Fenice Design’s (水鳳凰設計) jewelry ranges from the meticulously detailed to the simple and abstract, but all of it is inspired by Chinese culture and Taiwan’s ecology. The brand was founded in 2007 by CEO Wenjean Ho (何文靜) and creative director Meiling Wang (王美玲), a lecturer at National Taiwan University of Art (國立台灣藝術大學). The two met six years ago when Ho took one of Wang’s jewelry-making classes. They chose the Chinese phoenix as their fledgling brand’s mascot and namesake (Fenice means “phoenix” in Italian) — but with a difference.
The company’s Chinese name means water phoenix in English. “Most phoenixes are fire phoenixes who have to pass through the flames first in order to be reborn. We didn’t want such a mournful story,” says Wang. “The water element in Chinese culture symbolizes wisdom and beauty. The Taiwanese word for water is also a homophone for ‘beautiful.’”
Fenice’s 20 jewelry lines include Palace Garden (後花園), inspired by Yang Guifei (楊玉環), one of the Four Beauties of ancient China (四大美女) who, according to legend, was so lovely that flowers turned away in shame when she took a stroll in the garden, and Formosa Ocean (海洋), which consists of handmade sterling silver pendants based on the shapes of sea anemones, starfish and other ocean creatures found off the coast of Penghu. Other pendants and rings pay tribute to Taiwan’s banana trees, butterflies and orchids.
The brand’s best-selling line is Double Happiness (喜字), which riffs on the Chinese character for “happiness” by presenting it in various sterling silver configurations.
“I like crafting small things, it’s very fun,” says Ho. “A small thing can tell an entire story. There aren’t a lot of limits to jewelry. I can make something out of a piece of paper or fabric.”
“You use different materials as you create and then your body is the exhibition space,” adds Wang.
Wang and Ho’s favorite jewelry-making techniques include working with silver and enamel by hand. Other Fenice pieces, such pendants in the Tracery (鏤窗) series, are designed with 3D imaging software and carved by machine, which allows for very fine detail.
“We think of a theme and then we think of what techniques and materials will work best. And we also think of a story for each piece. Customers are drawn by the story first, so that when they pick up a piece of jewelry, they find it meaningful,” says Wang.
The Paper Cuts (剪紙) collection showcases miniature laser-cut versions of the traditional Chinese folk art encased in acrylic and framed in sterling silver. Ho and Wang based the paper cuts in Fenice’s jewelry on items owned by a collector who travels China looking for original pieces. Motifs in the paper cuts include an elderly couple sitting beneath a tree; children playing in a peach, a symbol of longevity; and mandarin ducks, which denote love.
“Collecting paper cuts is like collecting stories and that’s what we wanted to preserve in our pendants,” says Ho.
“Since paper cuts were traditionally meant to cover windows while allowing light to shine through, we decided to put them between pieces of glass or acrylic in homage to their original purpose,” adds Wang.
Other Fenice pieces are more abstract. The Hua Mulan (花木蘭) series uses simple shapes and textured metal to evoke the armor of the famous female warrior, while Between the Circle and the Square (方圓之間) is based on ancient Chinese coins and a quote from the Chinese philosopher Laozi (老子): “Wisdom must be as complete as a circle, behavior must be as upright as a square.”
The Spiral Design (迴紋) series goes even further back into China’s history to glean inspiration from prehistoric pottery. The enamel and sterling silver rings echo the slightly rough texture of these artifacts.
“We don’t want to rely on precious gems to make our jewelry beautiful,” says Wang. “We think that if our customers understand the story behind each item, then they see that the beauty of each piece goes deeper.”
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