Interview about Spring Dance Multifunctional Necklace , winner of the A' Jewelry Design Award 2025
This necklace draws inspiration from ballet and ribbon dance, embodying the colors of the spring and a ballerina's journey of love and hope. Delicate motifs and figures reflect the graceful dance of ribbons. This multifunctional necklace transforms into six shapes, including a tiara, two pendants, two forms of necklaces, and a ring. It features a spinning ballerina and a flower that blooms mechanically. Created using enameling, it offers cost effective style for various occasions, making it a unique and eco friendly jewelry piece.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsI tried to design this necklace to serve as a multifunctional and cost-effective piece of jewelry. The purpose was to make it useful for different occasions, both in casual and formal ways. I faced many mechanical challenges to achieve a smooth, precise structure that could transform into six different pieces. Locks had to be matched to several parts, with dimensional sensitivity of less than a micrometer, and the final piece had to be comfortable and easy to wear. For the mechanically blooming flower with the curves on the backside, a number of silver samples were crafted to reach the favorable mechanism. Enameling of the various parts was repeated up to eighty times, because the surface of the work was large and all the curvy edges made it even more challenging. To get to a satisfying outcome, I had to repeat the process many times.
To design this multifunctional necklace, I was inspired by love, spring, and dance. The main idea was to evoke the essence of these three concepts. This necklace was born from a story I wrote about a ballerina—a story that became a short video and, eventually, this jewelry piece. Hidden within the design is a psychological idea: art has the power to elevate the human spirit and make the world more beautiful. In my story, the art of dancing helps the ballerina begin anew, embrace a fresh spring, reignite the warmth of love, and heal her broken heart. Every color in this design symbolizes spring, the re-blooming of hope, and desire. The flowers are crafted in vibrant hues to capture spring’s freshness and vitality. A symbol of my initial concept lies within each of the six pieces of this multifunctional jewelry; whether it's a flower in the ring, a ribbon in the necklace, or a ballerina in the pendant, you may find a touch of my story in every single piece it transforms into.
The enameling process had to be repeated many times due to its vast surface and curved form. I wanted to evoke the essence of spring and freshness, so the pink color seemed like the best choice, as I find it a sincere shade for evoking ballet dances and the spring season. The final pink shade was created by mixing pink and purple precisely, achieving Mother of Pearl tender pink shade that helped preserve the delicate expression of the ribbon.
To design a high-quality and luxurious jewelry piece that provokes a sense of motion, I tried to invent a dynamic mechanism while maintaining its delicate and glamorous appearance. I wanted the flower to bloom when the ballerina spins—a process that had to be done very precisely so that the function would not affect the aesthetics. To maintain the ballerina's spinning mechanism, the ribbon size needed precise calculation.
These locks had to be crafted many times to reach the desirable design. Although they had to be tiny and delicate, they also had to be functional and high-quality so they would not get loose while being used over and over again.
Being multifunctional makes Spring Dance an eco-friendly design. Although it is only one piece of jewelry, but it can be worn on different occasions. Some parts of it are handmade using natural gemstones. I addressed ecological concerns during the manufacturing process while preserving its elegant and glamorous look.
This necklace is designed based on a story I wrote myself; thus, I tried to convey the romantic essence of my story through it. I wanted to preserve the expression of my narration captured in the video made from my story under my supervision. The ballet dance with the ribbon, the spring blossoms, the ballerina spinning inside the ribbon—they all narrate my tale. My initial idea grew into a splendid piece of fine jewelry. I really wanted to retain the artistic features of my design while creating high jewelry.
One of the most challenging parts of the design was to resemble the tenderness of a ribbon using a material such as gold. I had to be very delicate to achieve that goal. The necklace was tested on a model several times to achieve the finalized smooth curves that felt natural on the skin and matched the body shape. The other ribbon, couldn’t be too big, but it had to be large enough for the ballerina to spin easily. That was a serious challenge, because the feeling of dance and the wrapping shape of the ribbon around the ballerina had to be maintained. To achieve the desirable final outcome, this necklace had to be crafted several times.
I have always been eager to combine classical and modern design characteristics. Even in my paintings or interior design projects I did as a hobby, I fuse these two, enjoying a synthesis of classical design’s originality with the convenience and excitement of modern style. I like to see these aspects as a unified whole. Spring Dance is a classical jewelry piece with contemporary mechanical features, using modern techniques to give a fresh interpretation to traditional design. Designers could benefit from adding a touch of contemporary flair to classical pieces to create a new signature style.
Being awarded this prize was an encouragement to me and left me with powerful inspiration to pursue my special ideas. I might have been hesitant about giving life to many of my imaginative designs, but now I feel I have the strength and self-confidence to develop a new series of rebellious and meaningful concepts. Jewelry should not be considered merely a material investment but as an artwork which can carry a meaningful message inside. Artistic jewelry can attract more attention than those created with no concept and only hold value as precious metal and gemstones. I am deeply interested in art, especially painting, so when my jewelry design is recognized as an art piece, it fills me with pure joy.
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