there is also a commercial range of “more pretty, wearable pieces,” according to Juen, retailing for between RMB 500 and 1,500.