The holding edge is an
The holding edge is an organiclooking, undulating frame with 1,731 tsavorites, their vivid green tone recalling the leaf in sunshine, while a curved-up section frames the piece’s star gem – a 3.8 carat Colombian Muzo emerald, a type famed for great depth of colour and clarity and regarded as the world’s best. The leaf’s central rib is truly organic, made from natural horn, polished to a translucent amber and shaped by gently heating and bending into the exact shape required by the design, something that can be done only once with each piece of horn. In the base is the classic finishing touch of a pear-shaped white diamond. This amazing piece, which blends an imagined version of natural reality in Cindy’s adventurous style with the use of high craft pushed to the limits, appears in her latest project, her own Gallery. She travels constantly, and has certain aspects of her designs crafted in Europe, but she keeps strong links with Taiwan and its capital, Taipei – where her career started. Here, in the luxurious setting of the Regent Taipei Hotel, she has opened her first “mini-museum” to introduce both her work and her philosophy to the public. It is in itself a work of high design. Cindy’s concept is overseen by Dutch architect Tom Postma who has applied the principles of classical architecture in creating a space with a strong central axis, lined with spectacular showcases and a focal display and using materials designed to last centuries, such as the textured bronze walls by French designer Ingrid Donat. The four deep gold, freestanding showcases “frame” Masterpieces within each and enable them to be seen from all angles, evoking different emotions. On slender bases, each seems to float in the softly lit Gallery, while the nine works in the centrepiece display on a mirrored wall literally do float, levitating by a high-tech system to create a dream world of jewels. With her work already displayed in some of the world’s great decorative arts museums, including the V&A in London, Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, opening her own museum is a logical and generous move, giving her compatriots the chance to see her stunning, unique pieces. Jewellery aficionados across the world will be hoping she will repeat the idea in other regions.
|Reſlections| Pompeii’s Return to the Future The ancient Italian site is taking a novel approach to attracting visitors – and might just be pointing the way forward for cultural monuments across the globe. By Lee Marshall Photography by Roberto Salomone CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 43
