Chinese Jewelry artists (part 2): (other) 7 designers to see at Romanian Jewelry Week 2025 

I told you there is a lot of creativity among Chinese jewelry designers. Part 2 – with more 7 artists is here. From childhood memories to the deepest feelings, from craftsmanship to unique materials – meet (other) 7 Chinese designers to see at Romanian Jewelry Week 2025

From October 1–5, 2025, Bucharest will host the sixth edition of Romanian Jewelry Week, the most important contemporary jewelry event in Romania. The full program will soon be available on www.romanianjewelryweek.com.  (Read here about ROJW 2024)
Romanian Jewelry Week 2025 – National Library of Romania – October 1–5, 2025. October 1–3 – free entry. October 4–5 – tickets available via www.iabilet.ro. 

1. Designer: Tong Wu. Collection: Crown – @ _tong_wu_

The main message of your collection is… “Crown presents” silver table objects developed through a silversmithing and visual – arts approach. The work departs from conventional tableware typologies and considers how an object can move between table and body in an exhibitory context, focusing on material, proportion and use.

You chose to focus on jewelry because… Working with a jewelers sensitivity to body-scale, touch and precision helps me rethink silverware- its form, structure and function. This is an art-led inquiry rather than a fashion context.

The perfect jewelry / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that... A minimal silver table piece that can be handled and briefly positioned on the hand during presentation. City: Bucharest – where heritage meets the contemporary. Music: instrumental/post-rock, quiet enough to let the form speak.

2. Designer: Ariel Jingyan Zhu. Collection: Standard Answer – @arielzhu_77

The main message of your collection is… My project “Standard Answer” critiques China’s exam-oriented education. By asking people to assemble standardized jewelry, it shows how individuality can be reduced to templates, and how identity is quietly shaped under the illusion of freedom.

You chose to focus on jewelry because… it is intimate and tied to identity. It usually reflects “who I am”, but in my project, it turns into “what one should be”, making the tension between individuality and standardization more visible.

The perfect jewelry / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that… The perfect jewelry is not flawless, but carries the marks of touch, time, and freedom. The perfect city is one where ruins and new life coexist, where individuality finds space to breathe. The music that belongs to it would be like a drifting melody – sometimes structured, sometimes dissolving – always leaving room for imagination.

3. Designer: Xilin Hu. Collection: Morph – @hollyjewellery.xilin 

The main message of your collection is… I hope things can be more useful. This may conflict with jewelry’s inherent decorative qualities, but I can’t stop thinking about improving efficiency in my life. “Morph” stems from my pursuit of wearing jewelry multiple times. I wanted to create jewelry that could be worn in different places and combined with different metals or gemstones. “Morph” is a success. The process of changing and piecing it together brings me the same joy of playing with Lego. Similarly, this “uncommon” aspect is truly cool. I hope to explore new directions for “jewelry”. 

You chose to focus on jewelry because… I believe “Art is a spiritual pursuit that transcends life, and design is a tool to bring art back to life”, jewelry is a very good way to show art with people in life, it’s a “Portable small sculpture” to show my love and my thoughts. And, I love shiny and exquisite things.  

The perfect jewelry / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that… Birmingham. This is where the collection was born, it has both industrial and jewelry DNA.

4. Designer: Yingying Qiu. Collection: Land of the Lustrous – @yingyingqiu_

The main message of your collection is… “Land of the Lustrous” explores the tension between fragility and resilience, transformation and impermanence. The pieces are composed of layered materials – blackened fungus, plaster, pearls – that gradually shift over time, revealing hidden light and softness beneath a rough surface. The collection reflects on how vulnerability and strength coexist, and how beauty can emerge from decay, silence, and the unknown.

You chose to focus on jewelry because…  Jewelry is a uniquely intimate medium – it touches the skin directly and becomes part of the body’s memory. At the same time, jewelry carries traces of touch, warmth, and time. It allows me to explore intimacy in a way that is both personal and universal: a small object can hold emotions, contradictions, and entire landscapes within it.

The perfect jewelry / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that… The perfect jewelry is not flawless but transformative – something that slowly reveals its essence through wearing. I imagine it in a Nordic landscape: cold seas holding pearls, damp forests nurturing fungi, and raw rocks exposing the roughness of metal. Its sound would be the quiet scrape of stone and the heavy strike of metal – silence charged with resilience.

