Isabella Liu is a jewellery designer and artist. She was born in Wuhan, China, and is currently based in London. Isabella commenced her BA in Jewellery Design and Related Products at Birmingham City University's School of Jewellery, and completed her MA in Arts and Cultural Management at King's College London.
In 2014, Isabella founded her design studio in London, following which she established her jewellery consultancy business in 2016 with Gordon Hamme, the Chairman of the British Silver Festival. ‘The Jeweller’ Magazine from National Association of Jewellers once reported: “Isabella Liu – bringing China and Britain together”.
Selected by the ‘WOMEN OF CHINA’ magazine, Isabella was nominated as one of ten ‘Impressing the world, Chinese Women Yield Brilliant Results’ in 2015. Isabella was also named as an ‘Exceptional Talent in Craftsmanship and Design’ by the Arts Council England in 2015, which recognises her contribution to the jewellery and crafts industry - academically, culturally and commercially.
The Sea Rhymes collection is inspired by the great Japanese artist Hokusai’s The Great Wave, and Isabella's fantasy with the sound of the sea. She wrote a poem to express her emotions when she travelled to the seaside: "I know a place where the world is still, where time and space have no hold; I know a place where my heart and soul are one..."
Isabella Liu wanted to bring a sense of romance and joy to the Sea Rhymes collection. So she transformed the classic painting to a beautiful sculptural form of jewellery, highlighted with incredible sounds. Swirling and curling lines represent the ocean. The curves of each piece are designed to embrace each stone like the ocean envelops the body. Inside each piece is a stone which, when moving, echoes the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore. Transporting the wearer to a place of tranquility, Sea Rhymes enables them to hear the beautiful subtle voice of the sea whispering in their ears, bringing them a sense of purity, calm and joy. The collection is designed to engage the wearer with not only visual aesthetics but also a striking auditory effect.
"There is a dramatic and unforgettable story behind my work which has left an indelible mark on me, both physically and emotionally. When I was 12 years old, powerful fireworks seriously burnt me. The burn caused a very embarrassing scar on my body and when trying to cover it, a tattooist warned me that this would be the worst thing to do. Everyone has their own scar, everyone has his or her unforgettable painful story or history, and the best way to cope is to learn how to face and overcome it, rather than to try and escape from it."
Isabella therefore wanted to express the fierce pain she experienced as a young girl in a beautiful way to help the people who wear my jewellery feel stronger and more positive.
She uses laser cutting silk to create a 3D-effect, combining silver together to produce a a stone-setting effect which is much more innovative and glamorous than stone. The colour of the pieces reflect the original colour of the silk – so that when you touch them, you can feel a very unique texture.
Inspired by the oriental art of Kintsugi and her own design philosophy, Isabella Liu believes that damaged objects have the potential to become more beautiful. In the ‘Mending’ collection, she has chosen to focus on broken and fragile objects, utilising a narrative approach to design a set of ceramic tableware. Instead of hiding their damaged areas, she opted to celebrate and highlight their fragility, transforming them into wearable sculptural forms of art, thereby giving them a new life. Isabella pushes the boundary between object and jewellery. The golden crack is intended to be seen not only on the body as a piece of jewellery but also separately as a museum art piece in its own right, which in turn engages audiences by transforming the piece. Isabella regards the design and creation of her work as a form of meditation and a process of cultivation. She explores this spiritual belief by celebrating the fractures of broken objects and the fragility of life. Designed to change our perspectives about life’s challenges, the pieces are intended to transmit joy and peace, from which beauty and enlightenment can transpire.
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