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The Art Of Pearl Carving (Click for a short video)

For the last month at Shop NBC, I have been dropping hints about an upcoming product launch that would be unlike anything we have ever seen before.  With this in mind, my family and I are proud to announce our partnership with Galatea Jewelry By Artist and it’s founder Chi Huynh, who are the leaders behind the carved pearl movement.  Most recently, Chi was awarded the “Visionary Award” from the International Pearl Design Competition for his forward vision and unique take on pearls and refers to his pearls as “pearls without boundaries.”  In carving them, he has applied non- traditional techniques as a way to uncover beauty within the layers of pearl nacre.  Essentially, we are looking at the application of traditional gemstone techniques being used to create a very non-traditional pearl!  Using a pearl as his canvas, art is created on our organic gems, bringing a fresh twist to an old tradition.  While some may frown on the idea of a carved pearl, I would urge you to be open minded about this process and see how the application of non-pearl and gemstone techniques can add to the pearl and create beauty.  Over the past 19 years, we have asked you to think outside of industry norms when it comes to pearls.  To look beyond the traditional and what I consider to be unrealistic standards of always seeking round and white, blemish- free pearls and focus on the unique qualities that each particular pearl posses.  To allow the pearl to connect with you based on it’s color, luster, organic shapes, or size, forming a connection with the pearl based on it’s natural and organic characteristics so it becomes your own unique gemstone.  As a family, we instantly fell in love with the process of carving pearls and Chi’s interpretation of the pearl.  While we have a deep appreciation for the natural and organic characteristics of a pearl, the idea of “pearls without boundaries” falls directly in-line with our family philosophy on pearls.

To allow you to get to know more about our upcoming launch of Galatea, I would like to share with you some questions and answers from Chi about his carved pearls, his inspiration, and vision for pearls.  Enjoy and I will see you this coming Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening to proudly bring these new items to you!

Nick:  Typically pearls are looked at as an organic gem stone and are prized for their unique natural aspects, yet you chose to change the way pearls are looked at by carving them.  Can you tell me why you chose the pearl as your canvas to carve?

Chi:  I began to carve pearls because I had cracked a pearl’s nacre or external coating while creating a setting for one of my Diamond in a Pearl collection. I never like to waste anything, so I started to experiment with the tools at my bench. The results were beautiful. I began to see that after carving and polishing, it was able to bring so much of the depth and beauty of the pearl to life. Yes, I ran into some criticism from people who didn’t like what I was doing. But now I see a good number of them have come around to my way of thinking. I like to call my carved pearls, “Pearls without Boundaries.” It means that pearls are breaking out of the constraints we normally reserve for them, meaning that we are open to experimentation and the beauty it brings.

Nick:  What is your inspiration when carving the pearls we are bringing to Shop NBC.

Chi:  The Queen Bead Collection has 39 unique carving styles. Everyone is a small work of art, a sculpture, if you will. I am an artist and I use the pearls as any artist would use a piece of marble. When creating the Queen Bead Collection carvings, I took inspiration from the ancient Japanese art of netsuke, small sculptures usually made from ivory (now mammoth ivory), wood or metal. They are a tiny, beautiful sculpture in miniature. I hoped the Queen Bead Collection would offer the same type of wonder and beauty when collected. And they are designed to be collected, mixed and matched as desires.

Nick:  In an industry that many times does not accept change easily, I am sure that people have pushed back against your idea of carving pearls much like people laughed at Robert Wan for culturing Tahitian pearls or Jewelmer for culturing golden pearls. What is your driving force behind your art and quest to create beauty and art, and what was it like to win designer of the year last year?   

Chi:  Yes, last year I received the Visionary Award for the Queen Bead Collection from the International Pearl Design Competition, organized by the Cultured Pearl Association of America. The award states what I set out to accomplish beautifully, since it is given to a company or designer that has “redesigned the iconic pearl strand and shifts the perception of cultured pearls for today’s buyers.” I loved the way they wrote this because “shifting perceptions” is what I am all about. I love to invent things, to create beauty in many different ways. Sometimes I am inspired by many different things, but I always try to look at things differently and sometimes the result is something like carved pearls. No, not everyone was happy with me when I started to carve pearls, but now, I have many admirers. It’s also not easy to create carved pearls, although some say I make it look easy. The actual process is done completely by hand. I wish I could tell you more about it but it is a relatively secretive process.

 Nick:  Can you share a little about your background as an artist and who you draw inspiration from? 

Chi:  I loved to paint and draw, even when I was a little child. When I was new to this country and couldn’t speak the language, I communicated with the children in my classroom by drawing pictures. It won me many friends. I am a jewelry designer but my first love has always been creating art. I paint in oils, and I always experiment with color and form. Some of my favorite artists are the old masters: Monet, van Gogh, Renoir. And I love surrealism, so Dali — who also designed jewelry — is a favorite. But overall, I am most inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, whose blend of inventiveness and artistry just takes me, even today, to another level.

Nick:  When carving pearls, talk a little bit about the patience and practice needed to create a beautiful carving. 

Chi:  We have two factories now filled with artists (I can’t call them workers, because they must be highly skilled artisans) who carve pearls all day long. I have trained each and every one of them myself. This is the process: We must look at each pearl to see the design that they will best serve. Some of our designs need pearls of a specific shape or color, for example. The artisan draws the outline of the carving on the pearl by hand. They are then carved with tools that I designed to cut through the pearl nacre without cracking it. When it is completed, the carved pearl is polished to a high shine. It is at this point that you can see the nacre (pearl coating) in all of its glory. The colors dance and shine. There is no business in the world that can make you happier than creating objects of beauty like this. I am very blessed.