Aliko Chen Jewelry’s lushly colored enamel pieces turn each wearer’s neck, ears or wrists into a gallery. The brand was founded two years ago by designer Aliko Chen (陳奕婷), who derives inspiration from sources as diverse as films, poetry and the Rorschach inkblot test.
Chen first discovered enamel while studying metalworking as a graduate student in applied arts at Fu Jen Catholic University (天主教輔仁大學).
“A lot of jewelry just depends on the original color of the metal, but that’s very limiting,” Chen says. “When I started to use enamel, I wanted to make accessories that used different colors to represent different personalities, or that would allow people to express how they feel.”
Photo: Courtesy of Aliko Chen
Chen’s latest work is a group of four penholders inspired by Yuan Dynasty poet Weng Sen’s (翁森) The Joy of Studying in Four Seasons (四時讀書樂). Each penholder represents a season; Chen carefully engraved the characters of the poem’s corresponding stanza onto a brass base before layering translucent enamel over it to create an iridescent effect. The series was created for the Guling Street Books and Creative Bazaar (牯嶺街書香創意市集), which takes place on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 (additional information can be found at blog.roodo.com/nanhai).
Another series is based on an illustration of a bird with a large teardrop falling from its eye that Chen drew after the March earthquakes and tsunami in Japan. Despite its somber inspiration, the pendant is enameled in an exuberant array of bright colors. The teardrop motif is repeated in several bracelets and delicate earrings.
“There was so much bad news coming from all over the world at that time,” Chen says. “I drew a teardrop, but the teardrop is a rainbow, because it symbolizes emerging life.”
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
There are several techniques for applying enamel powder to metal. Chen often treats the substance like paint pigment, mixing it with a liquid medium and using a brush to apply it to sterling silver or brass bases. The pieces are then fired in an oven, which not only melts and fuses the powder to the base, but also intensifies the color.
It also means that the results can be unpredictable. Chen’s most popular custom designs include portrait pendants of people and pets that she carefully “sketches” with enamel powder. Sometimes fine details are lost in the firing process and Chen has to start over from scratch. For each portrait, Chen can make and discard up to five or six versions before she is finally satisfied.
Chen also experiments with other methods of applying color and designs to enamel. For a series of pendants inspired by the Rorschach test, Chen used transfers that were made for decorating traditional Chinese ceramics. A pendant based on the inkblot from the sixth Rorschach card (commonly called the “mother card” after the female figures some people see in it) has a delicate image of a goldfish on one side.
Photo: Courtesy of Aliko Chen
The inkblots, which are used by some psychologists to determine personality characteristics, often make their way into Chen’s jewelry-making classes, which she teaches about once each month.
“I asked my students to look at the inkblots and use them as inspiration for their own enamel design, to experiment with them and create what they felt like,” says Chen, who studied education as an undergraduate.
While in school, Chen became interested in design while creating posters and flyers for student groups. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she decided to pursue an arts career and applied to the program at Fu Jen.
Photo: Courtesy of Aliko Chen
“My family did not understand why I would give up a good career opportunity after I had already earned my education degree,” Chen says. “But I feel like you only have one life, so you need to do what you enjoy.”
Aliko Chen Jewelry ranges in price from NT$400 to NT$5,000 and can be purchased at www.pinkoi.com/store/alikochenjewelry. For more information, visit tw.myblog.yahoo.com/alikochen or send an e-mail to alikochen@hotmail.com
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
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