5. Designer: Yusi Wang. Collection: Hide Money – @yusi2499 

The main message of your collection is… This series of works originates from my grandmother. When I was young, she once did something that deeply inspired me, prompting me to reflect on the profound impact of human behavior and craftsmanship on our lives, as well as the wide-ranging effects of the non-traditional use of materials. In my childhood, my grandmother had a unique talent – she cleverly used old, no longer wearable socks to make small wallets. Each wallet appeared worn, full of the marks of time, and could be described as “ugly”, yet my grandmother insisted they were both durable and convenient. When I was younger, I felt embarrassed by these less-than-attractive wallets and indeed was teased because of them, so much so that I was reluctant to show them to others. Every time I made a payment, I would secretly take the money out of my pocket to avoid drawing attention. However, over the past twenty years, these unattractive “sock wallets” have become an indelible part of my memory, as well as a bond connecting me with my grandmother, gradually becoming an emotional conduit between one generation and the next. Years later, as I became a designer, it was precisely because of my grandmother’s clever transformation of these old socks into wallets that they were no longer just containers for money, but rather symbols of how any inconspicuous material or object could possess extraordinary utility in life. I then realized that this was exactly what I had been pursuing all along. Through countless creative attempts and photography sessions, I continuously explored unique angles and unconventional forms of expression, searching for my own distinct creativity, and dedicated myself to breaking “boundaries”. I believe this is also the goal many contemporary designers seek – to break the boundaries of creation through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative material applications. 

If my grandmother’s actions initially stemmed from a consideration of waste recycling and environmental consciousness, then one could also say she possessed a unique creativity that inadvertently altered the properties of objects. It was precisely this unconscious behavior that added a sense of mystery to the whole process, deepening the meaning of design. With an innocent and unconscious heart, my grandmother engaged in a fascinating creative process. This marvelous experience profoundly inspired me, leading me to reflect on the close relationship between fashion jewelry and humility. Thus, I began to express humility through contemporary jewelry and explore its role in the fashion field. Throughout the entire series of works, I continuously explored the “sock wallets” of my childhood, eventually extracting various abstract shapes from them, then using the cyanotype technique to transfer the sock’s texture onto recycled fabrics. The old and worn fabric, softened by long periods of friction against the skin, fascinated me, and through the process of repeated creation and exhibition, I constantly revisited my memories and received feedback from others. “Repetition and memory are the same movement, yet they unfold in opposite directions; because what people recall is what has already been, it is a backward-looking repetition; while repetition in its original sense is a forward-looking recollection.” I attempt to present the beautiful things in my memory that are closely linked to emotions, the materials, forms, and details that have been “warmed by the skin” as well as the functional “image” experiences they evoke, in a perceptible, tactile, and visual manner. For me, this is a new form of creation and repetition. 

You chose to focus on jewelry because… Within the expansive context of contemporary art, I have chosen jewelry as my primary medium of creation, a decision rooted in its unique wearability and intimacy. Jewelry engages in direct contact with the human body, making it one of the most personal forms of artistic expression. The interaction between the wearer’s warmth, skin, and the piece itself imbues the work with a distinct vitality once it has been “warmed by the body.” This intimate experience grants jewelry a depth of emotion and a tactile dimension that transcends mere visual perception. Jewelry also possesses a profound social dimension. Its portability naturally breaks away from the traditional notion of artworks as static objects confined to exhibition spaces. Jewelry travels with its wearer, entering public spaces and offering audiences an approachable entry point to art. As an adornment, it integrates seamlessly into everyday life and serves as a subtle yet powerful means of expression in daily interactions and social contexts. This transition from the private to the public sphere positions jewelry as an essential medium for bridging the individual and the collective, as well as art and society. For me, jewelry-making is not merely a technical pursuit but a form of artistic expression that materializes delicate, internal emotions. Furthermore, jewelry’s intimate scale offers unique possibilities for artistic narrative. In contrast to large-scale installations or architectural works, jewelry conveys complex concepts and emotions within a confined physical space, utilizing meticulous craftsmanship, refined details, and distinctive material language. It acts as a concentrated vessel of artistic meaning, a microcosm through which grand narratives unfold, inviting viewers to experience the intellectual depth embedded in its intricacies.

