In-valuable
When beauty becomes a luxury, and luxury becomes a symbol, does material truth still matter?
This project interrogates the value systems surrounding natural and synthetic gemstones. In a world where technology can replicate rarity, perception overrides substance. A diamond, whether mined or made, holds no meaning until value is projected onto it—by markets, by class, by consensus.
In-valuable is a collection of five contemporary jewellery pieces crafted from “low-value” materials. They mimic the visual language of diamonds, but with deliberate artifice, questioning the myths of luxury. What, then, becomes the next diamond?
Fragile Ego
2023
Ring
95mm x 58mm x 58mm
Eggshell, chrome electroplated durable resin, magnets
Inflated Bubble
2023
Ring
64mm x 90mm x110mm (variable)
Wrapping paper, chrome electroplated durable resin, synthetic diamonds
300 Carats
2023
Ring
87mm x 70mm x 70mm
Mirror film, chrome electroplated durable resin, synthetic diamond
Empty Bling
2023
Ring
80mm x 51mm x 51mm
Glossy paper, CD disc, chrome electroplated durable resin
Highlight
2023
Ring
240mm x 10mm x 29mm (variable)
Telescopic antenna, chrome electroplated durable resin, synthetic diamond
Photography: KaviengCheng
Video: KaviengCheng