Cindy Chao Focus
In a candid interview with Hong Kong Tatler, master jeweller Cindy Chao opens up about love, loss, and what she has planned next
Cindy Chao enters her Connaught Road showroom surrounded by personnel. Based in Taiwan, the founder of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel comes to Hong Kong whenever she can, which she admits isn’t as often as she’d like because of her busy schedule.
Her Hong Kong showroom is delightful. Dark wooden furniture, dimmed lighting and plump cushions stamped with the initial ‘C’ provide a welcoming atmosphere, as do the floor-to-ceiling windows that allow for natural light to stream into the atmospheric space.
Walls are teeming with leather-bound tomes that are carefully arranged in black bookcases, while several of Chao’s kaleidoscopic Black Masterpieces glitter in glass cases, leaving no doubt that there’s simply no other jeweller capable of creating such artistry.
In conversation, Chao switches between being absolutely locked in one moment and a little forlorn in the next, as she recalls her journey to stardom, which in many ways seems predestined from childhood.
From a creative family, Chao's father was a sculptor and her grandfather was a celebrated architect who designed temples across Taiwan. Chao is currently compiling a one-of-a-kind hardcover showcasing the latter’s exceptional work, which she hopes to donate to one of Taiwan's museums.
In this candid interview from her Hong Kong showroom, we’re introduced to the Cindy Chao who’s a single mother–managing the day-to-day challenges and pleasures of guiding a now-adult son–and also the Cindy Chao who’s jewellery business is a revolutionary maison that produces the most sought-after and awe-inspiring jewellery the world has ever seen.
She reveals the pressure of balancing these two women, and reflects on the influences (both the good and the bad) that have led to the success she enjoys today.
Discover more at cindychao.com
See also: Master Of Her Fate: Jewellery Artist Cindy Chao On The Road To Success And Family Legacy