My creative philosophy is deeply grounded in material transformation and an attitude of humility toward craftsmanship. I frequently employ discarded textiles and reclaimed materials from daily life, redesigning and reworking them to reveal new layers of significance and beauty. This transformation extends beyond the physical material, becoming a reinterpretation of human emotion, memory, and systems of value. Through the visual impact and tactile engagement of jewelry, I aim to offer audiences a gentle yet thought-provoking entry point to contemporary art, encouraging them to embrace its criticality and openness in a more accessible way. Ultimately, jewelry is not only a medium for artistic creation but also a bridge through which I explore relationships between people and objects, body and memory, and the individual and society. It nurtures expansive narratives within a micro scale, connecting intimate experiences with broader cultural contexts, and serves as a vital language through which I express ideas and provoke reflection.

The perfect jewelery / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that… For me, the ideal piece of jewelry doesn’t need to shine under the bright lights of a bustling metropolis; it feels most at home in the quiet rhythm of a small city, much like my hometown. It is the warmth and memories of that place that first inspired this collection. In my work, I often use soft fabrics and cotton—materials that feel warm and gentle to the touch. Their colors are muted, a calm shade of blue that brings me a sense of comfort and serenity. When I think of music for my jewelry, what comes to mind first is not my own taste, but the voice messages left by my family—their greetings, laughter, and everyday words. These small fragments of sound are more moving than any melody and carry the deepest emotions in my creative process. Perhaps tender, soothing music would also accompany these pieces well, as if the jewelry is quietly telling its own story, bringing intimacy and a sense of peace to the wearer.

6. Designer: Yutong Liu. Collection: Wuyou Garden Post-Punk – @yutong_liu5

The main message of your collection is… My collection explores the dialogue between poetry, walking, and jewelry. Inspired by my city strolls and the fragmented verses I wrote during them, I transformed words into material form. The works invite viewers to reorganize and reinterpret poetic fragments, building their own inner gardens of imagination. The main message is about creating a space of freedom and emotional resonance, where jewelry becomes not just adornment, but a medium for personal reflection and storytelling.

You chose to focus on jewelry because… Jewelry has a unique intimacy – it is worn close to the body, carried through daily life, and often connected to memory and emotion. Unlike other fashion forms, jewelry can be small yet profound, both material and symbolic. For me, it is the perfect vessel to merge poetry, philosophy, and cultural identity, allowing these intangible ideas to become tactile and wearable.

The perfect jewelry / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that… The perfect jewelry is not about perfection in form, but about creating resonance between the piece and the person who wears it. My pieces could live in any city where people are open to contemplation and self-expression – whether in the quiet corners of Kyoto, the layered histories of Rome, or the vibrant energy of London. The music that goes with them would be something atmospheric and experimental, perhaps a blend of ambient soundscapes and poetic whispers, allowing the jewelry to become part of a multi-sensory experience.

7. Designer: Yuxiao Zhu. Collection: Theatre of Life – @xiaoxiao_yu2

The main message of your collection is… “Theatre of Life” reimagines jewelry as a stage where themes of birth, death, and renewal unfold. Each piece is both symbolic and interactive—inviting the wearer to pause, reflect, and experience life’s cycles in a tactile, poetic way. Rather than offering answers, the works accompany the viewer in moments of waiting, remembering, or simply being present.

You chose to focus on jewelry because… Because jewelry exists in constant dialogue with the body. For me, it is not only adornment but also a companion – something that shapes and is shaped by the person who wears it. In this exchange, jewelry becomes a quiet ritual object, enriching everyday life with narrative and emotion.

The perfect jewelry / the perfect city to wear it and the music that goes with that… I would wear it in a city known for its theatrical spirit – perhaps Naples, with its comic traditions, or Paris, with its dramatic flair. The soundtrack would be music that embraces pauses and ambiguity, maybe minimal jazz or even silence itself, allowing the jewelry to become part of the performance.

Photography: courtesy of artists / ROWJ 2025.